The Ralph and Goldy Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies

Open space, defined as any open piece of land that is undeveloped, and is accessible to the public, may be particularly beneficial to seniors (defined as those aged 65+), who are often at high risk of social isolation and deteriorating physical and mental health. Despite documented benefits, seniors remain one of the most underserved groups in terms of physical activity and open space use, with opportunities being limited even further due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This report seeks to explore seniors’ preferences for the design of open spaces that fulfill their physical activity and other social needs in the communities of Rowland Heights and Hacienda Heights. Methods used to obtain data included surveys, site visits to major open spaces, and digital scans of online data about public park usage during the pandemic. The findings revealed open spaces in these areas being hard to navigate on foot, parks conceived as central “pandemic” meeting places, and a high demand for open spaces in neighborhoods distant from parks. The final recommendations provide ways to transform nontraditional open spaces, defined as areas not typically utilized as open spaces, such as vacant lots and parklets, using affordable and senior-friendly elements. Specifically, findings are made replicable across different neighborhoods in the East San Gabriel Valley through 6 general themes that translate into actionable constructs: Control, Safety, Access, Social Support, Biophilic Design, Active Recreation. By providing a guideline to designing open spaces in underutilized areas within a budget, the goal is that there will be greater leverage towards creating nontraditional open spaces.

As California faces a crisis for affordable housing, policymakers must consider alternatives that will lead to the creation of equitable housing solutions. The enactment of Proposition 13 in 1978 prevented the influx of an abundance of state generated revenue that could be used for the development of affordable housing in California. This report examines three policy alternatives to foster additional revenue generation towards the development of affordable housing units throughout California: a land value lax (LVT), progressive property transfer tax, and reform of Proposition 13. Additionally, this report evaluates each policy alternative according to four criteria: political feasibility, technical feasibility, revenue generation, and equity. The study frames alternative projections in terms of their effects on thirteen ‘case study’ cities representing California’s most populated areas: Anaheim, Bakersfield, Fresno, Long Beach, Los Angeles, Oakland, Riverside, Sacramento, San Diego, San Jose, San Francisco, Santa Ana, and Stockton. These 13 cities represent a large proportion of California’s population, and additionally are representative of the many diverse demographics, landscapes, housing types, and densities that can be found within the state. Our analysis finds that all of our alternatives would generate substantial revenue towards the development of affordable housing in California. While no one alternative emerges as the clear best option, each features its own strengths and weaknesses. A land value tax excels most at revenue generation, a progressive property transfer tax poses the least political and technical feasibility issues, and a reformed Proposition 13 would best reverse policy decisions that have harmed California’s most historically marginalized populations. Additionally, reform of revenue-agnostic measures such as cumbersome bureaucratic processes and restrictive zoning ordinances is necessary to fully address the state’s housing shortfall. As there is no panacea for California’s affordable housing crisis, researchers recommend pursuing the alternative, or combination of alternatives, that best fits each municipality’s political context, demographic make-up, and municipal financing framework.

In August 2019, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors adopted OurCounty, an extensive and thorough regional sustainability plan for Los Angeles. Within Strategy 3A, which calls on the County to increase housing density and limit urban sprawl, is Action 47, which institutionalizes a County effort to “Support the preservation of agricultural and working lands, including rangelands, by limiting the conversion of these lands to residential or other uses...” The Los Angeles County Department of Regional Planning (LACDRP) has been tasked by the Los Angeles County Chief Sustainability Office to identify responses that promote “equitable and sustainable land use and development without displacement.”

In this brief, the Antelope Valley is framed as an important case study that (1) highlights the current state of California’s desert farmlands and (2) the impact solar might have on these rural places. Specifically, this brief describes the patterns associated with these lands by farmland quality, physical land uses, and zoning, and assesses how these characteristics might influence or be influenced by the relationship the land has with ground-mounted utility-scale solar energy development. The brief then identifies policy mechanisms that the LACDRP can implement to better plan for both agriculture and solar.

The Spare the Air/Free Morning Commute (Spare the Air) program in the San Francisco Bay Are funds up to five mornings of weekday transit when air quality is forecasted to exceed federal 8-hour ozone levels during the summer months. Spare the Air has existed for two years and data is limited to three fare free morning commute days. A similar program exists in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area known as Code Red Air Quality Action Days, which funds free transit with the exception of rail and buses within the District of Columbia. These two programs are contrasted with one another along with the Los Angeles region transportation related air quality strategy in order to provide insight on which programs are most effective and appropriate for each region. In order to determine policy appropriateness, a literature review of transit fare elasticity and major air quality strategies in the three regions is undertaken. Lastly, the current Spare the Air program evaluation and the ridership collection, analysis, and reporting methodology are reviewed in order to make suggestions for more effective program administration.

Despite cuts to bus service in Los Angeles, bus ridership has remained high compared to other cities, showing LA’s reliance on the bus. Bus riders deserve better service, and transit agencies have been turning to the bus lane as a low-cost and reliable way to improve bus service. This study answered the research question through case studies of bus lane implementation in Boston, Chicago, Seattle, and Sydney. This study found that pilot project bus lanes, also known as tactical lanes, provide immediate low-cost benefits while also collecting public input from riders and motorists. Bus lane implementation can be a political battle, and often hinges on the support of key political and transit agency players. Matching the type of bus lane to the corridor requires consideration of physical space and political realities. Automated bus lane enforcement through cameras is low cost and avoids interactions between police and people. Bus lane designs that prevent drivers from parking or driving in the lane, also known as self-enforcing design, should also be considered. Los Angeles advocates and agency staff should consider implementing more tactical bus lane projects as they offer benefits in a short timeline for low capital costs, and also serve as data and input gathering forums. When moving tactical projects forward as permanent lanes, advocates can take pilot data and find a policy champion that will petition for implementation. Bus lanes might not win over choice riders from driving their cars, but they do prioritize bus riders, which can boost loyalty and retain ridership. The working class, immigrant, and BIPOC bus riders of LA should be prioritized in transit projects as they are the lifeblood of the system.