Email Newsletter

Edition: June 2009-Feb 2010

Doing Research?

Search The Metro Investment Report's 12-year archive.

Email Newsletter

Sign up to be notified when new editions are published.

"The Planning Report is always the first thing I read at my desk every month."
- Rick Cole, City Manager for the City of Ventura

"The Planning Report covers in-depth, and every month, the people, projects, laws and regulations that impact and define development in the state, and most especially, Southern California. There is no other publication like it."
- Doug Gardner,
Managing Related Companies
Grand Avenue Project

"Every person who thinks or cares about Los Angeles needs to read The Planning Report."
- Robert Garcia,
Center for Law in the Public Interest

Also published by ABL, Inc.
The Planning Report

Fran Pavley

Fran Pavley

Fran Pavley Vows to Fight California Anti-AB 32 Ballot Measure

State Senator Pavley assesses the threat of a possible statewide ballot initiative that would roll back AB 32 implementation until the state’s unemployment rate dips to 5.5 percent.

Rep. Earl Blumenauer

Rep. Earl Blumenauer

Rep. Blumenauer Details Highway Trust Fund, Climate Change Policy

With forthcoming legislative packages showing promise for reform, including the surface transportation reauthorization and a climate change bill, Rep. Blumenauer details the developments in D.C.

Senator Barbara Boxer

Senator Barbara Boxer

Villaraigosa, Boxer Deliver Testimony to U.S. DOT Outreach Event in L.A.

The mayor and the senator make the case for their respective priorities with federal reauthorization of the transportation bill on the docket for 2010.

Mark Ridley-Thomas

Mark Ridley-Thomas

Ridley-Thomas Calls for Review of Grade Crossing Policy

Op-Ed Exclusive: County Supervisor Ridley-Thomas critiques the policy that guided Metro’s approval of the Expo Line, citing the controversy it has sparked in South L.A. and the Westside.

Steve Heminger

Steve Heminger

Bay Area’s Heminger Urges Transportation Paradigm Shift

Executive Director of the Metropolitan Transportation Commission Steve Heminger stresses innovation for the reauthorization of the federal surface transportation bill—and an end to the TEA era.

Art Leahy

Art Leahy

Metro CEO Art Leahy Talks Budget, Operations, Capital Projects

Art Leahy spoke to the Westside Urban Forum about traffic issues on the Westside, as well as the regional issues affecting Metro’s management and operations strategy.

Fiona Ma

Fiona Ma

Majority Whip Fiona Ma Details State Assembly’s Agenda for Recovery

Assemblymember Ma offers insights gained from her roles in the State Assembly’s leadership and on critical committees pertaining to water and high-speed rail.

Josh Margolis

Josh Margolis

As Carbon Markets Mature, Opportunities and Risk Abound

Josh Margolis, CEO of carbon market broker CantorCO2e, describes the unsettled state of cap and trade mechanisms around the world.

John Fasana

John Fasana

Metro’s John Fasana Champions Congestion Pricing Pilot Program

The Mayor of Duarte, who has been serving Metro for 20 years, details big changes for the regional transportation network.

Will Kempton

Will Kempton

Will Kempton, Former Caltrans Director, Assumes Leadership of OCTA

Will Kempton makes the switch from the state to the local level. Orange County and the region may benefit by his experience as the federal government begins transportation bill reauthorization.

Paul Taylor

Paul Taylor

Leahy’s Deputy CEO Paul Taylor Returns to L.A. Metro

After 20 years away from Los Angeles, new Deputy CEO Paul Taylor returns to L.A. Metro prepared to uphold the commitment made to the public by Measure R.

Jeff Kightlinger

Jeff Kightlinger

MWD’s Jeff Kightlinger Demystifies State Water Bond Politics

On the precipice of a historic deal, stakeholders from around the state are anticipating the policy and financing details of a comprehensive water plan for California.

Darrell Steinberg

Darrell Steinberg

Sen. Steinberg Offers Reform Agenda To Bring State Back to Prosperity

Among the possibilities for the Legislature’s rebirth: a comprehensive plan to solve the state water crisis.

Chantal Ramsay

Chantal Ramsay

Ontario, Canada, Implements Solar Feed-in Tariff

The Canadian Province of Ontario has set the pace for North America with the Green Energy Act; Chantal Ramsay, consul of economic affairs for Ontario explains how.

Cindy Miscikowski

Cindy Miscikowski

Cindy Miscikowski Leads L.A. Harbor Commissioners Through Tough Economy

The challenges facing the Los Angeles Board of Harbor Commissioners are substantial, but so is the political experience of new Board President Cindy Miscikowski.

Rep. Earl Blumenauer

Rep. Earl Blumenauer

Stuck in Second Gear: Cap-and-Trade Legislation, Transportation Bill Reauthorization

Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Oregon) debriefs on the status of critical federal legislation.

Frank Liesman

Frank Liesman

Styrofoam Food Packaging Waste Stream Legislation Oversimplifies Issues, Recycling Options

Frank Liesman, Assistant Chief Counsel for Dart Container Corp., a leading manufacturer of polystyrene food packaging, argues that the material is practical from more than just a business standpoint.

Daniel Mazmanian

Daniel Mazmanian

California Drought—Regulatory and Natural— Requires Water Agencies To Conserve and Reuse

Regional policy experts from the Inland Empire Utilities Agency and the University of Southern California describe the types of best practices that will be necessary as California’s ongoing drought.

Rick Cole

Rick Cole

Ventura County Brokers Landmark Stormwater Discharge Permit; May Become Statewide Model

Two key brokers of the deal, Mark Gold of Heal the Bay and Rick Cole of the city of Ventura, recount the political underpinnings of the landmark policy.

Last Month's Edition
January - May 2009 [Jun-03-2009]

News from The Metropolitan Forum Project

News from New Schools Better Neighborhoods

News from The Planning Report