Episode 1 · Fall 2025
Interview with Christopher Pina, Community Planner (City of LA)
Chase Abramson (MURP 2027) interviewed Christopher Pina, a Community Planner for the City of LA. They discussed how communities influenced planning activities, highlighted the differences between academic training and professional practice, and examined
whether theory served as an important guide when taking action.
Episode 2 · Fall 2025
Interview with Graham Rossmore, LADOT Parking Meters Division
Oscar Alanis-Perez (MURP 2027) interviewed Graham Rossmore, a Transportation Planning Associate II at the LADOT Parking Meters Division. They discussed the high cost of free parking, al fresco dining, active transportation safety, and the importance of
open deliberation to resolve conflicts.
Episode 3 · Fall 2025
Interview with Michelle Rivera, Grassroots Planner
Marciel Andrade (MURP 2027) interviewed Michelle Rivera, a grassroots planner with Public Matters and the Thai Community Development Center. They discussed bilingual outreach, effective community engagement, political and financial constraints, and co-production
strategies to build upon residents' skills and knowledge.
Episode 4 · Fall 2025
Interview with Candice Assadzadeh, Senior Planner (City of Riverside)
Moises Arreola (MURP 2027) interviewed Candice Assadzadeh, a Senior Planner for the City of Riverside’s Planning Department. They discussed transactive planning approaches during conceptual reviews, environmental justice, and the translation of ideas
into tangible outcomes in the built environment.
Episode 5 · Fall 2025
Interview with Ivan Reyes, Planner (City of Paramount)
Ricardo Carrillo (MURP 2027) interviewed Ivan Reyes, a Planner for the City of Paramount. They discussed the importance of technical knowledge and personal relationships in project implementation, diversity in the just city, and strategies for realizing
deliberative democracy by making public meetings inclusive for Spanish-speaking residents.
Episode 6 · Fall 2025
Interview with John King, Planning and Building Director (City of Paramount)
Leslie Corrales (MURP 2027) interviewed John King, Planning and Building Director for the City of Paramount. They discussed rational, communicative, and advocacy planning approaches to empower working-class Latino communities, explored the reciprocal
relationship between theory and practical judgment, and emphasized the need for planners to remain reflexive about their values, institutional goals, and community desires.
Episode 7 · Fall 2025
Interview with Tim Bretz, Senior Principal at Keyser Marston Associates
Kevin Debacker (MURP 2027) interviewed Tim Bretz, a Senior Principal at Keyser Marston Associates. They discussed affordable housing justice, public-private partnerships, and methods for translating complex financial data into practical actions while
mitigating displacement.
Episode 8 · Fall 2025
Interview with Jesus Navidad, Transportation Planner (CalTrans)
Charles Dinan (MURP 2027) interviewed Jesus Navidad, a Transportation Planner for CalTrans. They discussed the distinct roles planners adopt in public versus private sectors, daily planning routines, public participation methods in transportation policy,
political pressures favoring rational planning solutions, and how advocacy planning illuminates transit usage to improve infrastructure.
Episode 9 · Fall 2025
Interview with Joseph Allen, Staff Transportation Planner (City of College Station, TX)
Daniela Flores (MURP 2027) interviewed Joseph Allen, a Staff Transportation Planner for the City of College Station, Texas. They discussed transitioning from the private sector to lead community-based active transportation projects, adapting communication
and storytelling for diverse stakeholders, and balancing technical expertise with local knowledge to refine project outcomes.
Episode 10 · Fall 2025
Interview with Troy Evangelho, Advanced Planning Manager (Culver City)
Sean Fox (MURP 2027) interviewed Troy Evangelho, Culver City’s Advanced Planning Manager. They discussed the Culver City 2045 General Plan, form-based codes, the implicit practice of planning theory, and the intersection of participatory and rational
planner mindsets.
Episode 11 · Fall 2025
Interview with Mena Abdul, Associate Planner (City of Duarte)
Mariah Garcia (MURP 2027) interviewed Mena Abdul, Associate Planner for the City of Duarte. They discussed communicative planning as a consensus-building tool, technical reliance on zoning regulations, balancing expertise with clear public communication,
and navigating gender power dynamics in environments where principles of honesty, fairness, and ethics face constant scrutiny.
Episode 12 · Fall 2025
Interview with Alvar De La Torre, Assistant Planner (City of Covina)
Martin Gutierrez (MURP 2027) interviewed Alvar De La Torre, an Assistant Planner for the City of Covina. They discussed everyday planning tasks, deliberative conflict resolution, and the multidisciplinary skill sets required to envision equitable solutions
for regional housing shortages.
