People
Streetsblog LA
Orange Line BRT Speed Improvements Caught In Inter-Agency Delays
I was hoping to write a couple of happy stories this week about the Metro Orange Line. The San Fernando Valley's highly-regarded workhorse Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) opened in 2005. Lately, a new pedestrian tunnel and faster bus speeds seemed imminent. These facilities would save time for the Orange Line's 30,000 daily riders.
December 18, 2014
L.A. Council Approves Call for Projects List with Cedillo Snub Intact
Yesterday, the Los Angeles City Council approved the list of projects [PDF] that the city plans to submit for Metro Call for Projects funding. Overall, the Call list includes a lot of great projects that reflect that many L.A. City elected officials and the city's Transportation Department (LADOT) are truly pursuing greater livability and safety.
December 17, 2014
Cedillo Insults Bikes as L.A. Gears Up for Metro 2015 Call for Projects
The Metro Call for Projects (the Call) competitively grants transportation funding to L.A. County cities to build various transportation projects. Metro's next Call for Projects will take place in 2015, with cities applying in late January, and awardees announced by mid-2015. The Call takes place every other year.
December 11, 2014
Breaking: Southwest Cities Vote to Replace Pam O’Connor with Inglewood’s James Butts on Metro Board
Earlier this morning, the "Southwest Corridor" cities voted for a new official to represent them on the Metro Board of Directors, replacing Santa Monica Councilwoman Pam O'Connor with Inglewood Mayor James Butts. The vote needs to be ratified by the City Selection Committee when it meets in January.
December 11, 2014
Editorial: Four Ways To Encourage Transit-Friendly Affordable Housing
I've been thinking about Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti's recent motion to help Metro partner on joint development of affordable housing near stations. Also, Garcetti-ally L.A. City Councilmember Mitch O'Farrell expressed support for reducing parking requirements in new affordable housing developments along transit corridors, to "help lower construction costs and therefore rents."
December 10, 2014
Kinkisharyo Agreement Reached, Metro Rail Cars To Be Built in Palmdale
In October, the L.A. Times declared Kinkisharyo's Palmdale Metro light rail car manufacturing plant "all but dead." KPCC reported that County Supervisor Mike Antonovich spoke at a rally condemning labor's legal challenges as "nonsense." County Supervisor Don Knabe opined that "regulatory red tape" had cost L.A. County jobs.
November 25, 2014
Garcetti Motion Encourages Affordable Housing At Metro Stations
Earlier today, the Metro board of directors passed a motion [PDF] encouraging Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) and affordable housing.
November 13, 2014
Garcetti, City Leaders, Promise Hundreds of Repaired Streets Every Year
Flanked by elected and appointed city officials, Mayor Eric Garcetti announced a handful of initiatives and reforms that would increase city revenue for road repaving by nearly $50 million a year at the "under reconstruction" corner of National and Barrington Boulevards in West Los Angeles.
November 12, 2014
More Housing, Less Sprawl: Tackling Los Angeles’ Affordable Housing Crisis through Smart Growth
It is no secret that Southern California is currently facing one of the worst housing crises it has faced in more than half a century.
October 31, 2014
CA Environmental Groups Grade Legislators
It's scorecard season in California. Advocacy groups are giving grades to legislators based on how they voted on bills in the last year's sessions, and releasing the scores just in time to influence next week's election.
October 31, 2014