Panel: Transformational Transportation

Transformational Transportation:
Los Angeles on a High-Speed Recovery Track

Please join our distinguished panelists moderated by California High Speed Rail Authority Board Member Richard Katz on Friday, July 30, 2010 for an engaging discussion. Details and sign-up below.

The California High-Speed Rail project is coming to town, the Mayor’s 30/10 transit plan is gaining traction, and Southern California’s long love affair with the automobile is being tested as rail transit and pedestrian-oriented lifestyle options become increasingly appealing alternatives.

Please join our distinguished panelists moderated by 30/10 Plan vocal supporter Richard Katz on Friday, July 30, 2010 for an engaging discussion on Transformational Transportation:  Los Angeles on a High-Speed Recovery Track.

Registration for this event is now closed. Thank you for your interest.

Discussion Highlights

  • The 30/10 Plan: Implementation and Benefits
  • The Movement Toward Sustainability as it Affects Urbanism
  • Union Station as the Hub of a Re-Envisioned Los Angeles
  • Good Planning Principles: Pulling Together a Network of Pedestrian, Bicycle, Vehicular Transportation Options
  • Implementation Challenges: The Importance of Consensus-Building

Panelists

Richard Katz, CAHSRA, Metro, and Metrolink Board Member – PANEL MODERATOR

Richard Katz is the owner of a successful public policy and government relations firm based in Los Angeles, Richard Katz Consulting (RKC),Inc. RKC offers a wide variety of services, including strategic advice, message development, negotiations/ mediation and government relations strategies. RKC brings a vast knowledge of all levels of government and can guide clients through the maze of both bureaucratic and regulatory concerns. In addition, they can develop, direct and implement a communications strategy to specific stakeholders. Targeting interest groups and helping clients gain entry into organizations, stakeholders and corporations through their vast contacts and decades of relationships is their specialty.

Richard Katz was California’s lead negotiator for the landmark Colorado River Agreement between the State of California, the Federal Government, four California Water Agencies, and the six Colorado River Basin States, furthering his expertise as a negotiator on issues of statewide significance. Katz had already played a pivotal role in renegotiating $30 Billion worth of California’s Energy contracts and developing California’s Transportation Blueprint for the 21st Century, which the voters approved as Proposition 111 in 1990. Shortly after his election in June of 2005, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa appointed Katz to serve with him on the Governing Board of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. After the horrific Metrolink accident in 2008, the Mayor appointed Katz to the California High Speed Rail Authority. In Jan. of 2003, Governor Davis appointed Katz his Senior Advisor on Energy and Water issues. In 2001 Katz was appointed to the State Water Resources Control Board, confirmed by the Senate and served for six years, occupying the water quality seat.

Katz was first elected to the California State Assembly in 1980 and served continuously for 16 years. As Democratic Leader in 1995, Katz led the Party back to majority status by winning 43 seats in the 1996 elections. California’s term limits law prohibited Katz from seeking re-election. For 10 years, Katz served as Chair of the powerful Assembly Transportation Committee. Katz authored Proposition 111, a 10 year Transportation Blueprint passed by the voters. He created the Congestion Management Plan, requiring cities and counties to measure and mitigate impacts of land use decisions on their streets, highways and transit systems. Katz also spearheaded numerous investigations of governmental waste. In addition to serving as Chair of the Transportation Committee, Katz worked in policy areas including education, environment, criminal justice and consumer issues. Some of his accomplishments include laws he wrote dealing with prison reform, groundwater protection, computer education, a $100 million school bus replacement program, Mono Lake restoration and landmark water market legislation. Katz was Chair of Angelenos for Better Classrooms, which led the successful 1997 campaign to pass a $2.4 billion L.A. school bond. Katz serves on the Executive Committee and Board of the Economic Alliance of the San Fernando Valley and the Boards of: Heal the Bay, Valley Presbyterian Hospital, The Children’s Community School, Project Grad, Encino Tarzana Hospital Foundation and Citizens for Reliable and Safe Highways (CRASH).

