Councilman Thomas Aujero Small was recently appointed to a one-year term on the League of California Cities’ (League) Housing, Community and Economic Development (HCED) Policy committee. He attended his first Committee meeting on Jan. 19.
This League Policy committee, which is integral to the League’s Policy making process, reviews issues related to general plans and zoning, housing, rent control, the Subdivision Map Act, residential care facilities, other land use regulations, development fees (including school fee adequacy), annexation and incorporation policy, development agreements, building standards (including seismic safety standards), economic development policy (including enterprise zones), military base closure and reuse, mobile home regulation, and sign regulation
The principle behind the policies reviewed by this Committee is to foster local control of community planning decisions as they relate to land use and economic development.
“I’m looking forward to serving on the League’s HCED Policy Committee. Culver City is a prime example of a community, which is striving to balance the goals of creating affordable housing and jobs, while maintaining a healthy economy,” Small said. Our land use concerns remain a top priority, as we anticipate the City’s future General Plan update. I hope that by becoming more engaged on these issues at the state level, I will be able to better connect Culver City with our legislators and fellow communities throughout the state.”
Council Member Small was appointed by Wayne Lee of Milbrae, League of California Cities’ Asian Pacific Islander Caucus President, and he joins Chair Jack Hadjinian, representing the City of Montebello and Vice Chair Ed Spriggs, representing the City of Imperial Beach.
“These meetings provide an opportunity for city officials to learn about statewide proposals affecting California cities and have their voices heard by the League and translated into direct advocacy efforts,” said League Executive Director Carolyn Coleman.
There are seven standing League policy committees including Community Services, Governance, Transparency and Labor Relations, Environmental Quality, Housing, Community and Economic Development, Public Safety, Revenue and Taxation, and Transportation, Communications, and Public Works. These committees evaluate proposed legislation as it relates to existing policy and make recommendations for legislation where the League currently does not have policy. Each League Policy committee includes elected officials from throughout California.
Following the January meetings in Sacramento, the League’s policy committees will meet on March 30-31 in Ontario, on June 8-9 in Sacramento, and in September during the League’s annual conference in Sacramento as needed.
Council Member Small
Council Member Thomas Small was elected to the Culver City Council in April 2016 and formerly served as a Cultural Affairs Commissioner. As an architectural writer and consultant,Council Member Small has worked on a wide range of projects, competitions, and awards programs in architecture and urban design, development, sustainable design, and historic preservation in North America, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East.
Small has moderated Design Award Juries in San Francisco, New York and Copenhagen, and made presentations at the London Conference on Livable Cities and the Tokyo World Green Building Conference.
At UCLA he taught a course called Sustainability for Organizational Change in the business division of the Global Sustainability Certificate Program. He studied at Yale College, the University of Paris, and Columbia University.