CityWatch LA - Dick Platkon Articles | Los Angeles Planning News Commentary

Skip to main content

In the News

Remembering Ken Draper: CityWatch and Transparency Are his Legacy

August 07 2025

Brace Yourself For A Worse Housing Crisis

August 03 2026

Be Prepared to Protect Our Democracy in November From a Trumpian Plot

August 13 2026

Nithya Raman Loses the Homelessness Gavel — Her Record Explains Why

August 10 2026

Written by Dick Platkin on March 30 2023. Posted in PLANNING WATCH LA.

Greenwashing, Yet Another Real Estate Scam To Justify Developer Giveaways

PLANNING WATCH - As I wrote last week, according to the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), global climate disruption will soon reach the point of no return. While this ominous report grabbed a few headlines, most peop…

More Coverage

Written by Dick Platkin on March 22 2023. Posted in PLANNING WATCH LA.

UN Released Its Latest And Most Ominous Climate Report. And City Hall’s Response Is . . ?

PLANNING WATCH - Like most Angelenos, I have been glued to weather reports, but still waiting for stories that link one of the wettest years on record to the climate crisis. As for City Hall’s response, other than swift water rescues, rem…

120 Pages Of LA Times’ Real Estate Ads Shine A Light On The Housing Crisis

Written by Dick Platkin on March 09 2023.

The Hidden Costs Of Real Estate Speculation: Homelessness, Rent Gouging, And Over-Crowding

Written by Dick Platkin on March 02 2023.

The Hollywood Area Reveals Why Trickle-Down Housing Policies Don’t Work

Written by Dick Platkin on February 23 2023.

How Segregated Is Los Angeles? Do Proposed Fixes Make Things Better Or Worse?

Written by Dick Platkin on February 16 2023.

Another Argument For Real Estate Giveaways - They Promote Equality

Written by Dick Platkin on February 09 2023.

Mystery Solved. Why Residential Up-Zoning Fails To Reduce Homelessness

Written by Dick Platkin on February 01 2023.

History Repeats - The Not-So-New Hollywood Community Plan

Written by Dick Platkin on January 26 2023.

The Old Refrain “Update LA’s Community Plans” Repeats

Written by Dick Platkin on January 19 2023.

How Bad Will Conditions Get?

Written by Dick Platkin on January 12 2023.

Real Estate Industry Camp Followers Fabricate Claims About Housing Crisis to Weaken Land Use Laws

Written by Dick Platkin on January 05 2023.

LA’s 2022 Planning Year in Review

Written by Dick Platkin on December 29 2022.

The Homeless Crisis: What Should the Mayor Do? Address Causes, Not Symptoms

Written by Dick Platkin on December 22 2022.

Real Estate Scams Purporting to Fix Homelessness

Written by Dick Platkin on December 15 2022.

LA’s McMansions Cause Housing Costs to Rise, Homelessness and Overcrowding

Written by Dick Platkin on December 08 2022.

What Mayor-Elect Karen Bass Is Up Against!

Written by Dick Platkin on December 01 2022.

LA City Hall’s Dilemma. Corruption Served In Bite-Sized Bits Or Giant Portions?

Written by Dick Platkin on December 11 2022.

Modest Proposals For Mayor-Elect Karen Bass And The Reconstituted City Council

Written by Dick Platkin on November 17 2022.

City Hall: LA’s Newly Elected Begin in January - Check Your Optimism at the Door

Written by Dick Platkin on November 10 2022.

New York Times on LA’s Housing Crisis. Even a Broken Clock Is Correct Twice a Day

Written by Dick Platkin on December 11 2022.

LA Times' Overcrowding Report Gets a Lot Right, But Its Remedies Make It Worse

Written by Dick Platkin on October 28 2022.

LA DWP #2 (Pay Your Bill Help)

Home - HHR Rent is too High - SB-2

1
…
4
5
6
7
8