This Week in Livable Streets – Aug. 5-11

KDL works on burnishing his image via Council motions, Tenants rally for protections to be given greater urgency, Watts Rising holds a summer festival, Destination Crenshaw unveils a mural, K Line Northern Extension public hearings get underway, and River Fest is back!

• Tuesday 8/6 – City Council Meeting. LAPD, KDL, and Traci Park spent last week touting the success of the task force set up to address rampant copper wire theft. The reason? Council is set to vote on transferring $200,000 to the LAPD for the Heavy Metal Task Force. KDL, who is busy fighting for his life in his re-election campaign thanks to his racist scandal, is also pushing a motion (also backed by Park) to study safety improvements in Monterey Hills. Some may recall that KDL’s recent efforts to curry favor in Monterey Hills included his willingness to listen to NIMBYs claiming the addition of a swing and slide to an underused park would result in utter mayhem, including children being killed by both drug users and coyotes.

• Wednesday 8/7 – Transportation Committee. An LADOT report relative to proposed prioritization methodology for speed humps and speed tables around schools.
• Wednesday 8/7 – Tenants, advocates, and housing justice organizations & coalitions plan to rally outside L.A. City Hall ahead of Council’s Housing & Homelessness Cmte meeting to demand urgency around a suite of policies affecting renters – some which will be on the agenda, and others that they say have been stalled for too long. The rally begins at 12:30 p.m. Learn more about the proposed Tenant Bill of Rights here. The committee meeting begins at 2:30 p.m. See the agenda for details.

• Friday 8/9 – Sunday 8/11 – The Watts Summer Festival at Ted Watkins Park. Things kick off Friday afternoon with a 5 p.m. poetry reading hosted by Friends at Mafundi in the gym at Ted Watkins Park. The rest of the event runs through the weekend, starting with a 9 a.m. basketball competition Saturday morning and a marketplace opening on Sunday at 11 a.m. The event is free and is an open house for Watts Rising, a collaborative formed through the award of a Transformative Climate Communities (TCC) grant from the State of California’s Strategic Growth Council.

• Saturday 8/10 – Destination Crenshaw will unveil Toons One’s new mural and celebrate 45 years of Dog Lovers Pet Grooming on Crenshaw Blvd. The mural is one of the first artworks completed from the Destination Crenshaw project. The festivities run from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., with the unveiling happening at 11:30 a.m. Enjoy free food and drinks from local vendors, a puppy play date, DJ Moonflower, family friendly activities, and raffles at 5700 Crenshaw Blvd (90043). See Destination Crenshaw website for more information and to RSVP.
• Saturday 8/10 – K Line Northern Extension public hearing. Metro released a Draft Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for the K Line Northern Extension project on July 23, and is accepting public comments during the 45-day public review in support of the CEQA environmental review process. The first public hearing will be at Dorsey High, from 10 a.m. to noon, this Saturday. The meeting next Tuesday, 8/13, will be held at the Pan Pacific Park Community Center while next Thursday’s meeting will be virtual. Attend in person to provide comments and learn more about the project. Metro will also accept comments by mail, email, and phone. Meeting details at Metro; project details at metro.net/KNE. All comments due by September 5th.
• Sunday 8/11 – River Fest is back! Join Friends of the LA River (FoLAR) for a free, open-air environmental arts and community festival at L.A. State Historical Park (1245 N. Spring St.) to celebrate the culture, history, and people that shape the L.A. River. Festivities include live performances, a visual art gallery, and interactive eco-activities. The event runs from 3 – 9 p.m. Tickets are free. Register here.
• Looking ahead: Wednesday 8/14 – The Chandler Bike Path 20th Anniversary Celebration from 6-8 p.m. at the intersection of Chandler and Pass in Burbank.