The moment of truth! The 2016 Streetsie winners are here!
SBLA editors were again disappointed to have encountered thousands of robo-votes for various candidates. All categories were affected, with some nominees receiving half or more of their votes from a single source. The "elected official" and "civil servant" categories were the most affected in this regard. To level the playing field, we counted and then manually subtracted the robo-votes from the vote tallies. SBLA staff and steering committee members then put our heads together to review the corrected vote tallies and finalize the winners.
In an otherwise disheartening year, it was uplifting to see so many people, organizations, and agencies continuing to do great work. But the fact that there were so many to choose from made the selection process all the more difficult. We send our sincere kudos to all the nominees: With all the work you all do, greater Los Angeles is gradually emerging from its inequitable car-centric past into a healthier and fairer multi-modal future. And the leadership shown by an increasingly diverse set of advocates ensures that that future will also be more inclusive and accessible for all. Brief descriptions accompany each award, below. Click through to the category for longer descriptions.
2016 Elected Official of the Year Award: After discounting robo-votes, we saw an even split between votes for the work of councilmember Mike Bonin and that of councilmembers Marqueece-Harris Dawson and José Huizar. Splitting the award seemed apt. Bonin's tireless work on more traditional livable streets issues has enhanced multi-modal mobility choices for Angelenos across the city. The leadership of Harris-Dawson and Huizar on the Homelessness & Poverty Committee and, in particular, on Measure HHH helped underscore the importance of equity in livability and moved us closer to ensuring our fair city and its streets are truly livable for all. L.A. needs both to be a world-class city, and we salute their work.
2016 Civil Servant of the Year Award: Phil Washington, CEO of Metro. Washington has hit many of the right notes since arriving from Denver nearly two years ago. This year, SBLA commends him, on behalf of all of Metro, for passing Measure M.
2016 Livable Streets-Friendly Business Award: Bicycle Transit Systems. BTS worked with Metro, LADOT and community groups to kick off Metro Bike Share in downtown Los Angeles and, with Metro, has invested in exploring how to make bike-share more equitable.
2016 Journalist/Writer of the Year Award: Zachary Rynew. Rynew blogs the San Fernando Valley two-wheeled beat at CiclaValley, as well as LACBC Family.
2016 Deborah Murphy Award for Excellence in Advocacy: Luke Klipp. He's the happy urbanist jaydancing his way to preside over his Los Feliz Neighborhood Council meeting.
2016 Livable Streets Advocacy Group Award: Bike SGV. They're planning, implementing, teaching, pedaling, and opening streets throughout the diverse communities of the San Gabriel Valley.
SBLA appreciates the hard work nominees are doing to make Southern California communities healthier, safer, happier, and more livable. Keep up the important work and we look forward to covering all your great accomplishments in the years ahead!