Episode 13 · Fall 2025
Interview with Devan Wells, Assistant Planner (City of South Pasadena)
Carolina Ibarra (MURP 2027) interviewed Devan Wells, an Assistant Planner for the City of South Pasadena. They discussed tensions across different scales of planning, political constraints on advocacy planning, and the imperative to balance ethical theory
with adaptable, equitable approaches to meet evolving community needs.
Episode 14 · Fall 2025
Interview with Julie Fitch, Planning Manager (John Wayne Airport, OC)
Donya Kishawi (MURP 2027) interviewed Julie Fitch, Planning Manager for John Wayne Airport in Orange County. They discussed balancing multiple operational roles, enforcing environmental compliance policies, and collaborating with local communities to
mitigate airport noise and nuisance impacts.
Episode 15 · Fall 2025
Interview with Paul Herrmann, Senior Associate (Fehr & Peers)
Daniel Knott (MURP 2027) interviewed Paul Herrmann, Senior Associate and Planning Consultant at Fehr & Peers. They discussed how planners connect stakeholders with critical timeline expectations, bridge technical knowledge with logistical execution,
negotiate competing interests, and craft persuasive narratives.
Episode 16 · Fall 2025
Interview with Luca Giaramadaro, Vice President (Multistudio)
Henry Lie (MURP 2027) interviewed Luca Giaramadaro, Vice President at Multistudio. They discussed structural differences between American and European planning education—contrasting quantitative technical training with fluid, multidisciplinary practices—public
space justice in transit hubs, and ethical considerations surrounding artificial intelligence.
Episode 17 · Fall 2025
Interview with Jackie Martinez, Long Range Planner (City of Glendale)
Mike Matzke (MURP 2027) interviewed Jackie Martinez, Long Range Planner of Community Development for the City of Glendale. They discussed argumentation and public communication strategies within the Verdugo Wash project, methods for translating technical
jargon for diverse client groups, and the necessity of multidisciplinary skills in transportation and long-range planning.
Episode 18 · Fall 2025
Interview with Jonathan Pacheco-Bell, Urban Planner
Aaron Mejia (MURP 2027) interviewed Jonathan Pacheco-Bell, an urban planner active across Los Angeles County. They discussed building community trust, co-creation, and procedural justice; addressing historical municipal harm through contemporary equity
tools; and translating urban planning philosophies into physical placemaking and space reclamation.
Episode 19 · Fall 2025
Interview with Claudia Garcia, Assistant Director of Community Development (City of Vacaville)
Humberto Mendez Valadez (MURP 2027) interviewed Claudia Garcia, Assistant Director of Community Development for the City of Vacaville. They discussed reflective practitioner skill sets, embedding equity into every stage of the planning process to elevate
underrepresented voices, and balancing aspirational community visions with realistic implementation constraints.
Episode 20 · Fall 2025
Interview with Jason Garcia-LoBue, Planning & Permit Manager (Tulare County)
Nicholas Murphy (MURP 2027) interviewed Jason Garcia-LoBue, Planning & Permit Manager for Tulare County. They discussed technical skills in municipal administration, balancing municipal revenue generation against negative development externalities,
and leveraging programs like CivicSpark to confront environmental injustices and legacy inequities.
Episode 21 · Fall 2025
Interview with Ana Budnyk, Principal Planner (City of Bishop)
Bianca Ortega (MURP 2027) interviewed Ana Budnyk, Principal Planner for the City of Bishop. They discussed professional boundaries and reputation management in small-town planning, expert community facilitation, and using accessible language to serve
residents effectively.
Episode 22 · Fall 2025
Interview with Eric Riley, Senior Planning Associate at Kounkuey Design Initiative (KDI)
Vanessa Vaquerano (MURP 2027) interviewed Eric Riley, Senior Planning Associate at Kounkuey Design Initiative (KDI). They discussed shifting from top-down planning to democratic placemaking and vacant lot reclamation, the planner’s role as a visionary
storyteller, and prioritizing procedural justice in community development.
Episode 23 · Fall 2025
Interview with Christopher Palmer, Economic Development Manager (City of Carson)
Donovan Wright (MPA 2026) interviewed Christopher Palmer, Economic Development Manager for the City of Carson. They discussed private redevelopment as comprehensive planning under market logic, strategies for building trust with community opposition groups,
and advancing environmental justice within rigid administrative structures.
