Damien Newton

Last year, it seemed as though Councilmember Joe Buscaino (CD-15, South Bay and San Pedro) and Councilmember Mike Bonin (CD-11, Westside) were the only two City Council offices that were truly engaged and passionate about Mayor Garcetti's Great Streets Initiative.

Joe Linton has been a fixture in the L.A. bicycling scene for over two decades. In that time he's founded the L.A. River Ride, co-founded the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition, worked in key early leadership roles at CicLAvia and C.I.C.L.E., served on the board of directors of Friends of the L.A. River, Southern California Streets Initiative, and L.A. Eco-Village, and has worked to grow non-profits throughout the city.

It's been over seven years since I wrote the "Welcome to LA Streetsblog" post at the first non-New York Streetsblog site. A lot has changed in those seven years. After over a century of car-centric planning, the City of Angels is pedaling away from its reputation as the "car-culture capitol of the world."

The Los Feliz Neighborhood Council's (LFNC) Transportation Committee is hosting a discussion with Griffith Park Superintendent, Joe Salaices, on Tuesday, April 7, at 6:30PM at the Citibank on Hillhurst (1965 N Hillhurst Ave). We will be discussing the park's new congestion management efforts, which include the reopening of a section of Mt. Hollywood Dr. to allow for additional street parking.

Yesterday, the City of Los Angeles and plaintiffs in an American with Disabilities Act lawsuit over the pitiful condition of the city's sidewalks reached an agreement in which the city agreed to pay more than $1.3 billion over the next three decades on sidewalk repair. The agreement needs to be certified by a federal judge before it becomes law.

Amoeba welcomes back comedian, raconteur and jet-ski marathoner KURT BRAUNOHLER as he hosts the April Auction! All proceeds from the auction will go to fund LACBC's Kids Ride and Activities at the L.A. River Ride – happening Sunday, June 28th at the Autry Center in Griffith Park. Get ready to bid on concert tickets to see Interpol, Belle & Sebastian, Panda Bear + more; gift certificates to The Arclight, Trader Joe’s, Umami, Urban Outfitters + more; passes to the 13th Annual Indian Film Festival; custom “Amoeba” Converse high tops; plus autographed items, collectables and more! To get ready for this auction, let's all watch this clip of how Kurt bikes a river. More info.

A totally new walk, exploring the stairways and hillsides (along with murals and architecture) of East Los Angeles. The tentative start point will be the East Los Angeles Civic Center Metro Gold Line station; an official/updated start point will be announced April 1. This is the final practice walk before the Big Parade!

I first became aware of the Rail Users' Network (RUN) some years ago when they held their Board meeting in Los Angeles and invited local transit activists to attend and observe. While I was already a member of several rail advocacy groups including National Association of Rail Passengers and RailPAC, I found appealing RUN's broad scope, dealing with passenger rail issues both national and local, and appreciated its strong customer focus. After joining I eventually also began contributing articles to the quarterly newsletter and more recently was elected to the Board.

There's no post-CicLAvia, pre-Easter hangover for the Week in Livable Streets Events. Great Streets is ready to roll in Northridge, the City Council is ready to fix car parking signs, the Metro Board of Directors is ready to, um, hold a long and contentious meeting, and the Hammer hosts Seleta Reynolds and Janette Sadik-Khan in one night. And all that happens before a packed weekend.

From the Great Streets Tumblr:This spring, Northridge residents and Angelenos visiting Reseda Blvd will notice some upgrades coming to the street as part of the first phase of the Great Streets project.