We Did It! Mayor Bass Creates a Capital Planning Steering Committee to Improve How LA Manages the Public Right-of-Way

It’s a Key First Step Toward a Comprehensive, Multi-Year Capital Infrastructure Plan

Investing in Place has been a leading voice calling for Los Angeles leaders to prioritize creating a comprehensive plan for the city’s public right-of-way—and we did it!

 

On October 16, Mayor Karen Bass issued Executive Directive No. 9: Streamlining Capital Project Delivery and Equitably Investing in the Public Right-of-Way.

 

The Directive addresses essential reforms to our public right-of-way that place equity, community engagement, and transparency at the forefront for the first time in Los Angeles’ history. This is a major step toward creating a better-run, people-centered city. See what other leaders—our partners in this work—are saying about this exciting initiative here. Our thoughts were also included in the Los Angeles Times and Torched coverage. 

 

We’re proud to say that our collective voice has made a difference! 

 

The Executive Directive’s opening lines mirror the calls we spent years researching, developing, and promoting. Investing in Place is proud to have laid the foundation for this transformative moment by providing city and community leaders with analysis and insight into how LA City currently plans for and manages its public right-of-way, compared with nationwide best practices and what other cities do. (See our online library of resources.) 

 

Over the past several years, we:

  • Conducted research on over 30 cities’ Capital Infrastructure Plans (CIPs). 
  • Launched LA’s first-ever inventory of all elements of the public right-of-way.
  • Convened roundtables and held workshops for civic, business, and community leaders. 
  • Interviewed City staff to identify barriers to creating an equitable CIP for Los Angeles. 
  • Rallied over 80 civic organizations and individuals behind our community pledge that we submitted to the Mayor last year, including many of the key principles reflected in Mayor Bass’ Directive.

Our insights and recommendations are referenced throughout the Directive, especially in these key points: 

  1. For the first time, Los Angeles will engage the disability community as a key partner in planning and maintaining the public right-of-way.
  2. Maintenance and asset management will be prioritized, with transparent cost allocations for these efforts.
  3. Project list development will move from the “black box” to a process that includes community engagement as a component.
  4. The Directive eliminates bureaucratic silos by consolidating multiple existing workgroups, creating a unified, shared vision.
  5. The Directive emphasizes equitable investment in the public right-of-way, ensuring historically underserved and low-income communities receive the attention and resources needed to address long-standing infrastructure disparities.
  6. The Directive commits to economic and workforce development, prioritizing procurement and career path opportunities for Angelenos and small businesses, supporting local hire initiatives and fostering community growth.

But the work is just beginning.

 

An Executive Directive is a crucial first step, but it’s only the beginning. The reason a CIP has never been adopted in Los Angeles when cities like Boston, Chicago, Long Beach, New York, San Diego, and Seattle have one is because it takes work. Now, we need leadership from both inside and outside City Hall to collaborate in untangling decades of complex processes, data, and traditions. This won’t be easy, but it can be done.

 

Currently, LA has over 20 city agencies and entities, each operating with separate year-by-year budgets, no unified plan, no comprehensive project list, and no shared vision—leaving the public uninformed. Mayor Bass’ Executive Directive sets a clear vision for change, and now is the time to act.

 

The Directive introduces key elements for a more transparent process and a better-run city—things Los Angeles has been missing for decades.

 

This is a promising first step, and we’re ready to work alongside city staff and community leaders for these plans to move off the page and into reality.

 

We need your continued partnership. 

 

Join us as we continue to work with the City to see that this not only gets done but gets done right—and that people like you inform the process and the outcomes. Here’s what you can do:

  • Share this news with the people in your own networks. Here are some additional resources to make it easy to spread the word. 
  • Follow the ongoing work of the new Capital Planning Steering Committee, or get updates from us by signing up for our newsletter at the bottom of this page.
  • Keep raising your voice and asking the city to follow through on these promises.
  • Donate to Investing in Place so we can keep up this work, especially as it ramps up now.

