Former L.A. City Budget Czar on the Fiscal Quagmire Ahead

Miguel Santana, former chief administrative officer for the city of Los Angeles during the Great Recession, comments on the realities revenue-starved city budgets.

1 minute read

April 27, 2020, 11:00 AM PDT

By Clare Letmon


Women's March Los Angeles

Kit Leong / Shutterstock

On Sunday, April 19, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti delivered a 'City Under Attack' state of the city address amidst the COVID-19 pandemic that has shut down all non-essential businesses in the state, wrought unforeseen economic hardship, and killed at least 729 people in L.A. County to date. The Planning Report spoke with Miguel Santana, city of Los Angeles chief administrative officer during the Great Recession, who comments on the reality of operating under revenue-starved city budgets.

Santana urges thoughtful planning and focused priorities as the city responds to the virus and the fiscal quagmire ahead. As the current president and CEO of Fairplex, the home of the Los Angeles County Fair, Santana also gives readers insight into the transition that nonprofit organization has made to serve the community during this public health emergency.

"In the same way that the private sector will have to reinvent itself and adapt to this new reality that was emerging prior to COVID-19, government will have to do the same in very bold ways we hadn't thought about before." 

For the full interview, visit us at The Planning Report.


Wednesday, April 22, 2020 in The Planning Report

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Get top-rated, practical training

Wastewater pouring out from a pipe.

Alabama: Trump Terminates Settlements for Black Communities Harmed By Raw Sewage

Trump deemed the landmark civil rights agreement “illegal DEI and environmental justice policy.”

April 13, 2025 - Inside Climate News

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

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

April 16, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Black and white photos of camp made up of small 'earthquake shacks' in Dolores Park in 1906 after the San Francisco earthquake.

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?

April 15, 2025 - Charles F. Bloszies

People walking up and down stairs in New York City subway station.

In Both Crashes and Crime, Public Transportation is Far Safer than Driving

Contrary to popular assumptions, public transportation has far lower crash and crime rates than automobile travel. For safer communities, improve and encourage transit travel.

April 18 - Scientific American

White public transit bus with bike on front bike rack in Nashville, Tennessee.

Report: Zoning Reforms Should Complement Nashville’s Ambitious Transit Plan

Without reform, restrictive zoning codes will limit the impact of the city’s planned transit expansion and could exclude some of the residents who depend on transit the most.

April 18 - Bloomberg CityLab

An engineer controlling a quality of water ,aerated activated sludge tank at a waste water treatment plant.

Judge Orders Release of Frozen IRA, IIJA Funding

The decision is a victory for environmental groups who charged that freezing funds for critical infrastructure and disaster response programs caused “real and irreparable harm” to communities.

April 18 - Smart Cities Dive