Back in April 2006, I found myself at Skid Row’s Midnight Mission, eager to share my ambitious 10-year plan aimed at solving homelessness in Los Angeles. Spoiler alert: it didn’t pan out as I had hoped.

Fast forward to 2018, when Mayor Eric Garcetti delivered a speech in which he claimed he was going to stop “doing stupid things” and focus on actually accomplishing something.

“We’re here to end homelessness,” he asserted, but, well, that mission remains unfinished.

In Los Angeles and California, there’s a tendency to set high expectations and make grand promises. Sure, it’s not entirely bad. Better to have leaders who are willing to, you know, push for change rather than simply shrugging off pressing issues.

“You can’t achieve anything without a vision,” noted Jessica Bremner, a professor in Urban Geography at California State. She stressed that without a clear vision, essential infrastructure such as transport and housing simply won’t come to fruition. “Nothing moves,” she said.

I completely agree. There’s a collective desire for a better community, not just empty words from politicians. But here’s the kicker: there’s a stark contrast between having vision and merely indulging in wishful thinking, and lately, we’ve experienced plenty of both.

Take, for example, California’s ambitious objectives. In 2022, the state aimed to eliminate gas-powered vehicles by 2035 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2045. After the devastating Northridge earthquake in 1994, it wasn’t just talk; laws were enacted requiring hospitals to upgrade their seismic safety by 2030. Yet here we are, in 2023, with about two-thirds still not complying.

Under Garcetti’s “Vision Zero” initiative launched in 2015, the goal was to eradicate traffic deaths by 2025. That has not gone well either.

Then there’s the state’s current plan, the “SmartLA2028,” which seeks to decrease reliance on fossil fuels and promote a tech-savvy, connected city. However, many of the initiatives are heavy on ideas but light on funding and timelines.

Recently, Los Angeles introduced ambitious strategies like the “California Master Plan for Aging,” aiming to improve housing and care for seniors by 2030. There’s also the “DTLA 2040 Plan,” designed to create thousands of jobs and housing units in downtown LA over the next 15 years.

Yet, despite all these plans, it’s tough to see where genuine progress has been made. Sure, there have been achievements—thousands have been housed through various initiatives—but it often feels like we’re just putting out fires rather than actually solving problems. We’re essentially just bailing water from a sinking ship.

On climate matters, credit is due for at least acknowledging the seriousness of the crisis. But, the federal government’s stance, especially under former President Trump, complicates funding and challenges state initiatives. Moreover, despite plans for hospital upgrades following earthquakes, many still remain unfinished.

Interestingly, while LA has pledged improvements in pedestrian and cyclist safety, accidents and fatalities continue to climb. An audit released this year highlighted failures in local leadership, causing many to scratch their heads in disbelief.

Sometimes it feels like these grand goals are distractions from the day-to-day governance failures that plague our city. Sure, the flying taxi concept might be in the works for the Olympics, but what about basic repairs like fixing potholes?

And true, while there’s some acknowledgment of progress—like the proposed extension of the purple line to the West Side—the reality is that many ambitious projects are lacking in deadlines and actual funding.

Standing on Van Nuis Boulevard one June morning with City Council member Monica Rodriguez, I could feel the weight of promise and uncertainty. “The future home of the Fernando Valley Light Rail should be part of the 28×28 plan,” she remarked, noting the projected completion around 2031-2032.

Yet, even as plans accumulate, the funding remains elusive, and timely execution often feels like a pipe dream.

We might talk a big game in California, but at this point, it’s hard not to feel skeptical. While aiming for the stars, it seems we’ve struggled just to get to the moon adequately—let alone beyond.