Recent Streetsblog LA posts about Eastside

In an effort to show how transportation, open space, planning and other issues are intertwined with the health, culture, livability and strength of a community, Streetsblog and The California Endowment teamed to bring Streetsblog’s coverage to a hyper-local level in Boyle Heights and South Los Angeles. Sahra Sulaiman is Communities Editor for Streetsblog Los Angeles and oversees work in South Los Angeles and Boyle Heights. Her work and that of our former Boyle Heights-specific writer Kris Fortin can be found here. Contact Sahra at sahra[at]streetsblog.org or on twitter: @sahrasulaiman.

Street vendors weigh the pros and cons of alternative configurations of the MacArthur Park vending district. Image courtesy of Monique López

You Can’t Plan Mexican Hot Chocolate: How Monique López Deploys a Justice Lens in Her Engagement of Street Vendors

By Sahra Sulaiman | Jun 27, 2018

Monique felt it was imperative to begin, as she always did, with the basics: How does this ecosystem work and what does it need to thrive?

Construction proceeding on the new 6th Street Viaduct. All photos by Joe Linton/Streetsblog L.A.

This post is supported by

Eyes on the Street: Sixth Street Bridge Construction Underway

By Joe Linton | May 31, 2018 | 7 Comments

Construction is proceeding on L.A.'s $482 million Sixth Street Viaduct, anticipated to open in 2019

Monique López leads a participatory design workshop with stakeholders trying to combat a freeway expansion project in San Diego. Courtesy Monique López

When an Accidental Planner Brings Intentionality to Her Work: A Conversation with Monique López of Pueblo Planning

By Sahra Sulaiman | May 25, 2018 | 3 Comments

“Once you change the city planning process," says Monique López, founder of the participatory planning and design firm Pueblo Planning, "you're going to change the city in a manner that's more equitable, that's more sustainable, that's more human, and that's more just."

The bulk of the $5 million in streetscape improvements will take place along Breed and Sheridan Streets and are intended to make it easier for students and their families to walk and bike to and from school. Source: LADOT

Ground Breaks on Improvements for Streets Around Breed, Sheridan Schools

By Sahra Sulaiman | May 23, 2018

Given that approximately 80 percent of all students live within a quarter-mile of both schools and two-thirds of all students walk or bike to class, the improvements are welcome.

S.B. 827 News: Rules Cmte Affirms Need to Address Housing Crisis; Says No to Sacramento’s Approach

By Sahra Sulaiman | Mar 23, 2018 | 24 Comments

While curbing the power of the I-got-mine-so-go-away-peasant crowd to veto growth is indeed a most urgent imperative, the fact that the zoning changes are tied to transit lines means that, here in Los Angeles, it is disproportionately lower-income communities of color that will be affected by the bill.

Officer drags Bethany Nava off the train at Westlake/MacArthur Park for not removing her foot from the seat where it was propped up. [Image: still from video taken by Brock Bryan.]

“Burn the Witch!”: Public Enthusiasm for Dragging Rude Youth from Trains Highlights Gap in Metro’s Equity Platform

By Sahra Sulaiman | Mar 8, 2018 | 103 Comments

People had been so caught up in detailing the crimes against humanity her “poopy feet” had wrought that there was very little space for reflection on the larger implications of what it was that people were cheering.

Show More Stories