Latest news with #MeasureM
Los Angeles Times
10-04-2025
- Business
- Los Angeles Times
Lawsuit filed against L.A. over lack of bike lanes, claiming Measure HLA violations
A lawsuit was filed Wednesday against the city of Los Angeles over a lack of updated bike lanes along the county's busiest bus route. The suit, filed by Streetsblog L.A. editor Joseph Linton in L.A. County Superior Court, appears to be the first lawsuit filed over a measure that voters approved last year, which demands the city implement a 2015 mobility plan. Among the requirements were new bike lanes on Vermont Avenue amid ongoing and planned improvements. Linton alleges violations of Measure HLA in the summer 2024 when the city repaved portions of Vermont Ave. without installing 'protected bike lanes and pedestrian enhancements,' and a violation over the Metro board of directors' recent decision to move forward on plans for the Vermont Transit Corridor to implement bus lanes without including new bike lanes. The measure gave residents the right to sue over alleged violations. 'It is my hope that this lawsuit will bring the city to the negotiating table and will result in street improvements that save lives, foster public health, stem climate-harming emissions, and improve the quality of life for Vermont Avenue's pedestrians, bus riders, and bicyclists,' Linton said in a statement on Streetsblog. The suit does not seek monetary payment beyond recouping legal fees. Metro's project will add dedicated bus lanes and 26 stations at 13 locations along a 12.4- mile stretch on Vermont Avenue between 120th Street and Sunset Boulevard. The route sees 38,000 daily bus boardings, according to Metro, and will especially help disadvantaged communities who rely heavily on public transit. The project is included in the Measure M expenditure plan, which allocated $425 million for construction. The plan has been at the center of debate for months. Safe streets advocates have argued that it ignores the voter mandate while the transit agency and city officials have said the measure only applies to city-led projects. Metro has argued that the addition of bike lanes would increase cost and timeline for the project, which has been under study for nearly a decade. 'Measure HLA does not apply when non-city entities, public or private, carry out their own projects in the City's streets,' city attorney Hydee Feldstein Soto wrote in a letter in November to Streets for All, the advocacy group behind the the ballot measure. The city attorney's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the lawsuit. But citing a partnership agreement between the city and Metro, Linton alleges that the city can't separate itself from Metro's plan since it will fund portions of the project, review the project and be involved in the permitting process. 'Ultimately, the city is the guarantor of HLA,' Linton's attorney Mike Gatto said. 'The city also has a relationship with Metro — a contractual relationship based on certain provisions that the Los Angeles City Council and the Metro board both approved.
CBS News
21-03-2025
- Business
- CBS News
Stockton's new partnership with Home Depot could net city nearly $1 million annually
STOCKTON – The City of Stockton is entering a new 20-year partnership with Home Depot, which could net the city nearly $1 million annually. The Port of Stockton is known for its constant hustle and bustle and it's about to get much busier. "We've been down for so long, the only direction we have is up," Stockon Mayor Christina Fugazi said. To help Stockton keep going in that upward direction is a new 20-year partnership with Home Depot and a new distribution center at the port. "This is the first time that I have seen something of this nature in the City of Stockton," Fugazi said. "What this does is businesses that might want to relocate to Stockton, might want to build in Stockton can get an incentive," Fugazi said. "It's an incentivized point of sale with Home Depot." This partnership stems from the office and industrial sales tax incentive program that was passed in 2014. On top of luring in more business with cheaper overheads and materials, it will also create hundreds of jobs. "Our city will thrive and more jobs we can bring in is a trickle-down economics of that as more money gets put back into the local economy so everybody wins," said Frank Ferral, the chief policy officer for the Greater Stockton Chamber of Commerce. And with the new center at the port, it comes with its own set of benefits. "So there isn't like the measure, a tax on it," Fugazi said. "There isn't the Measure M, Measure W, you know, all those special taxes aren't on it. So they're already saving money." This partnership has the ability to generate $500,000 to $1 million annually for the city, which will all go into the general fund. When there are unspent funds, Fugazi said it can be distributed elsewhere. "We can reallocate it, let's say, to rec programs," Fugazi said. "One of the things I want to do is have free swim days during the summer if it's 100 degrees or more." So not only will this create benefits for Home Depot but the goal is to help the entire city of Stockton keep moving up. "We're very happy and we can't wait for 2026 to come around," Ferral said. "It's a win for the public, it's a win for the city, it's a win for the businesses," Fugazi said. "It's a win for Home Depot. It's like, we're winners, winner, winner, chicken dinner." The new distribution center at the port is already under construction and will be fully operational as early as October 2026.