A native of Los Angeles, Katz lives in Sherman Oaks with Wendy Mitchell, their 3 year old son Mitchell Robert and their two dogs.

Ed P. Reyes, Los Angeles City Council Member, Council District 1

Ed P. Reyes has served on the Los Angeles City Council since April 2001. A native of Northeast Los Angeles, Councilmember Reyes represents many of the neighborhoods he grew up in including Lincoln Heights and Cypress Park. As chair of the Los Angeles River Ad Hoc Committee, Reyes has brought a renewed focus to the once-neglected L.A. River. He spearheaded the Los Angeles River Revitalization Master Plan, a neighborhood-driven plan that includes enhancing water quality, environmental protection, increasing open space and improving flood control. The Plan, approved in May 2007, has paved way for the creation of more parks, pedestrian and bike paths, and wetlands along the River. Reyes was instrumental in the creation of two major Rivers parks at Taylor yard, once an old rail yard, and at the Cornfield, which is adjacent to Chinatown.

As chair of the City Council’s Planning and Land Use Management committee, Reyes has expanded the City’s affordable housing stock. He successfully pushed for Adaptive Reuse, or the conversion of abandoned buildings into housing, which enabled the construction of thousands of housing units City wide. Additionally, he helped establish Residential and Accessory Services, which permits residential development in commercial zones. As chair of the Metro Gold Line Authority the Councilmember Reyes also helped ensure that the $750 million Gold Line project was completed on time and on budget. Reyes attended UCLA where he earned a bachelor’s degree in English and a master’s degree from UCLA’s Graduate School of Architecture and Urban Planning.

Michael I. Schneider, Managing Partner, InfraConsult LLC

Michael Schneider is founder and managing partner of InfraConsult LLC, a management consulting firm specializing in the development and financing of sustainable infrastructure projects and solutions.   Most recently, Mike has focused his practice on two primary areas: innovative project development and delivery strategies, principally in the transport domain; and public-private partnerships (PPPs) for transportation and infrastructure development.

Mike co-chairs the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) Task Force on Public-Private Partnerships, and over the last 20 years has been instrumental in planning and/or financing many well known public-private partnership projects.  He has been involved in many projects in which the public and private sectors partnered, including the SR 125 South Bay Expressway east of SAn Diego, E-470 Toll Expressway in Colorado; the Dulles Greenway in Virginia; the Orange County (CA) toll road program, including the San Joaquin Hills and Foothill/Eastern Corridors; the Tel Aviv and Jerusalem (Israel) metro light rail projects; and the SR 91 (Riverside Freeway) HOT lanes, among others.

Mike serves on the Board of Directors of the Business Council for International Understanding (BCIU), and is a member of the RAND Corporation Advisory Board for Environment and Infrastructure, a member of the International Advisory Board of the Women’s Transportation Seminar (WTS), and Chairman of the Laguna Beach (CA) Transportation Commission.  Mike holds an undergraduate degree in civil engineering and a Master’s degree in Urban and Regional Planning and Economics from the University of California, Los Angeles.

Mike co-founded InfraConsult in 2006.  The firm’s partners, senior staff and consultants are involved in a variety of projects involving strategy, project development, finance, facility planning and design, program management, public-private partnerships, and operation and maintenance of infrastructure facilities in the U.S. and overseas.  While specializing in complex infrastructure programs in public transit, toll facilities, highways, bridges, railroads, aviation and ports, InfraConsult also provides advisory and consultative services to public authorities and private sector organizations seeking to enhance the quality of life through improvements to the built environment. 

Michael Woo, Dean, College of Environmental Design, Cal Poly Pomona

Michael Woo brings a unique background in public service, community involvement, and urban planning to his role as Dean of the College of Environmental Design. He was the first trained urban planner and the first Asian American elected to serve on the Los Angeles City Council. Representing a diverse constituency of 235,000 people in Hollywood and surrounding neighborhoods, Woo spearheaded the Hollywood Redevelopment Plan which laid the groundwork for Hollywood’s current revitalization; played a key role in choosing the route and station locations of the Metro Red Line subway; and made decisions on numerous development proposals and neighborhood controversies. He gave up his Council seat after eight years to become one of 24 candidates for Mayor of Los Angeles in 1993, ultimately receiving 46 percent of the citywide vote and a second-place finish in the citywide run-off election.

