Breaking: Forest Lawn Drive Safety Poison Pill Inserted at Last Minute in State Bill
The California Legislature is in the last three days of its annual session, which ends Monday at midnight. At this point, modifications to bills come rapidly and are difficult to track. Just before 10 p.m. last night, SB 194 (a budget trailer bill) was amended to include language that could kill the City of Los Angeles’ shovel-ready Forest Lawn Drive safety project. The new bill language was introduced just two hours ahead of a midnight deadline.
The bill doesn’t go through any committees. It cannot be modified this legislative session, but goes to full senate and assembly votes as-is.
SB 194 bill language doesn’t mention Forest Lawn Drive by name, but it is nonetheless very clear and specific. It would apply to “a city with a population of 2,000,000 or more,” of which there is only one in California: Los Angeles. And it would restrict said city from “reduc[ing] the number of vehicle travel lanes on a street that provides the only access to two or more adjacent cemeteries” unless that city jumps through various hoops. The street in L.A. that meets this criteria is, of course, Forest Lawn Drive.
Many Streetsblog readers are familiar with recent disputes over the city’s planned Forest Lawn Drive safety improvements. Briefly, in 2023, the city Transportation Department (LADOT) and City Councilmember Nithya Raman announced plans to reconfigure Forest Lawn Drive, making it safer for both drivers and bicyclists. Forest Lawn and Mount Sinai cemeteries strongly opposed the project. The project was delayed, but was nonetheless ready to be installed this summer, until it was paused by Mayor Karen Bass.
SB 194 is expected to go to a vote of both houses of the state legislature late on Monday, August 31. Streets for All posted an action alert encouraging concerned people to contact state representatives to urge them oppose SB 194. Read more about the bill modifications at SFA’s blog post.
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