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Time’s up for status quo in LA’s public right of way decision making

In less than 30 days, the City of Los Angeles will begin implementing the requirements of the HLA initiative, which received voter approval. Angelenos made it clear: they want streets designed for people, not just cars.

However, there’s a significant problem: the current system for rolling out this mandate is not just flawed, it’s severely broken. Without action from the Mayor and City Council to set the course for this initiative, its implementation risks becoming chaotic, entangled in existing city power and budget struggles, and ultimately failing to serve the best interests of the 200+ neighborhoods across Los Angeles.

 

Even more troubling is the evident inequality within the current system. The implementation of HLA risks leaving underserved communities behind, failing to address their significant needs.

 

Here’s what needs to be done as a starting point:

 

Designate Budgets and Resources

  • Allocate funding to create the 5-year Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) in the FY25 Budget: The CIP must align with the implementation of the mobility plan; one cannot proceed without the other. This serves as the primary tool for establishing agreed-upon priorities, funding levels, schedules and interdepartmental coordination.
    • In addition to securing funding in the FY25 budget for the CIP, it’s imperative for the Mayor and City Council to uphold the CIP motions and requests for report-backs from the CAO’s office regarding the progress of this endeavor, as they’ve been directed to do several times. It’s crucial for the Mayor and City Council to lead this effort, rather than delegating it to the budgeting office.
  • Develop a 5-year Forecast of Locally Controlled Funding for Sidewalks and Streets: This forecast will aid in planning and long-term budgeting efforts, providing clarity and foresight for infrastructure investments. 

Coordinate Policy Oversight

  • Reschedule City Council’s Transportation Committee Meetings to Ensure Full Attendance: Over the past several months, attendance at Transportation Committee meetings has been inconsistent due to conflicts for Council members with overlapping committee responsibilities. Given the critical juncture of implementing the voter-approved measure, it’s imperative to have all policymakers able to be fully engaged.

  • Schedule Joint Transportation Committee and Public Works Committee Meetings:

    These meetings are essential as they bring together the scopes of both committees – Transportation Committee primarily overseeing LADOT and Public Works Committee overseeing all Public Works bureaus. Coordination at the policy level, set by the Council and Mayor’s office, is crucial.

    • Additionally, public meetings are vital to ensure engagement and transparency. Given the significance of the subject matter, consider increasing membership to 5 for both the Public Works and Transportation Committees, to facilitate broader involvement of Council members in substantive policy deliberations; currently, currently the committees have only 3 – 4 members.

Clarify Elements of the Mobility Plan 

  • Policymakers must establish clear guidelines and procedures for transforming the Mobility Plan map outlines into actionable project components, defining the inclusion or exclusion of features like sidewalks, access ramps, street trees, bus stops, and stormwater capture in mobility plan projects. 
  • Given the absence of a comprehensive sidewalk program in Los Angeles beyond the terms of the Willits settlement, which arose from an accessibility lawsuit initiated in 2010 and settled in 2016, it is imperative for policymakers and Angelenos to grasp the necessary steps toward developing a more comprehensive program aimed at enhancing walkability and accessibility for individuals with disabilities.

Provide Updates on the CAO’s Equity Index and the Infrastructure Equity Scorecard Pilot 

  • On a quarterly basis, sharing the CAO’s Infrastructure Equity Work will assist in prioritizing resources and locations effectively. 

These tasks represent the beginning of what will likely be a more extensive list of actions for the systems change this moment requires. The time for maintaining the status quo in decision making in LA’s public right-of-way has passed.

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Richard France assists clients with strategic planning, visioning, and community and economic development. He is a strategic planner at Estolano Advisors, where he has been involved in a variety of active transportation, transit-oriented development, climate change resiliency, and equitable economic development projects. His work in active transportation includes coordinating a study to improve bike and pedestrian access to transit oriented districts for the County of Los Angeles, and working with the Southern California Association of Governments to host tactical urbanism events throughout the region. Richard also serves as a technical assistance provider for a number of California Climate Investment programs, including the Affordable Housing Sustainable Communities, Transformative Climate Communities, and Low Carbon Transit Operations programs. He has also taught at the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs. Richard received a Bachelor of Environmental Design from the University of Colorado at Boulder, and his M.A. in Urban Planning from UCLA.

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