In 2005, Woo was appointed to the Los Angeles City Planning Commission. He chairs the national board of directors of Smart Growth America, the national coalition advocating compact development patterns and sustainable transportation choices; the governing board of Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center; and the board of directors of Sustainable Economic Enterprises of Los Angeles (SEE-LA), the nonprofit organization which runs the Hollywood Farmers Market, the largest certified farmers market in the City of Los Angeles, which he helped to establish 19 years ago when he was a Councilman.

Reflecting his growing interest in the relationship between climate change and environmental design, Woo’s recent special assignments include an appointment from the California Air Resources Board to the Regional Targets Advisory Committee (RTAC), and an invitation from the Urban Land Institute to co-chair a study panel on the economic impacts of Senate Bill 375. A native of Los Angeles, Woo received his B.A. from the University of California, Santa Cruz, and earned his Master of City Planning degree from UC Berkeley. He was a Fellow of the Institute of Politics at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government. Before becoming Dean of ENV, Woo taught the undergraduate introduction to urban planning and development at USC for seven years and led a seminar at UCLA on urbanization in China.

Ayahlushim Hammond, Senior Vice President, Thomas Properties Group

Ayahlushim Hammond is Senior Vice President at Thomas Properties Group (TPG). In this capacity, Ms. Hammond, who joined TPG in May 2006, is responsible for leading TPG’s efforts in advising NBC Universal on the “Evolution” masterplan and backlot residential development, as well as for TPG’s proposed development of the Metro/Universal station, a 1.4 million square foot Class A office development and the redevelopment of the Wilshire Grand Hotel and Office complex. Previously, Ms. Hammond was a partner and managing member of Kensington Holdings, a boutique real estate development company located in Los Angeles, California.

Prior to her tenure at Kensington Holdings, Ms. Hammond served as the Regional Administrator overseeing the Downtown Los Angeles region for the City of Los Angeles’ Community Redevelopment Agency. This region encompassed approximately 5,600 acres and entailed a new City Center Project Area, the Bunker Hill Urban Renewal Project Area, the amended Central Business District Redevelopment Project Area, the Little Tokyo Redevelopment Project area, the Central Industrial Project Area, the Chinatown Project Area as well as the entirety of the Council District 9 Project Area. Ms. Hammond began her work at the Los Angeles Community Redevelopment Agency in 1990. Prior to that, she served as Chief Planning Deputy for City Councilman Robert Farrell. Ms. Hammond received her Bachelor of Science from Pomona College in Claremont, California.

Schedule – Friday, July 30, 2010

8:30-9:00 a.m. Reception
9:00-10:30 a.m. Panel Discussion

Location

The City Club on 54th floor
333 S. Grand Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90071
Tel: (213) 620-9662

Parking

Accessed off Hope between 3rd and 4th. $8 with partial validation from the City Club for under 2 1/2 hrs.

One Response to “Panel: Transformational Transportation”

  • Upcoming Events

    August  2010
    MTWTFSS
     1

    August 1, 2010

    • LA Beyond Cars Exhibition

      Starts: 10:00

      Ends: 19:00 August 1, 2010

    2

    August 2, 2010

    • LA Beyond Cars Exhibition

      Starts: 10:00

      Ends: 19:00 August 2, 2010

    3

    August 3, 2010

    • LA Beyond Cars Exhibition

      Starts: 10:00

      Ends: 19:00 August 3, 2010

    • DLANC Sustainability Committee Meeting

      Starts: 19:00

      Ends: 21:00 August 3, 2010

      Description: This is a public meeting - please join us if you are interested!

