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Tuesday Newsletter

February 24, 2026

 
 

The Advocacy Report - February 24

 

The Architecture of Affordability: Soil & Roots

By Will Wright, Hon. AIA|LA



For the design and development community in Los Angeles, the housing crisis is not an abstract concept; it is a daily professional reality. We see it in the tent encampments adjacent to project sites, and we feel it in the crushing weight of the permitting queues that stall critical work. We advocate for design that brings dignity, but too often, those visions languish in a bureaucratic purgatory.


Read the Report 

 

Spotlight On

 

Call for Projects: Spring Arch Tour Fest



Spring is around the corner — and it’s time to open the doors.

We invite AIA|LA members to submit projects for inclusion in this year’s Spring Arch Tour Fest — a curated celebration of design excellence across Los Angeles. This is your opportunity to showcase your work, share your design story, and engage directly with architects, clients, and the broader community.

Why participate?

• Elevate your firm’s visibility

• Position your project as a model of design leadership

• Connect with new audiences and potential collaborators

• Gain media exposure and community recognition

• Contribute to a citywide conversation about architecture

Let your work speak. Let the city experience it.

Submit your project and be part of a dynamic, public-facing celebration of architecture this spring.



Contact Us

AIA|LA Architects in Action: Interview with Esmeralda Aceituno, AIA – Event Architect, Populous

 

Vision for California & The Future of Los Angeles


Cultural Resilience: You describe your work as being grounded in “cultural resilience.” As we look toward the future of California, how can architecture go beyond mere sustainability to actively preserve and celebrate the cultural narratives of communities like East Los Angeles?


When I speak about cultural resilience, I am talking about the ability of a community’s identity to endure, adapt, and remain visible even as neighborhoods change. Sustainability addresses environmental systems. Cultural resilience addresses social systems.


In East Los Angeles, culture lives in everyday gestures. It lives in murals that document political memory. It lives in front yards that operate as shared gathering spaces. It lives in intergenerational households and small businesses that...


Read the Q+A

 

Coming up

 
 

AIA|LA SPONSORSHIP SUCCESS WEBINAR

February 24 @ 12:00p - 1:00p 



AIA|LA & LADWP DEVELOPMENT SERVICES: 2026 QUARTERLY MEETINGS

March 5 @ 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM

2026 Technology Conference: AI: Architectural Intelligence

March 13 @ 8:00am - 4:00pm 


 

Community

 

Host an Intern, Job Shadow, or Virtual Mentoring Experience in 2026

Firm enrollment is now open for the California Architectural Practice Experience (capX) Program, a statewide initiative of AIA CA and the California Architectural Foundation (CAF).

capX connects architecture firms and other practice settings with aspiring architects, offering students real insight into the profession while giving firms a direct role in shaping its future. In 2026, capX will continue its focus on supporting community college students, while keeping the program open to all pathways including graduates and experience only candidates.

Here are a few ways your firm can make a meaningful impact:

 Host an intern or job shadow participant in a format that works for your workflow

 Help students take their first steps in the profession and see what is possible

 Strengthen the talent pipeline by supporting a more diverse and better prepared future workforce

 Participate even if you already have an internship program (your current interns can help lead and host a job shadow candidate)

Firms are the heart of capX. When you participate, you open doors that students cannot access on their own and help create a profession that reflects the communities we serve.

Enroll today and make a difference in expanding access to architecture across California: one experience at a time. https://calarchfoundation.org/capx_2025/

Close to Home: A New Podcast Series

Wildfires leave lasting marks on communities, homes, and lives. Whether you’ve been directly affected, are supporting others, or are thinking about how to prepare for future risks, this conversation matters.

AIA Los Angeles is proud to present Close to Home, a new podcast series beginning in Altadena, California, one year after the Eaton Fire upended an entire community. Produced and hosted by local volunteers — including residents directly impacted — the series asks a powerful question: What does it really take to rebuild a community?

Through lived experience, expert insight, hard data, and neighbor voices, this pilot episode offers an honest, ground-level look at recovery — slow, complex, deeply human, and still ongoing.

Join us as we listen, learn, and reflect on what rebuilding truly means.

Listen to the Podcasts

The AIA Pasadena & Foothill Chapter invites architects, engineers, contractors, and students to submit their work for the 2026 Rebuild Design Awards — a program that celebrates innovative, resilient, and community-focused design responses to the 2025 Los Angeles wildfires.



This initiative honors creative design solutions that help communities rebuild — from single-family homes to shared spaces — and showcases how thoughtful design can restore hope and inspire connection.


Details and submission at https://aiapf.org/rebuild-design-awards. Deadline to submit is Friday 2/27.

This Spring, Modern Luxury will honor California's top design professionals with Faces of Design, a premier cross-platform campaign highlighting the most innovative and creative minds in the design and architecture space.

This special feature will showcase the talent of individuals who are shaping the future of design.



What to Expect:



  • A dedicated profile highlighting your design philosophy, notable projects, and the impact of your work on the industry.
  • High-quality visuals of your projects, showcasing your unique style and creativity.
  • An opportunity to connect with a wider audience of design enthusiasts and potential clients. Click here for Info
 

Jobs

 

Cearnal Collective | Project Architect | Santa Barbara, CA | 2/20

TCA Architects | Architectural Project Manager – Los Angeles | Los Angeles, CA | 2/20

Blitz | Design Director | Culver City, CA | 1/30

Michael Maltzan Architecture | Project Architect | Los Angeles, CA | 1/26

McGriff Architects | Project Manager | San Francisco/LA/NY | 1/23/26

Cearnal Collective | Project Architect | Santa Barbara, CA | 1/22/26

Bowery Design Group | Intermediate Architectural Designer | Los Angeles, CA | 1/16/26

TCA Architects | ArchitecturalDesigner; Intermediate – Los Angeles | Los Angeles, CA | 1/14/26

TCA Architects | Project Architect – Oakland | Oakland, CA | 1/14/26

TCA Architects | ArchitecturalTechnical Designer – Los Angeles | Los Angeles, CA | 1/14/26

TCA Architects | Architectural Job Captain | Los Angeles, CA | 1/14/26

Humboldt County Public Works | Capital Projects Architect I/II | Eureka CA | 1/5/26



Check Out All Jobs

 

Sponsor

 

Heartfelt thanks to our Annual Sponsors — your partnership truly makes our work possible.


Partnerships are available HERE 

 

The Los Angeles Chapter of the American Institute of Architects

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