Mayor Bass Releases L.A.’s First Capital Infrastructure Program: A Comprehensive Plan to Build and Maintain Streets, Parks, and Other Public Spaces

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The Capital Infrastructure Program will forge a new path, enabling Los Angeles to plan, prioritize, and finance both significant capital projects and ongoing maintenance programs with greater accountability, clarity, and purpose.

LOS ANGELES - Every big city in America uses a Capital Infrastructure Program to build and maintain critical infrastructure like roads, sidewalks, parks, curb ramps, and other public buildings. Los Angeles, however, has never had one - until now. Mayor Karen Bass today was joined by members of the City Council to issue Los Angeles' first Capital Infrastructure Program as part of her work to take on long-standing challenges that have held back our city. Photos here.

"I ran for Mayor to break away from the City's broken system that has left us with deteriorating streets and repair backlogs that piled up for years. With my Capital Infrastructure Program, we are forging a new path together to better design, maintain, and deliver - on time and budget - the infrastructure that Angelenos deserve. We will finally responsibly plan for long-term improvements to our streets, sidewalks, parks, and every piece of infrastructure across Los Angeles," Mayor Bass said.

Council President Harris-Dawson framed the new Capital Infrastructure Program as a long-overdue modernization of city services, stating that this initiative finally "brings us up to par with other major cities." He continued, "While other cities have had infrastructure plans for a long time, few carry the weight and load that Los Angeles does. With over 7,500 miles of streets and enough sidewalk mileage to reach Paris and back, we are finally investing in the community's collective backbone at the scale it requires."

"Los Angeles is the only major city in the United States that doesn't have a Capital Infrastructure Program - and the impact is felt by Angelenos every day," said Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez. "By making this shift, we can transform how Los Angeles plans, invests, and takes care of the services people rely on every single day. I am grateful to Mayor Bass for her leadership on this and, as the Chair of the Public Works Committee, I look forward to working with her to ensure this program leads to real, visible improvements in people's daily lives."

Over the last three decades, the lack of a Capital Infrastructure Program has led to systemic underfunding of infrastructure projects and maintenance of City facilities, infrastructure, and public spaces that Angelenos rely on every day. To tackle this long-standing issue, Mayor Bass issued Executive Directive 9 to streamline the delivery of infrastructure projects in a way to benefit Los Angeles for decades to come.

"Today, we start doing things differently," said Councilwoman Katy Yaroslavsky. "Los Angeles has a lot to fix, but fixing what is broken cannot mean rebuilding the same system we inherited. Much of our infrastructure was designed decades ago for a different Los Angeles, one built around cars first. Los Angeles has changed, and our infrastructure has to change with it, by repairing what has failed while building streets that are safer, cooler, more accessible, and better connected to the way people live now."

"For decades, the City has operated without an adopted, clear, coordinated program in which we agree on our infrastructure needs and commit to how we will address those needs over time. That's what a formal Capital Infrastructure Program begins to do for Los Angeles," said Councilmember Tim McOsker. "It would deliver a framework on the agreed priorities for maintenance and new construction, how we're going to approach the work, and how we will hold City Hall decision-makers and budgets accountable over time. Transparency and consistency are what L.A. residents expect, and this CIP proposal is an important step toward being responsive to residents' needs and delivering the basic, safe infrastructure that people rely on every day."

Mayor Bass' Capital Infrastructure Program lays out a comprehensive roadmap for L.A. to reform and improve the way it maintains and builds new infrastructure, including 10 recommendations to achieve this vision by reforming City processes and the Charter. Greater transparency is also achieved by laying out a data-based foundation regarding how and where the City must address short and long-term infrastructure needs.

Included in the program are 29 Olympic and Paralympic legacy capital projects that will both prepare the City for 2028 and leave lasting investments for communities across L.A. 16 of these capital projects are currently funded in Mayor Bass' proposed FY 26-27 budget. Working alongside the City Council, the Mayor's Office will seek to advance the reforms in the Capital Infrastructure Program and begin the long-term funding and planning for the proposed capital projects.

"I was excited to join Mayor Bass and the Councilmembers for the launch of Los Angeles' Capital Infrastructure Program," said Jessica Meaney, Executive Director of Invest in Place. "This is an important step toward building the systems we need to plan for and take care of our sidewalks, streets, and parks over time. It reflects a shared understanding of the places Angelenos rely on every day and the importance of caring for them consistently in every neighborhood."

The ability for the City to address infrastructure needs is a quality of life issue that impacts the safety and wellbeing of residents across Los Angeles. The Capital Infrastructure Program will better deliver on the infrastructure that Angelenos deserve, not just what elected officials or special interests want. City departments will be better equipped to coordinate, deliver, and maintain the City's infrastructure with City leadership being empowered to plan on a multiyear basis.

Angelenos can explore the Capital Infrastructure Program by visiting: https://dpw.lacity.gov/cip.