UN4LA News - December 2022
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.
L.A. METRO AND CITY OF L.A. FACE PUSHBACK ON DIGITAL AD PLANS
Angelenos could see a rapid expansion of digital advertising in public spaces in the near future. Both the LA Metro Board and the City of LA have been working on plans that involve the installation of digital billboards, digital displays and digital kiosks throughout the city and county.
LA Metro’s Transportation Communication Network (TCN) involves the installation of 56 digital billboards throughout LA County. Through a surprisingly opaque process, the program has essentially been approved by the LA Metro Board, though the Environmental Impact Report was only recently completed. The Board was set to grant final approval at their December meeting, but public outcry may have been a factor in their decision to reschedule the item for January 27.
Metro’s TCN Program is just the beginning. Recently the City of LA removed restrictions on advertising in the public right-of-way, opening the door to the unrestricted installation of digital billboards, displays, kiosks, etc.. Neither the County nor the City have made any serious effort to assess how this could affect roadway safety due to distracted driving. Privacy is also an issue, as digital out-of-home (DOOH) advertising relies on collecting cell phone data from people in public spaces.
The City of LA was poised to approve the installation of digital kiosks earlier this year, but they’ve also decided to slow things down a bit. The LA City Council’s Public Works Committee considered approval of a contract with IKE Smart City at their November 9 meeting. The original motion had proposed a streamlined approval process that would have avoided an open bidding process and environmental review. However, numerous commenters wrote to voice their opposition, and the City Attorney’s office submitted a memo outlining concerns with the plan. The Public Works Committee chose to defer approval of the program until it had been reviewed by the City Attorney and city departments.
IKE Motion, from Public Works Committee, November 9
PROPOSED WILDLIFE ORDINANCE FALLS SHORT OF PROMISE
How does wildlife survive in a city that’s notorious for the fact that it’s covered in asphalt and concrete? As development eats up more and more of our green space, what’s going to happen to the mammals, birds and reptiles that used to roam the landscape freely?
In 2016 the Department of City Planning began exploring the possibility of creating an ordinance that would support conservation and maintain wildlife connectivity. Environmental groups cheered when the draft version of the Wildlife Ordinance was presented earlier this year. But after property owners and real estate interests complained loudly that the Ordinance might hurt their investments, City Planning released a revised version that gutted important protections.
In November the Center for Biological Diversity, Citizens for Los Angeles Wildlife and others submitted a letter outlining the amendments they believe are necessary for the Ordinance to be meaningful. You can read their letter here.
Letter from CBD, CLAW, Sierra Club CA, Et Al
The City Planning Commission will consider the Ordinance at its December 8 meeting. You can expect a heated exchange during public comment.
City Planning Commission Agenda, December 8, 8:30 AM
CAN THE L.A. CITY COUNCIL REFORM ITSELF?
Can the LA City Council reform itself? Many people are skeptical. The Council has been battered for years by ethics scandals. The appearance of the now infamous leaked recording in October has pretty much reduced its credibility to zero. So in late October the Council voted to create an ad hoc committee on city government reform. In November it was announced that the committee would be made up of Councilmembers Paul Krekorian (Chair), Nithya Raman (Vice Chair), Bob Blumenfield, Marqueece Harris-Dawson and Heather Hutt. The committee will consider the establishment of an independent redistricting commission, expanding the size of the council, and changes to the project approval process to limit abuse.
The only Councilmember to vote against the creation of the committee was Monica Rodriguez, who questioned whether the Council had the credibility to reform itself. She has a point. It’s worth remembering that after Jose Huizar was arrested in June 2022, other councilmembers put forward numerous motions that were supposed to address corruption. None of them were ever adopted. We can see another example of the Council’s resistance to change in the Ethics Commission’s proposed updates to the Municipal Lobbying Ordinance. In May of this year the Commission submitted its proposed revisions to the Council Committee on Rules, Elections, and Intergovernmental Relations, with the aim of closing loopholes and increasing transparency. Over 30 neighborhood councils have submitted Community Impact Statements in favor of adopting the changes. But it’s been almost seven months since the updates were submitted, and the Committee has not yet put it on the agenda. Who chairs the Committee? Paul Krekorian.
CF 22-0560
Municipal Lobbying Ordinance / Updates
Will the ad hoc committee actually bring about real change? Or will it turn out to be one more meaningless gesture by an elected body that’s incapable of reforming itself?
CF 22-1197
LA City Council President Krekorian to Chair Committee on Corruption Reform
L.A. CITY COUNCIL GRANTS GENEROUS RAISES FOR D.W.P. EMPLOYEES
Demonstrating once again its distaste for transparency, in November the LA City Council approved generous salary increases for DWP employees without holding a public hearing to receive comments from ratepayers. This is basically a repeat of what happened in 2017, when the Council also approved DWP pay increases with no public hearing. Could this have something to do with the fact that Local 18 of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers has showered local politicians with generous campaign contributions? In this column Steve Lopez vents his frustration over our elected officials’ rush to accede to union demands.
At DWP, the Pay Is Good, the Benefits Are Better and the Deals Keep Getting Sweeter
With new public officials coming on board as a result of the recent elections, can we expect a change in the way the City of LA negotiates with the DWP next time around? Not likely. In the mayor’s race alone, two IBEW affiliated entities gave a total of $600,000 to Working Californians to Support Karen Bass for Mayor 2022. It seems unlikely that Bass will be any tougher than Garcetti was when it comes to raising DWP salaries.
CITY OF L.A.’S COVID TENANT PROTECTIONS TO END IN JANUARY
Tenant groups have been advocating for a further extension of COVID protections for renters, but so far the LA City Council is sticking to the January 31 expiration date. The Council’s Housing Committee recently voted against an extension, but discussed enacting new measures to protect tenants in other ways, including: a “just cause” eviction requirement; relocation payments for tenants who are forced to move due to rent hikes; new thresholds for eviction due to non-payment of rent. This story from LAist has more details on the debate.
Pressure Mounts to Extend COVID Eviction Protections, But So Far, LA Council Doesn’t Budge
