Posted on 08/19/2024
TWO BIG THINGS: SHOWTIME IN HOLLYWOOD
HOUSING ONE OF HOLLYWOOD’S LARGEST ENCAMPMENTS
What Happened?
38 people were able to get off the streets and into hotel/motel rooms at what was previously one of Hollywood’s largest encampments after we worked with the Mayor’s office and trusted service providers on an Inside Safe this week.
These 38 people who were previously living near Hollywood and Gower will now have a safe place to stay as they wait to get connected to a permanent unit, and they will also have access to mental health/addiction treatment as part of the program.
Why it Matters
Homelessness is decreasing in Hollywood and across the city for the first time in over six years, so we need to keep investing in the solutions – like Inside Safe and building more affordable housing – that are working to reverse this crisis.
This Inside Safe location was one of the largest encampments in Hollywood, and we’ve housed three other encampments of a similar size within the past year. This work has resulted in a 38% decrease in unsheltered homelessness in District 13 last year, and we’re continuing to push this momentum forward.
What's Next?
Even with recent promising trends, we still only have about 450 shelter beds for our entire district, which is obviously home to more than 450 unhoused people. That means that we need to keep looking at more ways to open temporary and permanent affordable housing, and also ensure that all areas of the city are doing the same.
A NEW STAR IN HOLLYWOOD
What Happened?
2.1 miles of protected bike lanes officially opened on Hollywood Boulevard this Thursday!
The newly configured street design makes the streets safer and gives people more options to get around – and it protects more than just bikers:
⚠️ Excessive speeding is reduced
🚶♀️ New pedestrian crossings installed
🎨 Fresh paint improves visibility
🔜 Even more safety upgrades are still to come!
Why It Matters
These are the very FIRST parking-protected bike lanes in ALL of District 13, and they represent a huge step toward giving people more options to get around safely, whether that’s taking transit, biking, walking, or driving.
Cars killed more people last year in LA than homicides, and traffic violence is the leading cause of death for LA schoolchildren. In District 13 – where Measure HLA passed with about 80% of the vote – we are proud to build the safer city that we deserve.
What’s Next?
This is the first portion of our Access to Hollywood plan, with more improvements stretching west to Orange Drive scheduled for next year.
After that, we hope to connect the protected bike lanes through Sunset Blvd, with a vision of creating a protected network to ride safely all the way from downtown to the beach.
Two More Quick Hits!
1. Sweet Sweeping for Bike Lanes
We introduced a motion yesterday taking the first step toward increasing the frequency of protected bike lane street sweeping across the city.
The city has specialized street sweepers to clean bike lanes, but because of a lack in city staffing and resources, protected bike lanes accumulate trash and debris, rarely getting cleaned. With our motion, we're learning what resources we need not only to sweep the Hollywood Blvd bike lanes, but all protected bike lanes across the city.
2. CicLAvia THIS SUNDAY!
TOMORROW (if you’re reading this Saturday) is CicLAvia on Hollywood Blvd! If you haven’t been before, this is our favorite CicLAvia of all – with 6.6 miles of car free streets stretching from East Hollywood all the way to San Vicente Blvd in West Hollywood.
Check out the route below, and stop by to talk to us at the Walk of Fame Hub!
