---
[ ARCHIVE ](https://ded2209.inmotionhosting.com/~citywa9/archive)
# Dick Platkin's Top 5
January 07 2015
Written by Dick Platkin.
[](https://www.addtoany.com/share)
###### *(As we head into 2015 CityWatch has asked some of the city’s political observers to list LA’s Top Five Issues. We will post their responses here over the next few weeks. We invite you to submit your own Top Five LA Issues and/or tell us how you feel about their responses, below.)*
1.) **The City's General Plan** is totally out-of-date, internally inconsistent, and barely monitored.
2.) LA and California needs a carefully developed **Climate Change Plan**, with a full spectrum of mitigation and adaptation programs.
3.) LA needs a coherent **Infrastructure Program** that will carefully monitor, maintain, and expand to meet changes in user demand.
4.) **LA’s Economy** continues in rough shape, and City Hall's remedy is little more than the deregulation of zoning rules.
5.) LA must prepare immediately for a ****Massive Earthquake.**
*(Dick Platkin is a former city planner. He teaches, writes, and consults on community planning issues* *in Los Angeles.)*
***(A more detailed version of Dick’s Picks*** ***>>>******)***
**TELL US WHAT YOU THINK**
*-Email your Top Five LA Issues or comments to .*
**LA’s Top Five Issues**
Dick Platkin
1\) **The City's General Plan** should guide all aspects of governance, including budgeting, but it is totally out-of-date, internally inconsistent, and barely monitored. It needs to be quickly and completely updated, which is no small task. Then, it needs to be rigorously monitored and also used to guide plan amendments, the City's annual budgeting process, and the five-year Capital Improvement Program (CIP).
2) **Climate change** is quickly bearing down on California, including Los Angeles, and there needs to be a carefully developed Climate Change Plan, with a full spectrum of mitigation and adaptation programs. The State of California has a wealth of legislation, data, and precedents to guide this process, and it should be folded into the updated General Plan as a discretionary element.
3) Most of the City's **public infrastructure** is in poor shape, and there is no coherent program to carefully monitor, maintain, and expand it to meet changes in user demand. Among the most important but deficient infrastructure categories are water lines, streets, sidewalks, bike lanes, and the urban forest, all of which would also contribute to climate change mitigation and adaptation if done correctly.
4) The **local economy** continues to be in rough shape, and City Hall's remedy is little more than the deregulation of zoning rules. This is neo-liberalism at the municipal level, and there is no evidence that its result, real estate speculation, has a positive economic benefit for most LA residents. True, investors, most of whom do not live in LA, are making a bundle, but little of their pirate's booty trickles down to the city's residents in the form of improved public services or rising employment and wage levels. Instead, Los Angeles needs a well-researched Economic and Employment Development Element for its General Plan. Furthermore, this Element needs to focus on the broad, long-term benefits of public investment instead of private speculation.
5) It is only a question of time until a **massive earthquake** strikes the Los Angeles area, and when it does, the number of deaths is predicted to soar into ten of thousands, depending on the time and strength of the quake and its aftershocks. It is, therefore, imperative, that the City undertakes a crash campaign to map all known earthquake faults and to amend plans and zoning regulations to prevent new structure above faults and in other seismically dangerous areas. Furthermore, at-risk buildings must be reinforced by a combination of municipal ordinances, financing, and technical assistance programs. Finally, the first responders, especially the LAFD and LADBS inspectors, need to be fully staffed and trained, for this predictable natural disaster before it happens.
