- This event has passed.
Re-Imagine LA (Measure J) and The Architect’s Role in Supporting a More Equitable City
September 30, 2020 @ 5:30 pm - 7:00 pm PDT
AIA|LA JEDI Committee presents…
Re-Imagine LA (Measure J) and The Architect’s Role in Supporting a More Equitable City
REGISTER HERE. (Free w/ advance RSVP)
On this November’s ballot, Measure J will give voters the opportunity to redirect LA county public funds from incarceration to community investment.
According to Ananya Roy, director of the UCLA Luskin Institute on Inequality and Democracy, impending evictions due to the Covid 19 economic collapse could signify “the largest mass displacement in the history of the Los Angeles region since indigenous genocide and dispossession.” During this historic crisis, it is morally untenable to direct disproportionate resources to a carceral state that is known for the systematic criminalization of poverty and forced removal of people of color from their homes. Furthermore, as the already declining crime rate further drops due to the pandemic, now is the time to demand a decrease in LASD’s scope and budget.
As architects it is our duty to design a more equitable city, one that prioritizes the empowerment over the imprisonment of its black, brown and immigrant communities. We challenge you to join us in our fight for transformative change to the systems and built environment that have historically left so many communities underserved. A panel discussion composed of community leaders and architects will examine how Measure’s J reallocation of public resources will lead to reimagined public safety and more investment in the built environment.
Confirmed Speakers:
Ivette Alé – Senior Policy Lead, Dignity and Power Now & Co-Founder, La Defensa
Mike Dennis – Director of Organizing, Everyone In Campaign / United Way of Greater Los Angeles
Simon Ha, AIA, LEED AP – Partner, Steinberg Hart & Chair, Skid Row Housing Trust
Garrett Jacobs – Chief of Finance & Operations, Designing Justice + Designing Spaces
Brian Kaneda – Los Angeles Coordinator, Californians United for a Responsible Budget (CURB)
Dana E. McKinney – Architect & Urban Planner, Gehry Partners
Co-Moderators:
Johanna Hauser, AIA – Architect, concerned citizen
Randi Robins – Designer, Omgivning
Josh Ong, AIA, NOMA – Architect, concerned citizen
JEDI Committee:
Joshua A. Foster, NOMA, Assoc. AIA – Co-Chair, JEDI Committee & KFA Architecture
Leslie Sydnor, AIA, LEED AP – Co-Chair, JEDI Committee & & Board Director, AIA Los Angeles
Ziba Ghassemi, AIA, LEED AP – Vice-Chair, JEDI Committee & Board Director, AIA Los Angeles
Genelle Brooks-Petty, NOMA, Assoc. AIA – Vice-Chair, JEDI Committee & Board Director, So Cal NOMA
REGISTER HERE. (Free w/ advance RSVP)
Please note: On behalf of the newly launched JEDI Committee, AIA Los Angeles is organizing this roundtable to learn more about Measure J, which will be on the November ballot. Although AIA|LA has yet to officially endorse Measure J, this roundtable will serve as an opportunity to learn more about the initiative so that the JEDI Committee and its leadership can make a request to the AIA|LA Board of Directors for formal endorsement.
RESOURCE LINKS:
Measure J Official Ballot Language
UCLA Luskin Institute on Inequality and Democracy
L.A. County voters to decide whether to divert millions to social services and racial justice
Editorial: L.A. County is floating an irresponsible last-minute ballot measure. Again
