LATC forms subcommittee to study merged-board option as legislature presses for efficiency

The Landscape Architects Technical Committee (LATC) created a subcommittee to research the governance options for landscape-architect oversight amid a legislative sunset review that flagged efficiency concerns.

At its March 22 meeting the committee agreed to convene a workgroup led by John Reshinsky and Andrew Bowden to analyze legislative and administrative history and to solicit stakeholder input. The subcommittee’s task is to evaluate three broad options: keep LATC as an advisory committee under the California Architects Board (CAB), reestablish a standalone California State Board of Landscape Architects, or form a multidisciplinary/merged board combining LA and architect oversight.

Why this matters: the legislature’s sunset background paper asked whether CAB should add LATC representation or whether formal consolidation would improve effectiveness and efficiency. Laura Zuniga, LATC staff, said LATC and CAB must provide written responses to the committee’s questions within 30 days of the hearing and that legislative action could follow in the same session.

Committee members emphasized representational and operational details. John Reshinsky said a subcommittee will meet in April and aims to deliver a report for the LATC summer meeting; he suggested three to four meetings to gather data and prepare recommendations. Andrew Bowden and other members urged careful evaluation of board composition—how many landscape architect seats would be required to ensure meaningful representation—and of staff and administrative implications.

Stakeholders urged prompt, public outreach. Public commenters including former LATC chair Stephanie Landrigan and representatives from the California Council of ASLA and the International Interior Design Association warned that licensees and students need notice of subcommittee work and recommended early collaboration with CAB staff so the group can respond to the sunset questions with concrete information. Tracy Morgan Hollingworth of CCASLA said small LA representation on a merged board could risk the profession’s voice being effectively absent when key votes occur.

Staff role and timeline: LATC staff (Kim McDaniel, Laura Zuniga) said they will help gather comparative data on merged boards from other jurisdictions, prepare preliminary staffing/operational options, and compile CAB’s sunset materials that intersect with LATC’s questions. The committee chair will coordinate with staff on the formal written response to the legislature, per established procedure.

Next steps: the subcommittee will schedule meetings beginning in April, collect data on board composition and operational efficiencies, solicit input from CAB and stakeholder organizations, and aim to return recommendations to LATC by the summer board meeting. Meanwhile the LATC must finalize its 30‑day written response to the sunset-review questions.