LOS ANGELES, Calif. – Kate Gordon, Director of the Governor’s Office of Planning and Research, is expected to offer insights on land use issues in California during her keynote address at the Annual Land Use Law & Planning Conference, on Friday, January 24, 2019, at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel, Downtown Los Angeles, hosted by UCLA Extension.

The audience of planners, developers, public officials, public agency and environmental professionals are interested in learning how the Office of Planning and Research (OPR), the comprehensive state planning agency, is addressing California issues, short-term and long-term.

As the nation’s most populous state, California initiatives often catapult issues into national significance and the one-day Land Use Law and Planning conference offers updates, trends and assessments, and engages notable experts in dialogues about emerging land use law and planning complexities.

“My co-chairs and I could not be more excited about the upcoming conference”, said David Smith, Partner, Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP, San Francisco. “True to its proven legacy, both the subject matter content and expert presenters will provide timely, invaluable content for both attorneys and public-sector professionals.” Alisha Winterswyk, Partner, Best Best & Krieger LLP, and Matt Burris, Deputy City Manager, City of Rancho Cucamonga, are the additional Land Use Law and Planning Conference co-chairs.

This year’s Land Use Law and Planning Conference panels are:

Update: CEQA 2019

Update: Planning, Zoning, and Development Law

Quick Hits: ESA, Rent Control, WOTUS & WOTS, Auto Fuel Efficiency, Coastal Act Policy

Assessment: The Land Use Implications of Cannabis

Assessment: Entitlement Strategies for Siting and Approval Housing

Panelists include: Kevin Bundy, Of Counsel, Shute, Mihaly & Weinberger; Tina Thomas, Founding Partner, Thomas Law Group; Matthew Richardson, Partner, Best Best & Krieger LLP; Matt Klopfenstein, Legislative and Legal Advisor, California Advisors, LLC; Ryan Stendell, Director of Community Development, City of Palm Desert; Lori Sassoon, Deputy City Manager, City of Rancho Cucamonga; Mark Teague, PlaceWorks, Inc.; Al Herson, Of Counsel, Sohagi Law Group.

The interdisciplinary conference is led by Stephanie Hoekstra, Ph.D., Director, Public Policy Program at UCLA Extension. Past conference keynote speakers include: Richard Rothstein, Dr. Lucy Jones, and Mayor Eric Garcetti, City of Los Angeles.

Kate Gordon earned a J.D. and a Masters in City and Regional Planning from the University of California, Berkeley. Along with her OPR directorship, Gordon regularly co-teaches a course at Stanford Law School entitled “Climate: Politics, Finance, and Infrastructure.”

The Land Use Law and Planning Conference is approved for 7 hours of CM (AICP) credit and 7 hours MCLE (State Bar of California) credit. The fee is $595 and includes materials, refreshments, and lunch. Please register here. The Millennium Biltmore Hotel is located at 506 South Grand Avenue, Los Angeles, (213) 624- 1011. For a complete conference agenda with topics and speakers visit UCLA Extension Public Policy Program or call 310-825-7093.

About UCLA EXTENSION

UCLA Extension is the continuing education division of the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA). We offer courses evenings and weekends in Westwood, Downtown Los Angeles and Woodland Hills, plus online classes. Courses and professional certificates range from business, arts, data science and project management, IT to entertainment studies, humanities, sciences, sustainability, writing, and more. Explore at uclaextension.edu