PLANNING WATCH / PLAN-IT LOS ANGELES

By DICK PLATKIN, CityWatchLA ,   29 MARCH 2018 http://www.citywatchla.com/index.php/los-angeles/15164-la-s-politicians-and-academics-shills-for-real-estate-speculators PLATKIN ON PLANNING -The urban growth machine, including its enablers in public office and academia, dish out endless cover stories to camouflage their hidden agenda of priming the pumps of real estate speculation. When one of their self-serving theories bites the dust, they quickly advance another one, knowing they can depend on the corporate media and “business-friendly” policy experts to quickly pick up the beat.  Greenwashing : The best know version of this ploy is  greenwashing , such as Exxon’s and Chevron’s public service announcements trumpeting their restoration of ponds, shorelines, and meadows.   Meanwhile, these and similar energy companies continue to extract fossil fuels, often  with immediate pollution , followed by the huge generation of the Green House Gases r...

The “Build More Market Housing” Quack Miracle Cure for Los Angeles By Dick Platkin*   (Updated from CityWatchLA , Jan. 11, 2018, original) http://www.citywatchla.com/index.php/los-angeles-for-rss/14670-the-build-more-market-housing-quack-miracle-cure-for-los-angeles Platkin on Planning :   Los Angeles is heading toward a perfect storm of gentrification, well camouflaged behind spurious claims of boosting transit ridership and addressing LA’s housing crisis through planning, zoning, and environmental  deregulation. This perfect storm is propelled by huge tail winds from the State Legislature in Sacramento, with big city Democrats fronting for the real estate interests that fund and mentor them.   San Francisco State Senator Scott Wiener and Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti are their current favorites, but many more are lining up at the trough. To begin, there is a treasure trove of successful programs that they could turn to if they trul...