Capital Improvement Plan Overview:
Los Angeles’ infrastructure is fundamental to the City’s health, quality of life, economic development, and resilience to climate change. We must ensure LA's public space is safe, clean, accessible, resilient, well maintained, and world-class. The way we plan, deliver, and maintain our streets and parks is costly and inefficient, and is not keeping pace with a growing backlog of needs.
Departments responsible for our public space often have inconsistent priorities, policy goals, communication methods, software, and planning systems that are not well-equipped to achieve a common goal.
Executive Directive No. 9 (ED9) addresses this thru implementation of 5 goals that culminate in a CIP for LA:
For more details, read:
Executive Directive No. 9 | Mayor Bass Announcement |What They’re Saying
Executive Directive 9 | Frequently Asked Questions
- What is a capital infrastructure plan (CIP) and how does it change the way LA builds infrastructure projects?
- A Capital Infrastructure Plan first and foremost is a policy document that compiles and communicates what a government's (in this case local) priorities and requirements are for making investments in its own infrastructure. For the City of LA, the priorities are many and span infrastructure that provides basic necessities like water and electricity, as well as streets and roadways, street lighting, greenspace, parks and recreation centers, waste treatment facilities, bridges, bike paths and trails, etc. There is policy behind how these assets are invested in, maintained, and rebuilt, including decisions about replacement, funds to provide good maintenance, and expected life of assets. Secondly, a CIP is also a document that compiles and communicates existing capital projects of a government: where it is, how much it costs, and when it will be completed.
- Since LA does not currently have a comprehensive CIP across multiple departments and bureaus, it is very difficult for policy makers and the public to understand how, where, and why investments are being made. Centralizing this information changes all of that, making a clearer value proposition to residents about where their dollars are going to and what the City may need to provide better service and more well-maintained infrastructure.
- A Capital Infrastructure Plan first and foremost is a policy document that compiles and communicates what a government's (in this case local) priorities and requirements are for making investments in its own infrastructure. For the City of LA, the priorities are many and span infrastructure that provides basic necessities like water and electricity, as well as streets and roadways, street lighting, greenspace, parks and recreation centers, waste treatment facilities, bridges, bike paths and trails, etc. There is policy behind how these assets are invested in, maintained, and rebuilt, including decisions about replacement, funds to provide good maintenance, and expected life of assets. Secondly, a CIP is also a document that compiles and communicates existing capital projects of a government: where it is, how much it costs, and when it will be completed.
- How will the directive ensure that historically underserved communities receive equitable infrastructure investments?
- One vital part of the CIP and the 4 other goals of ED9 is to ensure that prior policy guidance that the City Council has made to invest equitably in LA's infrastructure is embedded into the work of the directive and to improve transparency and accountability for infrastructure investments. This includes providing project rankings for capital projects based on equity and other policy considerations and to clearly communicate where and how much the City is making investments in economically-challenged areas.
- What mechanisms are in place for community engagement and input in the planning and implementation of these infrastructure projects?
Infrastructure projects sponsored or spearheaded by Council Offices typically have opportunities for community feedback and engagement built into the project planning process. Generally however, once ED9 delivers a CIP, the public and communities throughout the City will have the opportunity to gain greater insight into investments throughout the City and provide input to these projects and priorities documented in the CIP.
- How does Executive Directive No. 9 (ED9) align with existing initiatives like Measure HLA and Mobility Plan 2035?
- ED9 ensures City departments work together to plan, fund, and deliver infrastructure projects in a more coordinated way. This directly supports the transportation goals laid out in Mobility Plan 2035 and reinforced by Measure HLA, which call for safer, more connected, and more sustainable streets.
- As part of this effort, the Los Angeles Department of Transportation (LADOT) is currently developing a Mobility Action Plan (MAP) to turn the City’s existing transportation goals into actual projects. Expected by summer 2026, the MAP will include a short-range work plan and a long-term strategy to guide how Los Angeles invests in transportation infrastructure. It will align all departments working in the public right-of-way around shared transportation priorities. Once finalized, the MAP’s work plan will be fully integrated into the CIP, aligning transportation investments with other major infrastructure needs across Los Angeles.
- ED9 ensures City departments work together to plan, fund, and deliver infrastructure projects in a more coordinated way. This directly supports the transportation goals laid out in Mobility Plan 2035 and reinforced by Measure HLA, which call for safer, more connected, and more sustainable streets.
- What is the timeline for the implementation of the Capital Infrastructure Plan (CIP) established by Executive Directive No.9 (ED9)?
The first comprehensive CIP in the format the ED9 has envisioned will be delivered to policy makers and the public by the end of this calendar year of 2025. This first CIP will be 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games focused however. The year after, in 2026 a CIP that includes every major investment in the public right-of-way and public spaces will be delivered. We are taking a phased approach to gain buy in and realign our departments and bureaus toward these new goals.
- How will the city ensure transparency and accountability in the execution of projects under this directive?
Every major deliverable of ED9 will become a public document that stakeholders can provide comments to. Regular updates will be provided both directly to interested stakeholder groups, but also via the Board of Public Works on a regular basis. An external engagement strategy is under development and includes more robust engagement with the LA City Council.
- What funding sources have been identified for the projects outlined in Executive Directive No. 9 (ED9)?
Capital Projects in the City of Los Angeles are funded in a myriad of ways depending on what policy or service the project is tasked with providing Angelenos. A mix of funds spanning city, county, state, federal, and even non-profit grants typically funds our infrastructure and projects related to ED9. The CIP will clearly communicate funding sources for projects contained in the document.
- How will the directive address environmental sustainability and resilience in infrastructure development?
Sustainability and resilience are currently embedded into the project planning of the City's infrastructure. Departments and bureaus rank projects based on their ability to address sustainability policies and goals that the Mayor and Council have given. ED9 will further clarify and communicate these priorities and rank projects on these and other policy goals.