      Agenda

      _Welcome
      _Introductions
      _Public Comment on Non-Agenda Items
      _Upcoming Events and Other Community Announcements
      Group discussion and planning for action regarding the 2009 AIA SDAT (Sustainable Design Assessment Team) Grant Recommendations which are now available. We will talk about our next steps towards implementing a planning process to help our neighborhood develop a long-term vision for a more sustainable community.
      _We will discuss the Green Parking Lot Pilot Project, providing you with an update on our status, information on how to get involved, and determine how the Sustainability Committee can support the upcoming launch event (August 28) for this exciting project.
      Other project updates include: The Website and Online Resource Toolkit; Urban Garden Guide; Tree Planting; Green Alleys
      _Next meeting agenda items?
      _Adjourn

      The public is requested to fill out a “Speaker Card” to address the DLANC Sustainability Committee (Committee) on any item of the agenda prior to the Committee taking action on an item. Comments from the public on agenda items will be heard only when the respective item is being considered. Comments from the public on other matters not appearing on the agenda that is within the Committee’s subject matter jurisdiction will be heard during the public comment period. Public comment is limited to two minutes per speaker, unless waived by the presiding officer of the Committee. As a covered entity under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act, the City of Los Angeles does not discriminate on the basis of disability and upon request, will provide reasonable accommodation to ensure equal access to its programs, services, and activities. Sign language interpreters, assistive listening devices, or other auxiliary aids and/or services may be provided upon request. To ensure availability of services, please
      make your request at least 3 business days (72 hours) prior to the meeting you wish to attend by contacting Committee Chair Ashley Z. Hand at [email protected]

    4

    August 4, 2010

    • LA Beyond Cars Exhibition

      Starts: 10:00

      Ends: 19:00 August 4, 2010

    • Project By Project Meeting

      Starts: 18:30

      Ends: 21:00 August 4, 2010

    5

    August 5, 2010

    • LA Beyond Cars Exhibition

      Starts: 10:00

      Ends: 19:00 August 5, 2010

    6

    August 6, 2010

    • railLA Working Group Meeting

      Starts: 08:00

      Ends: 10:00 August 6, 2010

      Description: Join the upcoming railLA Working Group meeting where we will discuss next steps for our organization including incorporation as a non-profit, upcoming events and publication, among other topics.

    • LA Beyond Cars Exhibition

      Starts: 10:00

      Ends: 19:00 August 6, 2010

    • Latino Urban Forum

      Starts: 17:00

      Ends: 19:00 August 6, 2010

    7

    August 7, 2010

    • LA Beyond Cars Exhibition

      Starts: 10:00

      Ends: 19:00 August 7, 2010

    8

    August 8, 2010

    • LA Beyond Cars Exhibition

      Starts: 10:00

      Ends: 19:00 August 8, 2010

    9

    August 9, 2010

    • LA Beyond Cars Exhibition

      Starts: 10:00

      Ends: 19:00 August 9, 2010

    10

    August 10, 2010

    • LA Beyond Cars Exhibition

      Starts: 10:00

      Ends: 19:00 August 10, 2010

    11

    August 11, 2010

    • LA Beyond Cars Exhibition

      Starts: 10:00

      Ends: 19:00 August 11, 2010

    12

    August 12, 2010

    • Art Walk

      Starts: 00:00

      Ends: 00:00 August 13, 2010

    • LA Beyond Cars Exhibition

      Starts: 10:00

      Ends: 19:00 August 12, 2010

    • Park[ing] Day LA 2010 Kick-Off Meeting

      Starts: 12:00

      Ends: 13:30 August 12, 2010

      Description: Park[ing] Day LA 2010 is on Friday, September 17. This is the fourth
      year for Park[ing] Day LA - an international, city-wide event
      highlighting the importance of parks and open space in our urban
      neighborhood. By taking over a parking spot, community members build
      small parks-for-a-day with their own vision of the future.

      What if streets were for people? What would our city look like?

      This year, the DLANC Sustainability Committee invites all interested
      persons to a Park[ing] Day LA planning meeting at the railLA
      Exhibition Space (525 S. Flower Street, enter from Figueroa). We will
      be discussing project ideas and resources and continue to build the
      network that supports this effort annually.

      Not just a park[ing] space - a park[ing] LOT!

