Calling all California planners!

The Planner Emeritus Network and the California Planning Roundtable are co-sponsoring an important workshop at the upcoming 2026 APA California Conference in Los Angeles. Although the conference is still several months away, we are reaching out now to invite planners throughout California to help shape the workshop so it is as meaningful, timely, and useful as possible.

To support broad participation, we are hosting a series of online Listening Sessions before the conference. These sessions will give planners an opportunity to share the challenges they are facing, identify where support is needed, and help inform the workshop’s scope and format.

We named this workshop The Elephant in the Room because we are witnessing changes in governance and the social fabric of our nation that are as consequential as anything in our 250-year history. Yet, as monumental and disruptive as these changes are, the planning community is still working to find its voice and respond in a way that meets the moment.

For many planners, the central question is existential: How can we continue to do ethical, community-based planning in these times?

The conference workshop will begin with presentations that set the stage, moving from the “Big Picture”—including threats to democracy, diversity, the rule of law, and the weakening of institutions—to the tangible impacts of federal changes on core planning areas such as climate and environment; transportation; diversity, equity, and inclusion; and state and local control.

The session will then transition into breakout groups focused on practical “how-to” discussions and identifying ethical ways forward in these challenging times.

Participants will have the opportunity to:

• Analyze how to apply the AICP Code of Ethics when facing threats to democracy, civil rights, and the rule of law. The session will be eligible for CM Ethics credit.
• Examine accountability in planning at both the individual and institutional levels, including how to promote confidence in governance and the integrity of the planning profession.
• Develop planning strategies to protect communities and colleagues at risk from harmful policies or abuses of power.
• Identify tangible actions to advance key planning issues now under attack, including diversity, equity, and inclusion; climate change; housing; safe and inclusive public engagement; and support for marginalized populations and underrepresented communities.
• Explore how the American Planning Association, the California Chapter, and its members can effectively exercise a collective voice.

To prepare for the conference workshop and ensure it is relevant and useful for attendees, we invite you to join us during one or all of the webinar sessions to hear from planners about the challenges you are encountering and the support you need. Your input will help shape the workshop’s scope, content, and format. We hope to hear from a broad range of participants and perspectives, covering both the “big picture” and specific impact areas. These will be listening sessions rather than problem-solving meetings; we expect to surface more questions than answers.

Please choose one or more sessions to attend:

• Wednesday, July 15 | 6–7 p.m.
• Friday, August 7 | 12–1 p.m.
• Wednesday, August 12 | 6–7 p.m.

Click here to register. As part of your registration, you may attend any or all of the four scheduled sessions.

Thank you for your engagement. We look forward to hearing from you and working together to strengthen ethical planning, democracy, and the public interest.