California Construction News staff writer
Los Angeles now has its first-ever Capital Infrastructure Program, a long-term planning framework aimed at improving how the city funds, maintains and delivers infrastructure projects across Los Angeles.
The program is designed to address decades of deferred maintenance and fragmented capital planning that city officials say have contributed to deteriorating streets, sidewalk repair backlogs and inconsistent investment in public facilities.
“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,” Mayor Bass said. “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.”
It’s a structural shift in how Los Angeles approaches infrastructure planning, which has historically lacked a unified, citywide capital investment strategy.
Council President Marqueece Harris-Dawson described the program as a modernization of city services, saying it brings Los Angeles in line with other major cities that have long-term capital planning systems.
“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,” he said.
The program includes 10 recommendations intended to reform city processes and update elements of the City Charter, along with a data-driven framework to identify short- and long-term infrastructure needs.
Officials also highlighted 29 Olympic and Paralympic legacy capital projects included in the plan, which are intended to support preparations for the 2028 Games while also delivering long-term community investments. Sixteen of those projects are currently funded in Mayor Bass’ proposed fiscal year 2026–27 budget.
Advocacy groups welcomed the initiative, including Invest in Place, which said the program reflects a more consistent approach to maintaining sidewalks, streets and parks across neighbourhoods.
City departments are expected to better coordinate planning and delivery of infrastructure projects, with an emphasis on multi-year budgeting, improved transparency and reduced maintenance backlogs.
More information about the Capital Infrastructure Program is available at https://dpw.lacity.gov/cip.
