Jason Islas
Recent Posts
UCLA Lewis Center Panel Tackles Anti-Development …and Measure S
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With the city of Los Angeles’ March 7 election looming, UCLA’s Lewis Center convened a panel of legal and land use experts to discuss the impact of Measure S, called the “Neighborhood Integrity Initiative” by its supporters. The measure is arguably the single-biggest decision voters will have to make in L.A. on the March 7 […]
Lack of Housing Growth Compounding Inequality, Says CA Housing Dept.
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Housing affordability in California is the worst it has been in state history according to a report from the CA Dept. of Housing and Community Development.
The affordability crisis is due to a dire housing shortage and an overall failure of CA cities to allow enough new housing growth to absorb growing demand.
Santa Monica To Open Real-Time Bike Traffic Counter on Main Street
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Santa Monica tomorrow will join the ranks of cities using real-time information to encourage biking, through installation of an automated bike counter located at Main Street just south of Colorado Avenue. The official ribbon cutting will be tomorrow-Wednesday at noon.
Eyes on the Street: Santa Monica Gets Creative with Its Crosswalks
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Last night, the City of Santa Monica painted the first of its “creative crosswalks” designed to improve both safety and fun for people walking across the street. Last night’s painting was at the intersection of Ocean and Broadway. A second installation is planned for Arizona and Second Street tonight. “Creative crosswalks can create a sense […]
Venice Opens First Official Breeze Bike Share Hub
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Los Angeles Councilmember Mike Bonin joined Santa Monica Mayor Tony Vazquez early Monday morning to officially install the first of five Breeze Bike Share hubs in Venice. The new station, which is located at 5th Street and Rose, is the first physical station of Santa Monica’s 500-bike, 80-station Breeze Bike Share system in the city […]
More Parking, Fewer Units Could Be Mar Vista Council Prescription for Venice Blvd Housing Project
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Tomorrow night, the Mar Vista Community Council will hear from the public about a proposed mixed-use housing project slated for 12444 Venice Boulevard. The proposed project would replace an existing strip mall. The proposal is for a new 85-foot tall building with 77 units (seven of which would be affordable) and about 2,100 square feet of […]
Santa Monica’s Breeze Bike Share Nears 30,000 Active Users
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Eight months after Santa Monica launched the first public bike-share program in L.A. County, the system is working. According to a report delivered to the City Council Tuesday night, Breeze Bike Share is nearing 30,000 “active subscribers” and has been used for roughly 170,000 trips since the system launched in November. “[Breeze Bike Share is […]
Open Thread: Coast, Santa Monica’s First Open Streets Event
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Santa Monica closed off two miles of streets to motor vehicles on Sunday for its first-ever open streets event, Coast. The route started at the newly-opened Downtown Santa Monica Expo line station. From there to the Pier was a designated pedestrian zone. The path continued north along Ocean Avenue to Wilshire and south along Main […]
Open Thread: Expo Phase Two Grand Opening
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The day Los Angeles transit enthusiasts have been waiting for finally arrived this morning when the 6.6 mile extension of the Expo line opened, bringing passenger rail back to the westside of L.A. County for the first time since 1953. Opening festivities continue tomorrow with celebrations at five of the seven new stations and a celebration […]
Santa Monica Really Wants to Make It Easy for You to Go Multimodal
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Santa Monica is an embarrassment of riches in many ways. That is especially true when it comes to alternatives to driving everywhere. And now, the city wants to make it as easy as possible for you to discover how you can go multimodal and take advantage of Santa Monica’s growing network of transportation options. “It […]
Touring the Soon-To-Open Metro Expo Line Phase 2
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The countdown has begun for the opening of Expo Phase 2 with just over a week left before the 6.6 mile extension of the Expo line opens to the public. Starting on Monday, various members of the media, public officials, and municipal employees, community groups, and other stakeholders began getting sneak peak rides from the Culver […]
Santa Monica’s First Open Streets Festival Set for June 5
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(There are six more open streets festivals coming up April through June 2016. See this earlier CicLAvia article for listings for Lawndale, Southeast Cities, Downey, and two San Gabriel Valley events!) Santa Monica is preparing for its first open streets event, during which a 1.7 mile route along Ocean Avenue, Main Street, and Colorado Avenue will […]