The General Plan in California

Online

Does your community need to update its General Plan? Richard Walter and Joanna Jansen, who have prepared numerous  General Plans throughout the state, will share their insights on the best practices for general plan preparation. Learn how to scope and budget the project, hire consulting assistance as necessary and finish the project in an efficient and comprehensive manner. Topics include:

  • General plan law and requirements
  • Public involvement in general planning
  • Sustainability and environmental justice in the general plan  
  • Data collection, mapping and land use inventories
  • Preparing and evaluating alternatives
  • Integration of CEQA
Academic Units
0
CEUs
0.65
Section Number
251LAN104
Instruction Method
Online class

Association Credits

American Planning Assoc (AICP)
6.00 AICP hours

Section Notes

It is recommended for students to purchase the textbook, The General Plan in California. A digital copy of the book can be purchased from Amazon.

This is an online, remote learning course, which consists of 6.5 hours of content and curriculum that is taught with pre-recorded lectures as well all mandatory live Zoom session with the instructor(s). Pre-recorded lectures and live sessions are accessed via our Canvas learning system and Zoom. This course is the same length as a standard 1 day, in-person course, please be sure to plan your schedule accordingly. 

This course is open August 11 – August 15, with a live session on August 14 2:00 PM-4:00 PM PST. 

Attendance of the live session is mandatory to receive credit for this course.

We allow registration through the 12:00 PM PST (noon) on the first day of the course. We cannot extend course access beyond 11:59 PM on last day of class, so students pursuing a late enrollment acknowledge that they will have less time to complete the materials. Please contact the course representative with any questions.  

Refund Deadline: August 4, 2025.  Refunds and/or enrollment transfers will not be approved after this date.

Enrollment Policies

Drop requests (withdraw with a refund) will be approved, less a $30 processing fee, if the request is received seven calendar days before the course begins. Click here to view complete enrollment policy information including details on withdrawals and transfers.

Refund Deadline: August 4, 2025.  Refunds and/or enrollment transfers will not be approved after this date.

Technical Requirements

To ensure your success in this online course, please review our technical requirements page.

Section Course Materials

The General Plan in California

ISBN
978-1-938166-10-05
Optional
A detailed guide to preparing and updating a city or county General Plan in accordance with California law - with many ideas and tips relevant to comprehensive and regional planning across the US. Offers approaches to creating General Plans that are legally sound, technically rigorous, progressive, and reflective of the communities they serve. A practical, valuable reference for public sector planners, consultants, interested citizens, and students.
Author
David Rarly

Discounts

APA

Members can receive 10% discount on the course fee by entering the Coupon Code.  If you don’t have your association discount code, contact UC Davis Continuing and Professional Education Student Services at (800) 752-0881.

Info Session Discount

Attendees of UC Davis Continuing and Professional Education Information Sessions may be eligible for $100 discount on a class by entering the Coupon Code provided at the Information Session.  Contact UC Davis Continuing and Professional Education Student Services office, at (800) 752-0881, if you have questions about this discount.

AEP

Members can receive 10% discount on the course fee by entering the Coupon Code.  If you don’t have your association discount code, contact UC Davis Continuing and Professional Education Student Services at (800) 752-0881.