Latest news with #MeasureW
Los Angeles Times
08-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
Progress at the Great Park in Irvine, largest city park development in U.S.
Despite a light drizzle Tuesday, many Irvine community members spent the afternoon at the Great Park for the 2025 'State of the Great Park' event. The City of Irvine and the Great Park Board invited neighbors for a first look at the progress being made at the Great Park through immersive partner exhibits and a presentation from Great Park leadership. Great Park Board chairman Mike Carroll at the 2025 'State of the Great Park' event. 'You are the reason that Irvine leads the nation in building a city and community that we can all be proud of,' said Great Park Board chairman and Irvine City Councilmember, Mike Carroll, in an address to the crowd. 'Twenty years ago, this place was on track to be a massive international airport and 20 years ago community leaders fought back to preserve this place as a park for all of us to enjoy.' The lawn of Great Park Live resembled a carnival — a rainy one — with games, mini golf, bounce houses and food from Chick-fil-A, Wetzel's Pretzels and more. The program began with a performance by the Pacific Symphony, which makes the temporary live music venue its summer home, followed by remarks from Irvine Mayor and Great Park Board director Larry Agran and Great Park Board vice chairman and Irvine City Councilmember William Go. The ambitious public park in Irvine has been in various stages of development since Orange County voters passed Measure W, authorizing the former air station's use as a park, nature preserve and multi-use development in 2002. The park rivals New York's Central Park in size at nearly 1,347 acres and with a budget of over $1.2 billion, it is currently the largest municipal park under development in the United States. Detailed plans for several attractions coming to the park were revealed Tuesday at the event. The 2025 'State of the Great Park' event included a performance by the Pacific Symphony. The 'Heart of the Park' will feature a grand promenade with tree-top walks, a rotunda and a picnic garden. Museum pads will soon be ready for construction, building what will become 'Cultural Terrace' where guests will find Pretend City, Orange County Music and Dance and the Flying Leatherneck Aviation Museum. A trail system with new bridges and shade structures that will connect the different areas of the park called Bosque is also planned. The Great Park's retired military base past will be honored with Veterans Memorial Park and Garden, which will include the Great Park Central Library in addition to a botanical garden. The El Toro air traffic control tower will live on as an interactive museum, where residents can experience what it's like in a real air traffic control tower. Carroll also detailed the aerial transport system planned for the park known as 'Whoosh.' 'We believe aerial transportation will ease traffic and provide accessibility for people of all ages and all mobility levels,' said Carroll. 'So everybody can enjoy the Great Park from end to end.' The fully electric-powered, autonomous 'Whoosh' system will have elevated vehicles that travel on a fixed cableway and can accommodate up to 10,000 passengers per hour. A simulation of 'Whoosh' set up in the park for the event allowed families to imagine what it might look like riding the aerial transport system over the Great Park in the future. The 2025 'State of the Great Park' event included a simulation of the Whoosh aerial transport system coming to the Great Park in Irvine. 'The Great Park is a living reflection of Irvine's past and a bold investment in its future,' said Irvine Mayor Larry Agran. 'With every new addition, we're honoring our history, engaging our community and building something truly extraordinary.' The 'State of the Great Park' event follows the groundbreaking of The Canopy at Great Park, a dining and retail center by local development company Almquist that will also welcome the first SoCal T&T Supermarket. Carroll said the ongoing development of the Great Park continues the vision started back in 2002. 'We're not just building a park, we're building a legacy,' said Carroll.
CBS News
02-05-2025
- General
- CBS News
Community leaders in Boyle Heights break ground on East 6th Street Green Corridor Project construction
Community leaders in Boyle Heights celebrated the start of construction on the East 6th Street Green Corridor Project Friday morning. Los Angeles City Councilmember Ysabel Jurado, who represents the 14th District, was joined by members of the Bureau of Engineering and Sanitation and Environment to break ground on the project. Community leaders in Boyle Heights break ground on East 6th Street Green Corridor Project KCAL News The project is aimed at capturing, treating and infiltrating stormwater runoff from a 23-acre drainage area, according to Sanitation and Environment. "This project isn't just about stormwater capture; the city sees this opportunity to create urban green pathways to the iconic Hollenbeck Park, further improving this beloved community," Jurado said. The 6th Street Green Corridor Project is funded through the LA County Safe Clean Water Program, also known as Measure W, which was approved in 2018. Deputy City Engineer Alfred Mata said that when voters approved the measure, it sent a powerful message about the importance of investing in clean water to help build resilient communities. "Once completed, this project will improve the water quality of stormwater runoff before it reaches the LA River, increase the amount of green space and shade in the community, support native landscaping and biodiversity and also enhance walkability and safety for our students and families here in this community," Mata said. The proposed idea for the project includes planting new trees, bioswales and curb bump-outs at intersections along East 6th Street in Boyle Heights, the project website said.
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.