      This year the DLANC Sustainability Committee would like you and all
      community partners to come and stage a green park[ing] lot - we hope
      to not only fill an entire blank lot with little parks, but we plan to
      introduce our community to a proposed pilot project. We are at the
      very early stages of learning what it will take for the Downtown Los
      Angeles Youth & Cultural Center to build a "green parking lot" which
      will help them generate much-needed revenue for their operations at
      the corner of W. 2nd Street and South Beaudry (see map
      http://maps.google.com/maps?q=134+s.+beaudry+avenue,+los+angeles+ca&oe=UTF-8&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=134+S+Beaudry+Ave,+Los+Angeles,+California+90012&gl=us&ei=bhdjTLOODYaBlAfX74yDAw&ved=0CBUQ8gEwAA&t=h&z=16).
      Email us at [email protected] if you would like to get involved
      or attend this meeting!

      Thursday, August 12, 2010
      12:00pm-2:30pm
      railLA: LA Beyond Cars Exhibition
      525 S. Flower Street (enter from Figueroa, between W. 5th Street and
      W. 6th Street)

    13

    August 13, 2010

    • LA Beyond Cars Exhibition

      Starts: 10:00

      Ends: 19:00 August 13, 2010

    14

    August 14, 2010

    • LA Beyond Cars Exhibition

      Starts: 10:00

      Ends: 19:00 August 14, 2010

    15

    August 15, 2010

    • LA Beyond Cars Exhibition

      Starts: 10:00

      Ends: 19:00 August 15, 2010

    16

    August 16, 2010

    • LA Beyond Cars Exhibition

      Starts: 10:00

      Ends: 19:00 August 16, 2010

    17

    August 17, 2010

    • LA Beyond Cars Exhibition

      Starts: 10:00

      Ends: 19:00 August 17, 2010

    18

    August 18, 2010

    • LA Beyond Cars Exhibition

      Starts: 10:00

      Ends: 19:00 August 18, 2010

    • Moving Beyond Cars: LA's Alternative Transportation Celebration

      Starts: 19:00

      Ends: 23:00 August 18, 2010

      Description: We suspect Los Angeles might have a car-crazed reputation but we also know this city has a vibrant community that likes to take bikes, buses and sidewalks, too. So GOOD is teaming up with railLA, the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition, the Coalition for Clean Air, and de LaB for an event that shows how L.A. can move beyond cars. We’re holding it at the exhibition LA Beyond Cars: A Global Perspective on Rail and Space which envisions the future of high speed rail in Los Angeles. And we’re challenging everyone who attends to use alternative transportation. That’s right—our goal is to make this a completely car-free party.

      Board a bus, take the train, ride a bike, map out a walk, jump on your scooter, hire a horse and buggy, break out your hoverboard … just get here in a way that illustrates an L.A. that’s not auto-dependent. Connect with friends and travel together. Document your trip on Twitter, Flickr or Facebook using the tag #LAbeyondcars. When you get to the event, we’ll have an opportunity for everyone to record how they got there, where they came from, and what happened during their journey. James Rojas will be holding his extremely fun interactive city planning workshops focusing on walking and biking. The folks from CicLAvia will be on-hand to talk about how they’re planning a car-free street celebration this fall. Plus: There will be prizes awarded for the people who arrive in the most unique, alternative, or “beyond car” ways. We’re looking forward to seeing you there!

