Alissa Walker has been observing Los Angeles as a pedestrian and journalist since before Twitter existed. How people learn about their community has changed, and Alissa now works on a newsletter and podcast to inform Angelenos about transportation, housing, urban design, and governance. Her project Torched.LA covers the civic investments and policy decisions that Los Angeles is making in preparation for its megaevent-hosting era.

Jessica Meaney is the Executive Director of Investing in Place. Investing in Place imagines a Los Angeles that cares for its sidewalks, streets, and parks as everyday expressions of dignity, equity, and belonging. Public spaces are planned and maintained as the foundation of community life, where investment and care reach every neighborhood. Jessica has professional experience in Los Angeles, spanning transportation planning for safe streets, administration of philanthropic grants, and management of mission-driven organizations.

Joshua Schank speaks from his book, "New Tricks for Old Bureaucracies," which tells the inside story of how a small team at LA Metro’s Office of Extraordinary Innovation turned big ideas into real change. It is part playbook, part survival guide, and part reality check for anyone trying to make progress inside public institutions.