How We Roll, March 8: there were elections

Art of Transit 1: 

Avoid those dangerous alleys in South Pas! As seen during the 626 Golden Streets event on Sunday. Click above for more pics. Photo by Steve Hymon/Metro.

Art of Transit 2: 

This photo, also from 626 Golden Streets, may not suck. In fact, I almost like it. Photo by Steve Hymon/Metro.

Garcetti is reelected (LAT)

Faced with the chance of radical change, L.A. voters stay the course (LAT)

Measure H rebounds from an early deficit (LAT)

Let’s take these in order:

•Mayor Eric Garcetti’s victory also earned him the right to remain on the Metro Board of Directors until 2022 along with three appointees of his choosing. That means the transit-friendly mayor of L.A. has four votes of the seven needed to approve most items. If Garcetti sticks around, the Crenshaw/LAX Line and Regional Connector are currently scheduled to open/meet the Giant Scissors during his second mayoral term and sod could busted on other Measure M projects such as the Airport Metro Connector station near LAX.

•Perhaps the rejection of Measure S in the city of L.A. means that voters are comfortable with the many new buildings rising around town. In days of yore, L.A. had a somewhat shakier relationship with development because of traffic concerns. Those worries are probably still there, but I’m guessing other concerns these days trump those — housing, walkability, economic investment, etc.

•Measure H will add a quarter-cent sales tax across L.A. County to help pay for homeless programs. That seems a good thing given that homelessness has been one of our region’s most pernicious and intractable issues — and has spilled over onto our transit systems. We’ll see if/when Measure H and the bond approved by city of L.A. voters in November can make a dent in that as there are other issues in play, i.e. drug addiction, mental health care, dealing with the issue in a humane way.

Metro CEO Phil Washington weighs in on federal funding, systemwide policing and more (AirTalk)

Phil fields questions, among other things, about policing on the Blue Line (there will be more of it, he says), federal funding (he’s optimistic Metro will fare well because we have local funding courtesy of Measures R & M), parking at stations (Metro is working to purchase spaces from Foothill Transit at Downtown Azusa Station) and the odds of the Purple Line ever being extended to downtown Santa Monica (there’s no funding for it in Measure M but there is money to possibly study the idea).

In Silicon Valley, Caltrain electrification is imperiled as Trump withholds funds (NYT)

The tech folks aren’t happy that funds needed for commuter rail upgrades are being delayed — and may vanish — because of Republican lawmakers concerned that the project would also benefit the state bullet train efforts, which they label a “boondoggle.” Stay tuned.

Deanne Fitzmaurice: Rosies (LENSCRATCH)

Great collection of photos of women building infrastructure — including transit and rail cars — to enjoy on International Women’s Day.

Things to watch whilst transiting: One of the Ford Mustangs used in the 1968 film “Bullitt” was recently discovered in a Mexican junk yard. If you want to see what cinematic car chases looked like before “Fast and Furious” started lobbing cars out of planes, etc., this one is pretty good. I won’t tell you how the chase ends, but let’s just say the cool cucumbers in the lead car don’t stay cool forever.

 

 

 

 

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