When California planned to close 70 parks this month to save $22 million, donors sprang into action to help keep them open. It turns out they needn't have, as last week it was revealed the CA Dept. of Parks and Recreation stashed away $54 million.
News broke on Friday that while the California Department of Parks and Recreation "painted a dire picture of
the system's health, soliciting hundreds of thousands of dollars in
donations in what was thought to be a desperate scramble to keep
facilities open," a trove of nearly $54 million remained untapped in two funds, report Ruth Coleman, director of the department since 2002, resigned, and her second in command, acting Chief Deputy Michael Harris, was fired.
At this time it is "unclear whether mismanagement or deliberate deceit led to the concealment of the funds," write the state attorney general's office.
"'It disgusts me,' said Myra Hilliard, who donated and helped raise money
for the Pio Pico State Historic Park in Whittier. 'Is anybody honest
about anything anymore? Here we are working so hard to keep the park
open and they have all this money they aren't telling us about.'"
Secretary John Laird of the California Natural Resources Agency, which
oversees the department, "said in a conference call with reporters that
lawmakers will ultimately decide how to appropriate the surplus."
FULL STORY: California parks department finds $54-million surplus

Alabama: Trump Terminates Settlements for Black Communities Harmed By Raw Sewage
Trump deemed the landmark civil rights agreement “illegal DEI and environmental justice policy.”

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

The 120 Year Old Tiny Home Villages That Sheltered San Francisco’s Earthquake Refugees
More than a century ago, San Francisco mobilized to house thousands of residents displaced by the 1906 earthquake. Could their strategy offer a model for the present?

LA’s Tree Emergency Goes Beyond Vandalism
After a vandal destroyed dozens of downtown LA trees, Mayor Karen Bass vowed to replace them. Days later, she slashed the city’s tree budget.

Sacramento Leads Nation With Bus-Mounted Bike Lane Enforcement Cameras
The city is the first to use its bus-mounted traffic enforcement system to cite drivers who park or drive in bike lanes.

Seattle Voters Approve Social Housing Referendum
Voters approved a corporate tax to fund the city’s housing authority despite an opposition campaign funded by Amazon and Microsoft.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Ada County Highway District
Clanton & Associates, Inc.
Jessamine County Fiscal Court
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions
Salt Lake City
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service