*(Dick Platkin is a former city planner. He teaches, writes, and consults on community planning issues*
*in Los Angeles.)*
-cw
CityWatch
[  ](https://ded2209.inmotionhosting.com/~citywa9/component/banners/click/115 "Brian Goldsmith Vertical R. Col")
[  ](https://ded2209.inmotionhosting.com/~citywa9/component/banners/click/107 "LA DWP | Save $4K, Green | Priority Ad")
[  ](https://ded2209.inmotionhosting.com/~citywa9/component/banners/click/114 "McKinney Campaign")
[  ](https://ded2209.inmotionhosting.com/~citywa9/component/banners/click/82 "LA DWP #2 (Power Savers)")
[  ](https://ded2209.inmotionhosting.com/~citywa9/component/banners/click/98 "Donna Tryfman - HS1-1")
[  ](https://ded2209.inmotionhosting.com/~citywa9/component/banners/click/97 "Home - LA DWP #2 (Pay Water Bill Help)")
[  ](https://ded2209.inmotionhosting.com/~citywa9/component/banners/click/111 "David DeJute Campaign")
[  ](https://ded2209.inmotionhosting.com/~citywa9/component/banners/click/112 "Anna Reitano Vertical R. Col")
## Get The News In Your Email Inbox Mondays & Thursdays
Phone
[  ](https://ded2209.inmotionhosting.com/~citywa9/component/banners/click/113 "Rhonda Haymon campaign")
[  ](https://ded2209.inmotionhosting.com/~citywa9/component/banners/click/110 "Something You Should Know")
---
## Featured CityWatch Stories
[  ](https://ded2209.inmotionhosting.com/~citywa9/election-2024/33624-prosecutor-democrat-city-attorney-mckinney-makes-his-case-to-los-angeles-voters)
### [Prosecutor, Democrat, City Attorney? McKinney Makes His Case to Los Angeles Voters](https://ded2209.inmotionhosting.com/~citywa9/election-2024/33624-prosecutor-democrat-city-attorney-mckinney-makes-his-case-to-los-angeles-voters)
ELECTION 2026 - The race for LA City Attorney has been laced with political accusations and allegations that when close…
[  ](https://ded2209.inmotionhosting.com/~citywa9/la-watchdog/33544-the-la-watchdogs-2026-voters-guide-2)
### [The LA Watchdog’s 2026 Voter Guide](https://ded2209.inmotionhosting.com/~citywa9/la-watchdog/33544-the-la-watchdogs-2026-voters-guide-2)
LA WATCHDOG - My recommendations are influenced by the need for truly balanced budgets, fiscal responsibility, long ter…
[  ](https://ded2209.inmotionhosting.com/~citywa9/los-angeles/33626-the-fools-blame-game)
### [The Fools’ Blame Game](https://ded2209.inmotionhosting.com/~citywa9/los-angeles/33626-the-fools-blame-game)
THE VIEW FROM HERE - Angelenos do not use elections to plot a wiser course of conduct for Los Angeles, but rather they…
[  ](https://ded2209.inmotionhosting.com/~citywa9/los-angeles/33619-california-film-tax-credits-arent-enough-the-guilds-need-to-change-too)
### [California Film Tax Credits Aren’t Enough. The Guilds Need to Change Too.](https://ded2209.inmotionhosting.com/~citywa9/los-angeles/33619-california-film-tax-credits-arent-enough-the-guilds-need-to-change-too)
LONNIE’S VIEW - California used to be the center of the movie and television universe. If you wanted to make movies, yo…
[  ](https://ded2209.inmotionhosting.com/~citywa9/voices/33648-heres-what-zionisms-got-to-do-with-it)
### [Here’s What Zionism’s Got To Do With It](https://ded2209.inmotionhosting.com/~citywa9/voices/33648-heres-what-zionisms-got-to-do-with-it)
ICAN - The anonymous website “BHUSD Watch” recently published a long, detailed article about the current BHUSD board an…
---
## [ ARCHIVE ](https://ded2209.inmotionhosting.com/~citywa9/archive)
[  ](https://ded2209.inmotionhosting.com/~citywa9/archive/15339-early-intervention-and-jobs-are-key-to-stemming-chronic-homelessness-in-los-angeles)### [Early Intervention and Jobs are Key to Stemming Chronic Homelessness in Los Angeles](https://ded2209.inmotionhosting.com/~citywa9/archive/15339-early-intervention-and-jobs-are-key-to-stemming-chronic-homelessness-in-los-angeles)
### [Tucker Carlson and Gay Rightwinger Blame California Wildfires On Hiring LGBTQ People](https://ded2209.inmotionhosting.com/~citywa9/archive/18755-tucker-carlson-and-gay-rightwinger-blame-california-wildfires-on-hiring-lgbtq-people)
### [Anti-LGBTQ Veep Just Can’t Stop Talking about Mayor Pete](https://ded2209.inmotionhosting.com/~citywa9/archive/17690-anti-lgbtq-veep-just-can-t-stop-talking-about-mayor-pete)
[  ](https://ded2209.inmotionhosting.com/~citywa9/archive/15316-news-pulse-corrupt-system-reason-for-not-voting-in-2018-majority-wants-more-than-two-parties)### [NEWS PULSE: ‘Corrupt System’ Reason for Not Voting in 2018 … Majority Wants More Than Two Parties](https://ded2209.inmotionhosting.com/~citywa9/archive/15316-news-pulse-corrupt-system-reason-for-not-voting-in-2018-majority-wants-more-than-two-parties)
[  ](https://ded2209.inmotionhosting.com/~citywa9/archive/10245-dead-dog-set-on-fire-sparks-fears-for-strays-in-los-angeles)### [Dead Dog Set on Fire … Sparks Fears for Strays in Los Angeles](https://ded2209.inmotionhosting.com/~citywa9/archive/10245-dead-dog-set-on-fire-sparks-fears-for-strays-in-los-angeles)