    19

    August 19, 2010

    • LA Beyond Cars Exhibition

      Starts: 10:00

      Ends: 19:00 August 19, 2010

    20

    August 20, 2010

    • LA Beyond Cars Exhibition

      Starts: 10:00

      Ends: 19:00 August 20, 2010

    • Pecha Kucha

      Starts: 19:30

      Ends: 22:00 August 20, 2010

    21

    August 21, 2010

    • LA Beyond Cars Exhibition

      Starts: 10:00

      Ends: 19:00 August 21, 2010

    22

    August 22, 2010

    • LA Beyond Cars Exhibition

      Starts: 10:00

      Ends: 19:00 August 22, 2010

    23

    August 23, 2010

    • LA Beyond Cars Exhibition

      Starts: 10:00

      Ends: 19:00 August 23, 2010

    • DLANC Sustainability Committee Special Meeting

      Starts: 19:00

      Ends: 20:30 August 23, 2010

    24

    August 24, 2010

    • LA Beyond Cars Exhibition

      Starts: 10:00

      Ends: 19:00 August 24, 2010

    • Living Streets LA Committee meeting

      Starts: 18:00

      Ends: 21:00 August 24, 2010

      Description: Living Streets LA invites interested communities to present their plans for creating new public spaces in existing street right-of-ways on Tuesday, August 24, 2010. The details can be found on our Pilot Streets Page, in our April 21 post, and on the down-loadable flyer LS Pilot Mtg One-Sheet 8.24.

      If you are working on a compatible project and want to present, please send an email to livingstreetsla{at}gmail.com and let us know your community name, contact person and a brief description of your idea. The meeting is open to the public for others who are interested in attending. We will send out updates as the meeting gets closer.

      Living Streets will facilitate a discussion with the attendees at the August 24 meeting to choose 2-3 pilot projects that we intend to provide technical assistance support to and post on our website.

      RailLA has graciously agreed to host the meeting at its ‘LA Beyond Cars: A Global Perspective on Rail and Public Space’ exhibition in Downtown LA, which is ‘A multimedia experience showcasing concepts, ideas, and musings from around the world on the future of Los Angeles, a future beyond just cars’. We look forward to hearing YOUR ideas on August 24.

    25

    August 25, 2010

    • LA Beyond Cars Exhibition

      Starts: 10:00

      Ends: 19:00 August 25, 2010

    • Proposition 23: California Threat, National Implications - The Effort to Overturn California’s Climate and Energy Law, AB32 -

      Starts: 12:30

      Ends: 13:30 August 25, 2010

      Description: Clean Economy Network & AIA|LA
      Invite You to Join Us for a Discussion on
      Proposition 23: California Threat, National Implications
      - The Effort to Overturn California’s Climate and Energy Law, AB32 -

      This is a free event. All are welcome with Advance Registration.

      To register, please CLICK HERE.

      California’s Proposition 23 poses a significant risk to the national clean energy economy and to our fundamental business models. Success, even significant momentum, by the opponents of the clean economy will destabilize clean tech markets and make public policy unpredictable.

      If passed, the ballot measure would not only suspend California’s cap and trade program, it would also put at least 72 policies in legal limbo, including the state Renewable Portfolio Standard, Energy Efficiency, Green Building, Vehicle Efficiency and Low Carbon Fuel Standard.

      Our opponents want to stifle innovation and kill competition with this initiative that strikes at the core of our business. We must act now to defend the clean economy.

      Please join us for an in-depth discussion of how California’s Proposition 23 will impact your business and how you can get involved in the campaign to protect your investments. It will identify specific ways that clean economy businesses and investors can support and financially contribute to the effort to defend the clean economy.

      For more information or to RSVP, contact Brandon Keefe at [email protected] .

      This event is presented as a collaborative effort between:

      AIA Los Angeles
      The Clean Economy Network
      Clean Tech Los Angeles
      National Resource Defense Council
      RAIL LA

    • Project by Project Mixer

      Starts: 19:00

      Ends: 22:00 August 25, 2010

      Description: Tentative

    26

    August 26, 2010

    • LA Beyond Cars Exhibition

      Starts: 10:00

      Ends: 19:00 August 26, 2010

    27

    August 27, 2010

    • CAHRSA Press Conference

      Starts: 10:00

      Ends: 11:00 August 27, 2010

    • LA Beyond Cars Exhibition

      Starts: 10:00

      Ends: 19:00 August 27, 2010

    • LA Beyond Cars Exhibition Closing Party

      Starts: 18:00

      Ends: 22:00 August 27, 2010

    28

    August 28, 2010

    • Exhibition Breakdown

      Starts: 00:00

      Ends: 00:00 September 1, 2010

      Description: Break Down Saturday
      Scaffolding on Sunday
      Return All Goods by Monday
      Return Key to TPG on Tuesday at Noon

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