July 2026

July 23, 2026

Ambassador Eric Garcetti on Rebuilding the Global Order and LA's Olympic Legacy

Ambassador Eric Garcetti, former Mayor of Los Angeles and most recently U.S. Ambassador to India, opened VX2026's second day with an extended metaphor: the postwar international order as a building now beginning to crumble, and the choice facing this generation between remaining tenants and firefighters, or becoming its engineers and architects. In his welcoming remarks, Garcetti makes the case that climate progress in America is happening at the city and state level even as the federal administration asserts otherwise.

July 22, 2026

Pasadena Looks to Invest in Spurring Revenue through Placemaking

Pasadena City Councilmember Rick Cole once was described appropriately by the LA Times as “one of Southern California’s most visionary planning thinkers.” A City Planning Commissioner before successfully returning to the City Council after a 29 year hiatus during which he worked on award-winning General Plans for Azusa and Ventura as City Manager in those cities. He also spearheaded the adoption of the most recent Downtown Plan for Santa Monica in 2017.

July 23, 2026

Mayor Karen Bass, the New LA Metro Board Chair’s State of the Agency Address: "The Most Consequential Year in a Generation"

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass delivered her State of the Agency Address at Union Station as she takes over as LA Metro Board Chair for the 2026–2027 fiscal year — her second time holding the gavel. Bass laid out four priorities for the coming year: Metro Safe, Metro Affordable, Metro Reliable, and Metro Ready as the agency prepares for the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games, pointing to the system's second-largest ridership in the country, more than 300 million boardings last year, and the recent World Cup activations as a successful "dress rehearsal" for the Games.

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© 2026 The Planning Report | David Abel, Publisher, ABL, Inc.