UN4LA News - November 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.
UPHEAVAL AT L.A. CITY HALL
Angry protesters crowding the LA City Council chambers, demanding the resignation of elected officials, are just the most visible sign of the upheaval caused by the release of a recorded conversation between three councilmembers and a union official. While the racist comments caught on the recording have caused the most outrage, the leaked discussion opened a window on how power is created and held in the City of LA, and the fallout will likely result in dramatic changes to the City's political landscape.
The participants were meeting to talk about the City's redistricting process, and how they could influence the outcome to preserve their own political power. This has led many to question the validity of the current district lines, and there are calls to start the redistricting process over again, this time under the supervision of a truly independent commission.
Already Council President Nury Martinez (CD 6) has resigned, which will result in a special election being held next year to fill the vacancy. Councilmember Kevin de León (CD 14) has defied calls to resign, but there seems to be growing support for a campaign to recall him. California Attorney General Rob Bonta has begun an investigation into the City’s redistricting process to determine whether the law was broken.
Racist Remarks in Leaked Audio of LA Council Members Spark Outrage, Disgust
Racist Audio Leak Has ‘Tainted’ LA’s Redistricting Maps. Now Some Want Them Scrapped
DIGITAL BILLBOARDS, DIGITAL PANELS, DIGITAL KIOSKS TO START APPEARING ACROSS L.A.
Digital Out-of-Home advertising is quickly spreading throughout the U.S. and around the world. Proponents argue that aside from connecting consumers to products, digital billboards, panels and kiosks can help people access services, support transit programs and display public service announcements. Then there's the downside. Beyond the appearance of intrusive advertising in the public right-of-way, there are serious concerns about a potential increase in distracted driving and the illegal collection of personal data. Unfortunately, both the City of LA and LA Metro have decided to ignore the risks and are working to allow a massive expansion of digital outdoor advertising.
A key step in opening the door to digital ads was the LA City Council's recent approval of an ordinance that removes restrictions on outdoor advertising included in any program that's been approved by the Board of Public Works. This revision to the LA Municipal Code will allow digital displays at bus stops under the City of LA's Sidewalk & Transit Amenities Program (STAP), and also digital billboards under LA Metro's Transportation Communication Network.
And if that isn't enough, a new proposal involves setting up a network of digital kiosks. LA City Councilmember Joe Buscaino's motion to enter into an agreement with IKE Smart City to install these kiosks was submitted on October 4, and quickly approved by the Trade, Travel, and Tourism Committee on October 25. It seems Buscaino didn't want to bother with unnecessary details like competitive bidding, public engagement or environmental review. The motion asks the City Attorney to "prepare and present an agreement within 30 days with IKE Smart City, LLC, utilizing the competitive RFP process conducted by the City of Houston, Texas, for the installation and maintenance of interactive kiosks in the City of Los Angeles."
Buscaino and co-movers John Lee and Mitch O'Farrell believe that the City of LA can just "piggyback" onto an existing contract that the City of Houston has entered into with IKE Smart City. Interestingly, the City Attorney's office responded quickly with a letter outlining some of the many problems with this truncated, opaque process.
City Attorney's Response to IKE Smart City Motion
To find out more, visit the council file on this project.
IKE Smart City LLC / Installation and Maintenance / Interactive Kiosks, Council File: 22-1154
Getting back to the City's STAP and Metro's TCN programs, UN4LA wrote about their concerns with both in a post earlier this year.
Digital Billboards and Data Collection from UN4LA Blog
The City of LA has already approved STAP. Metro recently released the Draft Environmental Impact report for the TCN program.
Transportation Communication Network Project Description
Transportation Communication Network Draft EIR
The public comment period ended on October 24. The Final EIR will likely be released next year, at which time Metro will move forward with consideration of the project.
DODGER GONDOLA DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT REPORT RELEASED
The EIR for the Los Angeles Aerial Rapid Transit (LA ART) project has been released. The project involves the construction of an aerial gondola that would connect Union Station with Dodger Stadium. LA Metro is the lead agency for the project, which has been controversial from the start. Metro originally agreed to undertake the project with LA ART, a company created by McCourt Global. Most Angelenos will remember CEO Frank McCourt, former owner of the Dodgers. However, in August LA ART donated the project to environmental non-profit Climate Resolve. LA ART will continue to fund the project, but Climate Resolve will handle the project's entitlement phase under a new subsidiary, Zero Emissions Transit.
Developer Hands Off Project to Environmental Group Partner, Retains Funding Role
There might be some cynics who see this as a way to distance the project from McCourt, who is viewed with mistrust by many Angelenos. It also might be viewed as a way to give the proposal more credibility, since it's already facing one lawsuit. The California Endowment has filed a petition for writ of mandate to overturn Metro's approval of the project. Here's a quote:
This Petition involves the determination by Metro to fast track for sole source approval, a multi-million-dollar Gondola Project proposed by ARTT (which was created by McCourt Global which is, in turn, owned by Frank McCourt, the former owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers) in direct violation of Metro’s own Unsolicited Proposals Policy. Compounding that violation, Metro’s unsupported sole source determination enabled this Project to move forward without being subject to the competitive bidding requirements necessary for all significant public transportation projects. Most importantly, all of these critical actions in matters of vital public interest, were taken administratively, without public knowledge, oversight and/or involvement—and all in direct violation of Metro’s own procurement policies.
One of the basic questions about the project is, Who's doing their math? According to the DEIR:
"When complete, the proposed Project would have a maximum capacity of approximately 5,000 people per hour per direction, and the travel time from LAUS to Dodger Stadium would be approximately seven minutes."
That's pretty impressive, but the following paragraph says:
"The proposed Project would employ a Tricable Detachable Gondola system (also known as "3S"). 3S Gondola system cabins carry approximately 30 to 40 passengers."
If we divide 5,000 by 40, the answer is 125, so the DEIR seems to be saying that the gondolas will be making 125 one-way trips every hour. If we then divide 60 minutes by 125, this means that a gondola will be leaving Union Station about every 30 seconds. Hmmm....
Metro released the DEIR on October 17. The public comment period ends at 5:00 pm on December 16, 2022. You can submit written comments using this e-mail address:
LAART@metro.net
POSITIVE VIBES FOR METRO'S K LINE ON OPENING WEEKEND
LA Metro offered free rides systemwide on October 7 to celebrate the opening of the new K Line, which serves the Crenshaw District, Leimert Park, Hyde Park and Westchester. Rider reviews were mostly positive, and many said they looked forward to 2024 when the line will be connected to LAX. The LA Wave has more details.
Riders Express Satisfaction with K Line’s Opening Weekend
