L.A. COUNTY PUBLIC HEALTH - Policies for Livable, Active Communities and Environments

PLACE Program
Division of Chronic Disease and Injury Prevention
LA County Department of Public Health
695 S. Vermont Avenue, South Tower, 14th Floor,
Los Angeles, CA 90005

PLACE stands for Policies for Livable Active Communities and Environments

The Policies for Livable Active Communities and Environments (PLACE) Program was launched in 2006 as part of an effort to bring funding allocated for chronic disease and injury prevention in greater alignment with the death and disability caused by chronic disease and injury.

The PLACE Program fosters policy change that supports healthy, safe, and active environments for all Los Angeles County residents. We recognize that the design and structure of our cities, communities, neighborhoods, work sites, schools, and streets can impact how much physical activity we get, what we eat, the safety of our streets, and the quality of the air we breathe. How we choose to design or improve various aspects of our environment plays an important role in preventing injury and many chronic conditions - such as obesity, heart disease, diabetes and asthma - whose risk factors include physical inactivity, poor nutrition and exposure to air pollution. As more Angelinos face the threat and reality of developing these chronic conditions, the PLACE Program supports the development of healthier communities by fostering policy change that improves the places where people live, work and play.

Meet Our Team

Jean Armbruster, MA
Director
jarmbruster@ph.lacounty.gov

Jean Armbruster, MA, is the Director of the PLACE Program (Policies from Livable, Active Communities and Environments) at the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. The program’s mission is to foster policy change that supports the development of safe, healthy, active environments for all Los Angeles County residents. PLACE makes grants and provides technical assistance to cities and communities to promote the development of policies such as bicycle and pedestrian master plans, complete streets, and safe routes to schools plans. Ms. Armbruster received her undergraduate degree from Colorado College and her Master of Arts from California State University, Long Beach. She loves hiking and walking her dog in the Santa Monica Mountains.

Jocelyn Estiandan, MPH
Policy Analyst
jestiandan@ph.lacounty.gov

Jocelyn Estiandan, MPH, is a policy analyst with the PLACE Program at the LA County Department of Public Health (DPH). Jocelyn received her B.A. in Psychology from UCI and her Masters of Public Health from UCLA specializing in Community Health Sciences. Previously, she was a program analyst at DPH for the Early Childhood Obesity Prevention Initiative – Choose Health LA Kids Program. Prior to joining DPH, Jocelyn worked as the Health Education Manager at L.A. Care Health Plan as well as the Adult and Senior Services Manager at Asian Pacific Health Care Venture, a Federally Qualified Health Center in East Hollywood. Jocelyn has extensive experience planning, implementing, and evaluating chronic disease prevention programs and working collaboratively with a diverse group of stakeholders from the private and public sector to serve low-income, underserved communities in LA County.

Alexis Lantz, MA
Policy Analyst
alantz@ph.lacounty.gov

Alexis Lantz, MA, is a policy analyst with the PLACE Program at the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. Previously, she was the Planning & Policy Director at the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition (LACBC). During her tenure at LACBC she conducted the first ever citywide bicycle and pedestrian count for the City of Los Angeles and had a hand in shaping policies in the city and county of Los Angeles to increase funding and infrastructure for bicycling as well as the amount and diversity of people bicycling for everyday transportation. She also worked to expand countywide advocacy capacity for bikeways and complete streets through LACBC's Regional Partnership program. Alexis holds an M.A. in Urban Planning from UCLA. While at UCLA, she initiated a student-led course on bicycle and pedestrian planning that continues today and authored the report “Cycling in Los Angeles” as a Los Angeles Sustainability Collaborative fellow.

Chanda Singh, MA
Policy Analyst
csingh@ph.lacounty.gov

Chanda Singh, MA, is a policy analyst with the PLACE Program at the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. Chanda received her Master’s degree in Urban Planning from UCLA, and her Bachelor’s degree in Economics and Applied Mathematics from the UC Berkeley. Prior to joining PLACE, she worked as an active transportation planner, helping to create safe routes to school, bicycle, pedestrian, parking, and transit plans. Chanda enjoys bringing stakeholders together to support more active, vibrant, healthy, and economically independent communities. She is an avid community gardener and loves exploring on foot and by bicycle.

Nicholas J. Linesch, MS
Transportation Planner
nlinesch@ph.lacounty.gov

Nicholas J. Linesch, MS, is a transportation planner with the PLACE Program at the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. Nico manages Partnerships in Active Transportation and Health (PATH), a project focused on providing cities with technical assistance to advance their active transportation programs. He developed a passion for planning healthy places at the California Department of Public Health while working with the Climate and Health Team and learned fundamental planning skills as a planner and resident of San Francisco. A Los Angeles native, Nico is committed to making LA County a better place for walking and biking and strives to use his skills to improve conditions for those who need it the most. He received an MS degree in Civil Engineering from UC Davis while exploring transportation behavior and urban modeling projects at the Institute of Transportation Studies. When not working, you are likely to find him hiking in the Sierra backcountry or listening to live music.

Kimberly Porter, PhD, MPH
Senior Analyst
kiporter@ph.lacounty.gov

Kimberly Porter, PhD, MPH, is a senior analyst with the PLACE Program at the LA County Department of Public Health (DPH). Kimberly received her Master of Public Health and her Doctorate of Philosophy in Epidemiology from the University of Illinois at Chicago. Prior to joining DPH she worked as an Analyst at the American College of Surgeons within the National Cancer Data Base Division where she provided analytic, technical, and research oversight for various projects. More recently she was a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Kaiser Permanente Southern California, where she conducted prostate cancer research studies centered on health disparities and quality of life. She is originally from Chicago and enjoys reading, kayaking, hiking, and playing the bassoon.

Miguel Ramos, BA
Outreach Coordinator
miramos@ph.lacounty.gov

Miguel Ramos, BA is an Outreach Coordinator with the PLACE Program (Policies from Livable, Active Communities and Environments) at the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. Miguel holds his BA in Sociology with a focus on Equity and Diversity from California State University Los Angeles and currently is working towards completing his Masters in Urban and Regional Planning with a focus on Community Development. Prior to working with PLACE, he has worked as a Bicycle Safety Coordinator for Multicultural communities for Mobility (MCM). During his time with MCM he has facilitated various community led projects, coordinated with community groups to provide resources in forms of materials and education, and has advocated for policy recommendations for equitable & sustainable development throughout Los Angeles County. In his spare time Miguel participates in community efforts that empower Low Income communities to take ownership of safe, healthy, clean and sustainable-oriented linkages.

Robert Baird, MPL
Project Manager
RBaird@ph.lacounty.gov

Robert Baird, MPL, is a project manager with the PLACE Program at the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. He works on the LA County Pedestrian Planning Project, which will identify walkability barriers and infrastructure enhancements in unincorporated communities. Rob previously worked as a land use Policy Analyst at Community Health Councils, where he collaborated with stakeholders to engage with local planning processes and advocate for improved urban design, mobility and community development policy in South LA. While at CHC, he helped develop the Healthy Kids Zone pilot concept. Rob has also worked on transit corridor planning with the Los Angeles Department of City Planning, as part of Project RENEW. He earned a Master’s degree in Planning from the University of Southern California. Rob is an avid reader, food explorer and frequent playground chaperon.

PLACE Website