The geographical configuration of a city is not an outcome of chance. Rather, it is the result of pressure from various dependent needs such as that of the federal and local government, investors, large-scale financial institutions and private investors. So many different groups of varying objectives take an interest in local politics because change is most visibly implemented at the local level, and it is these local levels of change that most directly impacts individual lives. While the political strife between local governments and private investors is a reoccurring cliché in the study of urban planning, the impact of citizen groups is often understated despite their growing role as molders of public policy and key participants in community development. Despite their growing influence, there are few studies available pertaining to the citizen’s involvement in local politics. This research focuses on a case study of a local citizens association, La Jolla Shores Tomorrow. This analysis aims to provide insight into the struggles of citizens associations in the politics of land use and planning as well as their growing influence in a sphere that had been previously dominated by the community elite. This study will contribute to the literature on citizen involvement and growing influence in community land-use politics. The results will be shared with local community leaders in hopes to encourage greater civic involvement. To illustrate the growing influence of citizens in the politics of land use and planning through a case study of La Jolla Shores Tomorrow, a local citizens association To demonstrates that citizen associations are no longer secondary participants in land-use politics, by illustrating the way through which one particular citizens association, La Jolla Shores Tomorrow, struggles to establish meaning and influence within its local community. “ Local liberty is the cornerstone of democracy. ” -David Morris La Jolla Shores The home of Dale & Myrna Naegle, La Jolla Shores Citizen groups are an important source of support and stability within a community. Citizens associations can be seen as private interest groups with important economic stakes in politics. There are several ways through which citizens associations can mold public policy Citizens associations can elect like-minded candidate for public offices such as that of City Council. This is the method through which La Jolla Shores Tomorrow managed to block the Whitney Project. By electing Sherri Lightner, a La Jolla Shores resident and concerned community leader, La Jolla Shores Tomorrow managed to secure a 5-2 victory in City Council. Citizens associations can choose to take legal action against the city when it is in violation of a community’s planned ordinance. After La Jolla Shores Tomorrow’s 5-2 victory at City Council, the Whitney Project was sent back to the Community Planning Association for further review, only to be approved for the second time by the CPA. After its loss at the CPA, La Jolla Shores Tomorrow filed for an appeal, which will be heard in court in the near future. Citizen groups are no longer subordinate to the interests of private developers. Although citizen groups and private developers may both be financially motivated, they represent two different ends of the spectrum. Citizens associations want to maintain the status quo of their neighborhoods while private developers are promoters of change. Neighborhood groups suggest that they are citizen involvement organizations that encompass the views of the public; however, many scholars contend that citizens groups often reflect the interests of the elite, who use their position as citizens to pressure the local government. In an attempt to evaluate the community’s opinion regarding the Whitney building and future development in La Jolla Shores, I conducted a telephone survey by randomly selecting phone numbers out of the La Jolla Blue Book. The individuals were asked the following question: A more modern approach to architectural style should be implemented in the future development of the La Jolla Shores community. Though residents were in favor of small change, many opposed large changes to the architectural style of La Jolla Shores due to a strong attachment to place. Residents feared that modernization would alter the walkability of their community as well as its small-town environment. These surveys demonstrate that while citizens groups may be dominated by community elites, they have the interest of the public at heart. Residents often look to community elites to lead citizens groups because they are already established leaders within a community with the financial backing to fund these organizations and the community connections to draw support. Despite being grassroots, community organizations can often be costly, especially when legal processes are involved. La Jolla Shores Tomorrow currently owes its attorney, Julie Hamilton, nearly $24,000 for her legal assistance. It is difficult to say whether citizens associations represent all the interests of the public; after all, they are interest groups in pursuit of very specific goals. Like the planners and private developers, citizen groups seek to mold public policy to best suit their interests. No group has exclusive rights to the planning process, and this helps to maintain the democratic integrity of urban planning. It is these conflicting views that help create compromise when it comes to the processes of urban planning, bridging the divide between the government and its people. “A more modern approach to architectural style should be implemented in the future development of the La Jolla Shores community.”