It will take all of us. Let’s get to work!



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Estolano Advisors

Richard France

Richard France assists clients with strategic planning, visioning, and community and economic development. He is a strategic planner at Estolano Advisors, where he has been involved in a variety of active transportation, transit-oriented development, climate change resiliency, and equitable economic development projects. His work in active transportation includes coordinating a study to improve bike and pedestrian access to transit oriented districts for the County of Los Angeles, and working with the Southern California Association of Governments to host tactical urbanism events throughout the region. Richard also serves as a technical assistance provider for a number of California Climate Investment programs, including the Affordable Housing Sustainable Communities, Transformative Climate Communities, and Low Carbon Transit Operations programs. He has also taught at the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs. Richard received a Bachelor of Environmental Design from the University of Colorado at Boulder, and his M.A. in Urban Planning from UCLA.

Accelerator for America, Milken Institute

Matt Horton

Matt Horton is the director of state policy and initiatives for Accelerator for America. He collaborates with government officials, impact investors, and community leaders to shape infrastructure, job creation, and equitable community development efforts. With over fifteen years of experience, Matt has directed research-driven programs and initiatives focusing on housing production, infrastructure finance, access to capital, job creation, and economic development strategies. Previously, he served as the director of the California Center at the Milken Institute, where he produced research and events to support innovative economic policy solutions. Matt also has experience at the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG), where he coordinated regional policy development and planning efforts. He holds an MA in political science from California State University, Fullerton, and a BA in history from Azusa Pacific University. Additionally, Matt serves as a Senior Advisor for the Milken Institute and is involved in various advisory boards, including Lift to Rise and WorkingNation.

UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies

Madeline Brozen

Madeline is the Deputy Director of the UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies at the Luskin School of Public Affairs. She oversees and supports students, staff, and faculty who work on planning and policy issues about how people live, move, and work in the Southern California region. When not supporting the work of the Lewis Center community, Madeline is doing research on the transportation patterns and travel needs of vulnerable populations in LA. Her recent work includes studies of low-income older adults in Westlake, public transit safety among university students, and uncovering the transportation needs of women, and girls in partnership with Los Angeles public agencies. Outside of UCLA, Madeline serves as the vice-chair of the Metro Westside Service Council and enjoys spending time seeing Los Angeles on the bus, on foot, and by bike.

Office of Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass

Luis Gutierrez

Luis Gutierrez, works in the Office of Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, as the Director of Energy & Water in the Office of Energy and Sustainability (MOES), Luis oversees issues related to LA’s transition to clean energy, water infrastructure, and serves as the primary liaison between the Mayor’s Office and the Department of Water and Power. Prior to joining MOES, Luis managed regulatory policy proceedings for Southern California Edison (SCE), focusing on issues related to equity and justice. Before joining SCE, Luis served as the Director of Policy and Research for Inclusive Action for the City, a community development organization dedicated to economic justice in Los Angeles. Luis holds a BA in Sociology and Spanish Literature from Wesleyan University, and a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from Cal State LA.

kim@investinginplace.org

Communications Strategist

Kim Perez

Kim is a writer, researcher and communications strategist, focused on sustainability, urban resilience and safe streets. Her specialty is taking something complex and making it clear and compelling. Harvard-trained in sustainability, she won a prize for her original research related to urban resilience in heat waves—in which she proposed a method to help cities identify where pedestrians spend a dangerous amount of time in direct sun, so they can plan for more equitable access to shade across a city.

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Jessica Meaney

For over almost two decades, Jessica has led efforts in Los Angeles to promote inclusive decision-making and equitable resource allocation in public works and transportation funding. Jessica’s current work at Investing in Place is grounded in the belief that transparent and strategic prioritization of public funds can transform Los Angeles into a city where inclusive, accessible public spaces enrich both livability and well-being. As a collaborator and convener, Jessica plays a role in facilitating public policy conversations and providing nuanced insights into the interplay of politics, power, and process on decision-making and fiscal allocations.