Voting is already underway for Measure HLA, L.A. City's Healthy Streets initiative. Voters received ballots during the past week; many proactive folks have already voted. Voting continues through Election Day, Tuesday, March 5.
If HLA passes, the city will be required to gradually implement walk, bus, and bike improvements that have been approved in the city's Mobility Plan, adopted nearly a decade ago. Improvements would be routinely included as the city resurfaces streets.
HLA has racked up a significant squad of endorsements. These include six of fifteen sitting L.A. City Councilmembers: Marqueece Harris-Dawson, Eunisses Hernandez, Heather Hutt, Nithya Raman, Hugo Soto-Martínez, and Katy Young Yaroslavsky. It's also endorsed by several other electeds: L.A. County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath, and state legislators Senator Ben Allen, Assemblymember Isaac Bryan, and Assemblymember Tina McKinnor.
To date there is no organized opposition to the measure. Some city staff and other City Councilmembers have expressed disapproval. Councilmember Traci Park, who has been openly critical of HLA, this week introducing a motion that, if approved by the full council, would have city departments report back on HLA costs and parking impacts.
Streetsblog first covered HLA in early 2022, endorsing it that year.
SBLA stands by that endorsement today.
As important a referendum as HLA is, it now feels like it should probably go further. HLA's street resurfacing trigger for safety improvements means an unambiguous time for city action - but such gradual implementation may not fix L.A.'s deadly streets with the urgency that currently rising levels of traffic deaths warrant. HLA doesn't do enough to focus on improvements needed for equity for underserved communities. Even the then fairly far-reaching 2015 Mobility Plan probably needs upgrades to match today's realities.
Nonetheless, HLA's passage would, over time, bring significant resources to bear on greatly improving safety, access, mobility, and health throughout the city.
For explainers on Measure HLA, see also LAist and the L.A. Times.
To get involve in the campaign to pass Measure HLA, visit the Yes on HLA website.
