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AIA|LA Legislative Day at City Hall 2025
December 5, 2025 @ 8:00 am - 5:00 pm PST
Free
AIA|LA Legislative Day at City Hall: Connecting Architects & Designers with Civic Leadership
This year, with the exception of a few meetings, we will be meeting in person with our civic leaders at City Hall, which will help strengthen our connection to the policymakers shaping the built environment. We will also have several virtual meetings on Zoom, as well.
Shape the Future of LA’s Built Environment: Join AIA|LA Legislative Day at City Hall!
Your City. Your Expertise. Your Voice.
AIA|LA Legislative Day(s) at City Hall: December 4-10, 2025
Calling all Architects & Designers!
The future of Los Angeles is being shaped right now, in the halls of power, through policies that directly impact our built environment. AIA|LA Legislative Day(s) at City Hall is your unparalleled opportunity to step forward, connect directly with civic leaders, and ensure that the voice of design is not just heard, but leads the conversation.
This isn’t just a series of meetings; it’s a powerful, collective movement to advocate for smarter, more resilient, and more equitable development in our city.
Why Your Participation is Absolutely Critical:
Be the Expert Voice: Policymakers need your specialized knowledge on planning, land use, zoning, and building codes. Without you, crucial decisions are made in a vacuum.
Drive Real Change: Directly influence the policies that will define LA’s future – from urgently needed housing affordability and sustainable development to the revitalization of our civic core.
Elevate Our Profession: Demonstrate the indispensable value of architects and designers, solidifying our seat at the decision-making table and shaping the built environment with purpose.
Network & Empower: Connect with passionate peers, amplify your impact, and be part of a community actively building a better Los Angeles for everyone.
This year, we’re returning to City Hall in person, strengthening our direct connection with the policymakers who need your insights most! A few virtual meetings will also be available for flexibility.
Mandatory & Highly Recommended Orientation: Monday, December 1 | 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM (Virtual – Zoom) Join us to delve into the 2025 AIA|LA Advocacy Platform and prepare for impactful meetings. This is where you’ll gain the critical context and confidence to make your voice count. [RSVP FOR ORIENTATION HERE]
Spaces are limited – secure your spot and make your impact! Contact Will Wright at Will{@}aialosangeles.org to learn more about how you can contribute to shaping the future of our city.
Don’t just witness the future of LA being built – help design it! Join us. Your city needs you.
Together, let’s build a thriving Los Angeles for everyone!
AIA|LA Legislative Day(s) at City Hall
Our annual Legislative Day(s) at City Hall is scheduled over the course of several days from December 4 to December 10, and will be an in-person event at LA City Hall (except for a few that will be on zoom as noted below).
Monday, December 1
(4:00pm – 5:00pm) *On Zoom
The 2025 AIA|LA Advocacy Platform & Legislative Day at City Hall ORIENTATION (*mandatory & helpful)
Join this meeting to learn more about the 2025 AIA|LA Advocacy Platform and what to expect during our upcoming meetings for our annual meetings at Los Angeles City Hall.
Thursday, December 4
Los Angeles, CA 90012
Friday, December 5
Los Angeles, CA 90012
Los Angeles, CA 90012
Los Angeles, CA 90012
Los Angeles, CA 90012
(2:00 pm – 2:30 pm)
AIA|LA meeting w/ Office of Councilmember Traci Park – District 11
Los Angeles, CA 90012
Los Angeles, CA 90012
Monday, December 8
Tuesday, December 9
MEETING(s) RESCHEDULED & CONFIRMED FOR 2026
Wednesday, January 14, 2026
Tuesday, January 27, 2026
Los Angeles, CA 90012
If you’d like to get more involved in helping to shape our biggest advocacy event of the year, then please reach out to me at will@aialosangeles.org.
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The 2025 AIA|LA Advocacy Platform (DRAFT)
The 2024 AIA|LA Advocacy Platform
The 2023 AIA|LA Advocacy Platform
The 2022 AIA|LA Advocacy Platform
The 2021 AIA|LA Advocacy Platform
The 2020 AIA|LA Advocacy Platform
The 2019 AIA|LA Advocacy Platform
The 2018 AIA|LA Advocacy Platform
Strategic objectives include:
- To change the nature of the architecture profession and inspire architects to become more civically engaged, i.e., to be a designer and a citizen, is one and the same.
- To change the culture of our City and our civic leadership, architects and system-wide design-thinking need to become a more integral aspect of their mental landscape.
