Los Angeles

LAPD is Looking for 5,000 Volunteers to Help Police Neighborhoods
The Los Angeles Police Department is looking to recruit 5,000 volunteers to run stake outs and "undercover surveillance," along with other police activities.

Ban on Sleeping in Cars Extended in Los Angeles
Three years ago, Los Angeles passed temporary regulations to limit where people living out of cars could park their cars to sleep. The City Council extended those restrictions in a heated hearing this week.

Moment of Zen: Watch L.A.'s New Bus Lane Outperform Car Traffic in Real Time
A pilot bus-only lane, originally intended to replace temporarily closed light rail service, has produced some big wins for transit advocates on social media.

L.A. Program Brings Earthquake Preparedness to Neighborhoods
A new Los Angeles initiative looks to neighborhood councils to lead disaster planning efforts that involve more residents.

New Price Tag for L.A's Biggest Rail Dream: $13 Billion
The Sepulveda Transit Corridor could offer tens of thousands of Los Angeles commuters an alternative to the infamously congested I-405 freeway, if local officials can find the funding.

Shuttering a Large Coal Plant: A Tale of Two States
Environmentalists in California are upset that Los Angeles will build a new 840-megawatt natural gas plant to replace a 1,800-megawatt coal plant. The coal plant has been crucial to the economic development of Millard County, Utah.

An 'Urban Orchard' Next to the Los Angeles River
The city of South Gate, located on the southern stretch of the Los Angeles River, downriver of Downtown Los Angeles, recently published an initial study of the "Urban Orchard Project."

The 'Vanlord' Providing Shelter to L.A.'s Homeless
A creative rental industry has emerged in Los Angeles as the affordable housing crisis grows.

No Quick Fixes for L.A.’s Transit Ridership Woes
One of the largest transit systems in the country continues to lose large numbers of riders. But the causes behind the drop and the solutions to stop it are hard to pinpoint.

Building Benches for Bus Stops That Need them
All over the country, sorry bus stops lack seating. Studies show that deficiency can depress ridership, some motivated citizens are looking to change that.

Feds Release Capital Investment Grants for Three Rail Transit Projects
Three major public transit projects in the western United States received a major infusion of funding from the federal government this week.

Will Appeal of Landmark Appeals Court Ruling Allow for Clearing of Tent Cities?
If the Supreme Court hears an appeal of a landmark U.S. Ninth Circuit Court case settled in April, the ruling would have widespread implications for dealing with homeless encampments throughout the West, perhaps nowhere more so than Los Angeles.

Los Angeles Clarifies and Strengthens Protections Against Source of Income Discrimination
Los Angeles officials hope a new law will cut off one of the city's pipelines to homelessness.

A Sneak Peek at the New Plan (and Zoning Code) for Downtown Los Angeles
The Los Angeles Department of City Planning has released a draft of the DTLA 2040 plan. In addition to the changes it proposes for the downtown area, it's the first community plan update to roll out the city's new zoning code.

Public Outcry Greets Plan to Connect L.A. to Pasadena via Bus Rapid Transit
Voters might have approved transit funding multiple measures by wide margins in Los Angeles County in recent years, but actual project proposals still have trouble appealing at the hyper-local level.

New Bus Rapid Transit Route Takes Shape for the San Fernando Valley
The Valley helped popularize public transit and bus rapid transit in Los Angeles, after the Orange Line achieved immediate, unexpected success last decade. Now new routes are under consideration.

'Speed' Turns 25: Planners Think About Fast Buses
In the '90s, Keanu Reeves was hurtling down the roads and freeways of L.A. in a bus; 25 years later, city officials ponder ways to bring the city’s average bus speed above 10 mph.

An Investigation of the Nation's Increasing Number of Pedestrian Fatalities
PBS New Hour takes a deep dive into the climbing number of pedestrian deaths in the United States—now at their highest level in almost three decades.

The Environmental Costs of Slow, Empty Buses
Flagging ridership on Metro buses in Los Angeles redoubles the need to speed buses up with dedicated lanes, hopefully recovering lost riders and finding some news ones along the way, too.

Understanding Cities Through Their Life Cycles
Cities go through ups and downs over time, and where a city is in its longer history can reveal the reasons behind population changes.
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