This Week In Livable Streets

Public Safety Committee weighs a new LAPD Chief appointment, Council finalizes the Tenant Anti-Harassment Ordinance, the Metro board meets, and SBLA wishes you a safe week of Halloween and Día de los Muertos celebrations!

• Tuesday 10/29: The updating of the Cornfield-Arroyo Seco Specific Plan continues apace. On Tuesday’s City Council agenda: certification of the EIR and zoning plan amendments and the preparation of ordinances incorporating these changes into the Plan. See more about the proposed changes in Urbanize’s coverage from last year. See item 5 on Tuesday’s Council agenda. Meeting begins at 10 a.m.
• Tuesday 10/29 – The Public Safety Committee is meeting to deliberate on the appointment of Jim McDonnell to head up the LAPD. The choice of McDonnell has stirred some concern: he granted immigration agents access to the jails back in 2015 and subsequently opposed the “sanctuary state” bill in 2017. Advocates are rallying at City Hall 1:30 p.m. to voice their concerns. The meeting itself begins at 2:30 p.m. Find the special agenda and ways to attend/listen in here. Please note: public comment must be made in person for this meeting.
• Wednesday 10/30 – City Council will be voting to finalize the Tenant Anti-Harassment Ordinance (see agenda item 26). The initial law, passed in 2021, did not go far enough to protect tenants or deter landlords from abusing them: despite over 13,000 complaints having been filed, just four cases resulted in (pending) fines. The current amendments to the ordinance significantly bolster protections, but some advocates say they still don’t go far enough. See ACCE’s toolkit here and join them for an 9:00 a.m. rally at City Hall. See the agenda for more on how to attend the 10:00 a.m. meeting and provide public comment.
• Wednesday 10/30 – Metro will host a groundbreaking event for advance utility relocation for the Southeast Gateway Line light rail. The festivities take place from 2-3 p.m. at 18644 Alburtis Avenue in the city of Artesia. Details at Los Cerritos News.
• Wednesday 10/30 – The L.A. City Bureau of Engineering will host a community meeting on its Los Angeles River path/greenway project from Vanalden Avenue to Balboa Boulevard. The in-person meeting will be from 6:30-7:30 p.m. at the Van Nuys Civic Center First Floor Conference Room, 6262 Van Nuys Boulevard in Van Nuys. Details at event flier.
• Thursday 10/31 – Starting at 10 a.m. the full Metro board will meet to discuss and vote on various items. Find agenda and reports at Metro board page.

• Thursday 10/31 – It’s Halloween – the most dangerous day of the year for young pedestrians, generally accompanied by lots of blame-the-pedestrian safety campaigns (and an occasional good campaign too). Please don’t drive, but if you do, be extra careful – be on the lookout for trick-or-treaters and for drunk drivers. Please be especially careful if you’re backing out of a driveway.
• Ongoing scheduled Metro service alerts – Metro is rehabilitating C (Green) Line overhead wire equipment. Metro warns riders to expect delays and occasional bus bridges between stations.
• Ongoing weekends Friday-Sunday – Metro will temporarily close the four easternmost stations on the A Line for up to four remaining weekends (11/1-3, 11/8-10, 11/15-17, and 12/6-8). Station closures start Fridays at 9 p.m. and last all day Saturday and Sunday. Stations impacted are: Duarte, Irwindale, Azusa Downtown, and APU/Citrus College. During the closure, Metro will test operating systems connected to the nearly completed extension to Pomona, opening next year. Metro will provide a free shuttle bus, Line 851, running every 10 to 20 minutes between Monrovia Station and the four closed stations, connecting with the regular A Line trains. A Line service from Monrovia to Long Beach will operate as usual. Details at The Source.
• Sunday 11/3 – In preparation for Metro LAX station opening, Metro is reconfiguring service on the C and K Lines (former Green and Crenshaw Lines). Starting this Sunday, basically the C Line will end at LAX, and the four South Bay C Line stations become K Line Stations. Details at The Source.
• Next week Tuesday 11/5 – Tuesday is Election Day. That day, Metro, Big Blue Bus, and probably other transit operators will offer free rides. Don’t wait, though – if you haven’t voted yet, stop reading and start filling in your ballot. Maybe volunteer for a campaign! Streetsblog does not endorse candidates. But if you’re looking for election information, you might try:
  • Streetsblog L.A. has just one endorsement this election: Yes on Measure A, the half-cent sales tax to address the homelessness crisis.
  • Check SBLA coverage of L.A. City Council District 14 candidates debate, West Hollywood bike lane politics, and countywide Measures A and G.
  • Find extensive election reporting at L.A. Public Press (including their guide to voter guides), LAist (including their guide to voter guides), or other outlets.
  • Consider consulting recommendations from organizations you feel aligned with. A few you might be interested in: ActiveSGV, Afro L.A., L.A. Community Action Network (LA-CAN), L.A. County Democratic Party, L.A. County Federation of Labor, L.A. County Republican Party, L.A. Forward, League of Women Voters – CA, Nick Andert’s Transit Voter Guide, Strategic Actions for a Just Economy (SAJE), Streets for All, or find other community groups you feel affinity with.

Did we miss anything? Is there something we should list on future calendars? Email joe [at] streetsblog.org