The Week in Livable Streets

This week: Metro parking master plans, a crosswalk on Hollywood Blvd., the impact of SB 827 in South L.A., the Santa Monica Pier Bridge Replacement, Operation Firefly, Longbeachize's talk series on housing, and the 26th Annual Empowerment Congress.

Tuesday 1/9 - The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) is hosting a Workshop for agency stakeholders including cities, transit agencies, and Transportation Management Associations in Los Angeles County to discuss the draft Supportive Transit Parking Program (“STPP Master Plan”) Master Plan. The STPP Master Plan identifies innovative strategies for management of Metro’s parking facilities, including parking management and planning policies, operations, enforcement, and maintenance and technology integration. Metro staff will present the STPP Master Plan to Metro’s Board of Directors for final adoption at the end of January, 2018. The meeting runs from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at Metro Headquarters, One Gateway Plaza.

Tuesday 1/9 - Hollywood and Rodney crosswalk has been in the works for some time now. Mitch O'Farrell's office is hosting a community meeting with constituents and business stakeholders on Tuesday, January 9th at 6 PM at their District Office located 1722 Sunset Blvd. The meeting runs from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. For more details, visit their Facebook Page.

Tuesday 1/9 - Scott Wiener's proposal to upzone along transit lines, SB 827, is stoking displacement fears in the vulnerable communities of color most likely to be impacted by such a bill here in L.A. Join residents to discuss the bill, the redevelopment of the Crenshaw Mall, the repeal of Costa Hawkins, and the impact of the city attorney's lawsuit against a Baldwin Village property owner on residents there. The meeting will be hosted by Damien Goodmon of the Crenshaw Subway Coalition at the Christ Temple Church of Christ. 3125 W. 54th St. from 6:30 - 8:30 p.m. Details, here.

Tuesday, Wednesday 1/9 and 1/10 - The LACBC's Operation Firefly is back this week in Maywood on Tuesday and Pacoima on Wednesday. Sign up to volunteer! For more details, click here.

Wednesday 1/10 - The City of Santa Monica invites the public to learn more about three alternatives proposed for the reconstruction of the Santa Monica Pier Bridge and next steps in the process. The project will replace the current bridge (necessary to meet current seismic and safety standards) with either a single bridge or two bridges. Weigh in on the alternatives and the environmental impact of the project at 6:30 p.m. at the Ken Edwards Center (1527 4th St). Materials regarding the project can be found here smgov.net/smpierbridge, at all Santa Monica libraries and at the Caltrans District 7 office (100 S. Main St., Los Angeles). Comments can be submitted by email to pierbridge@smgov.net. For more on the project, click here.

Thursday 1/11 - The next installment of LongBeachize's free talk series, Emphasize, will take place this Thursday, January 11, at 6:30 p.m. at the Art Theatre on Retro Row (2025 E. 4th St.). The topic is affordable housing and the housing crisis - how development is shaping where housing goes and who gets it - and will be tackled by affordable housing expert and UCLA professor Michael Lens, Michael Massie of Jamboree Housing (builder), and Long Beach's own Jan Van Dijs. For more information, visit the event's Facebook Page.

Saturday 1/13 - The Empowerment Congress is now in its 26th year. This year's summit - Empowering California: A Local Perspective - will be held Saturday morning at 9 a.m. at the University of Southern California and feature a gubernatorial town hall and "festival of democracy." The Empowerment Congress was first called to order by then-city councilmember Mark Ridley-Thomas in the wake of the uprising of 1992 as a way to establish the larger structure necessary to channel South Los Angeles residents' concerns and coordinate their advocacy efforts. Events now draw as many as 1500 participants to eager to speak on, learn about, and address the range of issues impacting their communities. Details can be found at the event website.

Wednesday 3/21 - SAVE THE DATE!