Housing Element 101
Many local governments here in Southern California are updating their Housing Elements. Thought it was a good time to bring back our...
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Happy WOC Business-Owner Galentine's Month!
This February, in honor of Galentine's Day, I celebrated and loved on the beautiful, strong, brilliant and impactful community of...
ANNOUNCEMENT | World Premiere ATOMIC CAFE: The Noisiest Corner in J-Town
I first learned about the Atomic Cafe in 2013 while working at the Little Tokyo Service Center in J-Town/Little Tokyo, Los Angeles. This...
Why We Need Community Development By and For the People
Housing Development Alone is Not Enough to Address Economic Inequity I wrote a little something for Luz Collective. Check it out (click...
ICYMI: Advancing Park Equity in LA and Beyond
Last week I had the privilege of moderating a timely conversation on equitable park access. You can now watch the full broadcast here if...
More Local Government & Community Engagement: Local Affordable Housing Policy
Another week, another local government info-bit. This week: affordable housing. In regions like Los Angeles, affordable housing is in...
More Local Government & Community Engagement: Local Land Use & Planning
Happy Monday! Time for some more local government 101 info to start your week. This week's in's & out's of local government looks at...
More Local Government & Community Engagement: Committees, Commissions & More
So you know who your City Council (or Board of Supervisors) is now, but what about these Committees and Commissions and Advisory Boards?...
Local Government & Community Engagement: Where to Start?
We are seeing an unprecedented (at least in my professional life) level of public engagement in local government processes, largely...
morena strategies' 2-year anniversary: Reflections, Reminders, Responsibilities
Today, June 1, 2020 marks the 2nd anniversary of starting morena strategies and embarking on the journey of self-employment, creating a...
Your Reflection is Eternal: Dean Matsubayashi
Last week Los Angeles, the community development field, the Asian American & Pacific Islander community, our friends across the country,...
LA's Challenge: Equitable Development Along the River
Excerpt below from July 23, 2019 Blog post by NRDC Attorney Damon Nagami, "Planning for Equitable Development Along the LA River." [T]he...
morena strategies: The Why & The How
I have a number of recent conversations to thank for inspiring this post. Why and how I have built morena strategies to work within the...
Urban Affairs Association | Annual Conference, UCLA 2019
I recently had the honor to join an esteemed panel of academic colleagues and fellow advocates at the Urban Affairs Association's Annual...
Koru • new beginnings
I'm often asked about my logo and have never talked about its origin on my website - until now. I see it befitting given I recently...
Happy New Year!
Like so many of you, I closed 2018 with some strategic planning and agenda-setting for 2019. As I often do, I like to begin with...
Show Up for the Next Gen
Reflecting back, the younger version of myself would never have guessed I would be where I am today professionally. I had such a limited...
Client Spotlight: LTSC
One of my most exciting moments as a Little Tokyo Service Center (LTSC) employee was kickstarting our creative community development work...
Client Spotlight: LURN
Most Angelenos are probably at least tangentially familiar with LURN (Leadership for Urban Renewal Network) due to its leadership role in...
Yes, You Should Care About Mobile Homes!
In 2011 I filed a lawsuit against the City of Garden Grove in Orange County, CA on behalf of permanent residents of a mobile home/RV park...