UN4LA News - March 2023
A monthly newsletter published by United Neighborhoods for Los Angeles.
UN4LA's mission is to bring communities together to plan for a sustainable future. Growth must be shaped by community engagement, not developer dollars.
SCRAMBLE TO PROVIDE HOUSING FOR LOW-INCOME TENANTS AS SKID ROW HOUSING TRUST FOLDS
Since the early 20th century, many of LA's working poor, disabled citizens, and seniors on fixed incomes relied on single-room occupancy (SRO) hotels located in Downtown for housing. But in the decades after WWII, tens of thousands of those units were destroyed, leaving many residents no place to go but the streets. In 1989 Skid Row Housing Trust (SRHT) was formed to preserve remaining SRO hotels, and to build new afforable housing. Unfortunately, in recent years the SRHT has been dealing with mounting debt, and it’s now facing dissolution. The LA Times tells the story of the race to transfer SRHT's holdings to other affordable housing providers.
One of Skid Row’s Largest Housing Providers Faces Financial Implosion
STATE FUNDING FOR TRANSIT: SAN BERNARDINO LOSES, INGLEWOOD WINS
Supporters of the L Line (formerly Gold Line) extension to Montclair were surprised and angry to learn that the California State Transportation Authority chose to give the project nothing at all when the latest round of grants was awarded. The decision not to fund the L Line extension seemed even more puzzling in light of the fact that the Authority awarded $407 million for a 1.6-mile people-mover that would serve SoFi Stadium, the Kia Forum and the Intuit Dome. A number of observers asked why a people-mover that will take sports fans to event venues was prioritized over a light-rail extension that would have served commuters going to and from work.
LA Wins Again in the Battle for Light-Rail Dollars; Inland Cities Demand Answers
MORE TREES COMING DOWN IN L.A. AREA CITIES
As climate change continues to push temperatures higher, cities need to be aware that the urban forest is their first line of defense. A healthy tree canopy will keep communities cool, keep energy costs down, clean the air and help capture stormwater. Unfortunately, some LA area cities don't seem to have gotten the memo. The removal of dozens of trees on Robertson Blvd. brought activists to a Beverly Hills City Council meeting to protest, but the Council chose to let the removals continue.
Campaign to Save Robertson Trees Falls Short
UN4LA wrote to the Beverly Hills City Council asking that they hold off on cutting down more trees until an environmental assessment could be done. As of this writing, the Council has not responded.
Letter to the Beverly Hills City Council
UN4LA also learned that West Hollywood is planning the removal of mature trees on Ashcroft and Dorrington. We wrote to the West Hollywood City Council, again asking that they consider undertaking environmental review before going ahead.
Letter to the West Hollywood City Council
But there is some good news. Los Angeles City Councilmembers John Lee and Traci Park have put forward a motion asking City departments to investigate and report back on best practices to sidewalk repairs that would help preserve mature street trees. This is a good start, but we need to do much more. In the following open letter, UN4LA and Angelenos for Trees explain what they feel needs to be done to preserve and enhance the urban forest.
LA's Trees Are Necessary Infrastructure
THE CITY OF L.A. NEEDS A CAPITAL INFRASTRUCTURE PLAN
Ever wonder why many of the roads and sidewalks in the City of LA seem to be falling apart? Why it sometimes takes years for streetlights to be fixed? Why the City has a limited patchwork of bike lanes instead of citywide system?
All of these things fall under the heading of infrastructure, but the City of LA does not have a Capital Infrastructure Plan. Without a comprehensive inventory of what needs to be maintained, without an inclusive planning process that engages communities, and without a vision to guide us, there's little hope that the City of LA will ever be able to manage this huge task. But Investing in Place offers some concrete suggestions for how we can get started.
Keeping Our House in Order: What LA Has Done, and What’s Next
BOARD OF SUPERVISORS VOTES TO STUDY EXPANSION
Are five elected officials enough to serve 10 million people? That’s the question the LA Board of Supervisors wants to answer. In February the Board voted unanimously to hire a consultant to study changes to its structure, which could include increasing the number of Supervisors. The hope is to give citizens greater access and better representation.
LA County Supes Vote to Consider Expanding 5-Member Board