We aim to achieve this by creating:
- An open and inclusive initiative that is strategically programmed with relevant and progressive action items and policy platforms, which will further connect the shared values of a multi-disciplinary group of architects, urban designers, city planners, and policymakers to help make a healthier, more beautiful, and more highly functional Los Angeles region.
- A committed group of task-force member volunteers (Political Outreach Committee), comprised of architects, that establishes an annual slate of issue briefs and policy recommendations.
- Targeted meetings with council members, deputy mayors, general managers, and commissioners. We aim to schedule the critical mass of these meetings on one day (December 3, 2020) at Los Angeles City Hall. However, additional meetings will be coordinated throughout the year with more public agencies throughout the region, such as METRO, Los Angeles County, LAUSD, and the cities of Culver City, West Hollywood, Santa Monica, Inglewood, Beverly Hills, etc.
Will you join us?
To be successful, AIA|LA Legislative Day at City Hall will rely on a committed group of AIA members to serve as a critical leadership resource. If you’re interested in getting more involved, please RSVP to will@aialosangeles.org to receive more details.
To prepare for December 6th, we will organize a virtual debriefing roundtable discussion in advance to share our annual advocacy platform and bring everyone up to speed on how to best prepare for our annual Legislative Day at City Hall.
To discover which City Council District you live in, check online HERE.
Please note: this is an exclusive opportunity for AIA members, AIA Associates, and AIA Allied Affiliated Members. If you’d like to join the AIA, then please CLICK HERE for more details.
The Leadership of the AIA|LA Government Outreach (GO!) Committee:
- 2025 Co-Chair: John Arnold, AIA – Partner, KFA Architecture
- 2025 Co-Chair: Carlos Augusto Garcia, AIA, NCARB, WELL AP – Associate Principal, Brooks + Scarpa
- 2024 Co-Chair: John Arnold, AIA – Partner, KFA Architecture
- 2024 Co-Chair: Carlos Augusto Garcia, AIA, NCARB, WELL AP – Associate Principal, Brooks + Scarpa
- 2023 Co-Chair: Chava Danielson, AIA – Principal, DSH // architecture
- 2023 Co-Chair: Rick Corsini, AIA – Principal, Corsini Stark Architects
- Past Co-Chair: Casey Shenton Hughes, AIA –Principal, Casey Hughes Architects (CHA)
- Past Co-Chair: Tracy Stone, AIA, LEED AP BD+C – Principal Architect, Tracy A. Stone Architect
John Arnold, AIA – Partner, KFA Architecture
With an interest in housing, landscape, and urban design, John has contributed to much of KFA’s multi-family portfolio, starting in 1999, seeking to join great living spaces with their sites and the city as a whole. He has specialized in high-density urban projects and affordable/special needs buildings throughout Los Angeles. Concurrently, John heads up KFA’s adaptive reuse work and has completed over a dozen projects in existing buildings with historic designation. John enjoys community outreach and participates in many of KFA’s public presentations. He is actively involved in his South LA neighborhood of Jefferson Park with planning and zoning issues, being a long-time board member of the United Neighborhoods NC. John is currently serving on AIA|LA’s Board of Directors as AIA CA Representative and serves on the board of Abode Communities Housing. In 2023, John started the restoration of the historic Paul Williams residence in West Adams.
Carlos Augusto Garcia, AIA, NCARB, WELL AP – Associate Principal, BROOKS + SCARPA
Carlos Augusto Garcia is a designer, artist, and Associate Principal at Brooks + Scarpa where he is responsible for managing and hiring staff, managing projects and developing office operations and procedures. He has 15 years of industry expertise, specializing in strategic planning, design research, sustainability, wellness, and carbon reduction. His global outlook manifests through work with UIA World Congress of Architects, New Buildings Institute, National Endowment for the Arts, and Los Angeles City Planning’s Urban Design Studio. Carlos serves on AIA National COTE Leadership Group, ICC, NCARB, and ASHRAE committees, influencing climate action, greenhouse gas standards, and inclusivity in the industry of architecture. His passion was ignited by his start in emergency management and disaster recovery in post-Katrina New Orleans, where he completed B.Arch and M.Arch degrees from Tulane University. He is committed to pursuing dignity in practice, promoting equity in both membership and leadership.
For more information, please contact:
Will Wright, Hon. AIA|LA
Director, Government & Public Affairs
American Institute of Architects | Los Angeles Chapter
(213) 639-0764
will@aialosangeles.org
