It's the most wonderful time of the year. It's 2015 Streetsie awards voting time!
Longtime readers probably remember the drill. This year there are six categories: Elected Official, Civil Servant, Business, Media/Journalism, Advocacy - Individual, and Advocacy - Group. Voting starts this week and will close on Tuesday, January 5, 2016 at noon. Reader voting accounts for one half of the scoring this year, with one quarter going to SBLA staff voting, and another quarter going to a SBLA steering committee vote.
Without further delay, here are our nominees for elected official of the year:
Richard Bloom (left) with Santa Monica Spoke's Cynthia Rose
Mike Bonin (left) and his then-fiancé (now husband) Sean Arian celebrate Bonin's swearing inMike Bonin and his fiancé Sean Arian celebrate Bonin's swearing in earlier this month. Photo: Mike Bonin/Facebook
Mike Bonin - Bonin, as Westside L.A. City Councilmember, Metro Board Member, City Council Transportation Committee Chair, and Expo Construction Authority Vice-Chair, is at or near the center of nearly every major transportation-related decision that the city of Los Angeles makes. In these decisions, he is not only firmly on the side of livability, but is very strategic about using every opportunity to move government agencies in the right direction. Bonin championed the city's multiple adoptions of its multi-modal Mobility Plan 2035. He is also in the forefront of the council on parking reform, protected bike lanes (coming to Venice Boulevard in 2016), extending rail to LAX, and ending LAPD's pedestrian stings. He's now a perennial Streetsie nominee - can he win this year?
Joe Buscaino boarding the Silver Line busCouncilmember Buscaino boarding the Silver Line bus
Mike Gatto (at podium) speaking against hit-and-run crimesAssemblymember Mike Gatto speaking on the importance of reducing hit-and-run crimes.
Mike Gatto - Another recurring Streetsie nominee, Assemblymember Mike Gatto represents California's 43rd Assembly District, which includes Hollywood, Los Feliz, Glendale, and Burbank. Gatto is a tireless crusader for legislation to end California's hit-and-run crimes. Though he has had some excellent legislation stymied by gubernatorial vetoes, this year he was successful leading the charge for a new statewide hit-and-run yellow alert system.
Hilda Solis, at podium, speaking at the October 2015 CicLAvia kick-offHilda Solis
Honorable Mentions: Los Angeles City Councilmember Mitch Englander has been great on Reseda Boulevard and curbing hit-and-run crimes. Los Angeles City Councilmember Felipe Fuentes has been on the right side of every livability project he has weighed in on. Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti demonstrated leadership at Metro and signed L.A. on to Vision Zero. Los Angeles City Councilmember Nury Martinez pushed for expanding CicLAvia into new San Fernando Valley communities (coming March 16, 2016) and is working toward more humane approaches for dealing with prostitution, a big issue for many neighborhoods. Mark Ridley-Thomas also ably lead Metro, including guiding the Rail2River multi-use path project from great idea to funded project ready to build.
Past Winners: Councilmember Jose Huizar, Santa Monica Mayor Pam O'Connor, Glendale Councilmember Ara Najarian, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, and Councilmember Bill Rosendahl
StreetsLA is building a new 60-foot-diameter traffic circle at the intersection of Parthenia Place and Columbus Avenue in the central San Fernando Valley community of North Hills. The project includes a short bikeway.
Artesia is not some kind of bike paradise (yet), but the city is already surpassing its surrounding neighbors with new bike lanes, green pavement treatments, a new bike path, and more on the way