This Week In Livable Streets

Lots to do and see – from Street Vending, to Metro Committees, to Jaydancing!

Monday – It’s #MobilityMondayLA. The L.A. County Bicycle Coalition and others are urging Angelenos to contact Los Angeles City Council members and voice support for the city’s proposed Mobility Plan 2035. The plan was recently approved by the city Planning Commission, and will soon be heard by the City Council, first in committee on June 23. There’s a lot to like in the plan, and it has come under some criticism from some people who think L.A.’s future is all about cars. Participate in #MobilityMondayLA via phone, email and social media, details at LACBC.
Tuesday – The L.A. City Council’s Transportation Committee meets at 9 a.m. The agenda [PDF] is short, with only two items: the proposed DTLA streetcar, and possible new regulations for private event valet parking.
(OOPS – Next Tuesday 6/23) – Zocalo presents a free panel discussion asking “Can Transit Make Housing More Affordable?” (or is that just Anglo triumphalism, too?) The speakers include Joan Ling, Mike Bonin, and more. It takes place at MOCA this Tuesday night at 7 p.m. More details and make a reservation at Zócalo.
Tuesday – The debate on street vending has been heating up with vendors and their supporters turning out in large numbers for recent meetings on the issue in Boyle Heights and the Valley. On June 16 (6 – 8 p.m.), the vendors and community members will join Grammy Award-winning East L.A. band, Quetzal and the East LA Community Corporation (ELACC) in a screening of Quetzal’s new music video, “Coyote Hustle.” Coyote Hustle depicts the realities and struggles faced by street vendors in the only major city in the United States without a formal vendor permit process. The video release at Casa del Mexicano will be coupled with food, art, activism, and song making with Quetzal band members. Details, here.
Wednesday and Thursday – Metro’s monthly committee meetings are where the agency’s big decisions get previewed in advance of the monthly board meeting next week, Thursday, June 25. The agendas aren’t online yet, but one of the agenda items will be Metro’s bike-share contract. Full Metro meeting agendas and reports should be posted here shortly.
Thursday – Get your mobility advocacy on by attending the public hearing on the Crenshaw Boulevard Streetscape Plan. Open house begins at 5 p.m. at the LADWP Community Room (4030 Crenshaw Bl.) and the hearing itself will begin at 6:15 p.m. Details, here. Then head to the KAOS Network in Leimert Park to hear grassroots activists talk about how mobility works in practice at the South Los Angeles Alliance for Mobility meeting. The meeting convenes at 7 p.m. and the panel discussion, featuring Mikaela Randolph, Safe Routes to School, Maria Sipin, Multicultural Communities for Mobility, Damon Turner, Unity Sports Cycling, Yolanda Davis-Overstreet, RIDE in Living Color, will begin at 7:30 p.m. Details, here.
Thursday – The third in a series of meetings around L.A. on street vending will be held at City Hall, Downtown, at 6 p.m. The meetings are an effort by the L.A. Street Vendor Campaign — a coalition of organizations, business owners, and individuals advocating on behalf of the city’s 50,000+ vendors — to gather feedback from the community that can be used to help L.A. take the necessary steps to establish the first citywide vending ordinance. For more information, visit the campaign’s website.
Friday – Walk to the Dodgers game with Los Angeles Walks. Details at Facebook event.
Saturday – If you’re not so keen on LAPD “jaywalking” ticketing stings, channel your frustration in a creative way by Jaydancing in DTLA from 2-3 p.m. Details at Facebook event.
Saturday – Caltrans and Metro want to spend $6B of your tax dollars on a tunnel extending the 710 Freeway. The last of their series of public hearings will take place this Saturday, June 20, at David Wark Griffith Middle School, at 4765 East Fourth Street in East L.A. View maps from 10– 11 a.m. followed by a formal public hearing from 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. Go and count the consultants! Event details here.