Damien Newton
Recent Posts
The Invisible Cyclists: Immigrants and the Bike Community
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Last week, GOOD Magazine examined the role that the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition’s City of Lights program has taken in giving voice to the overlooked and under-represented bicyclists in Los Angeles County. A program that started by handing out lights to immigrant cyclists and has become a national model for bicycle advocacy by focusing […]
New Year, New Laws: Slew of New Rules Aim to Make Streets Safer
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Yesterday, we discussed how a change in the threshold for a crime to be considered “Grand Theft” could impact cyclists who find their bikes stolen. Today, we’ll look at how a series of new laws could make our streets safer and more sustainable. The biggest change is that local traffic officers now ticket scofflaw drivers for violating […]
New Year, New Laws: Less Bike Thefts Now Considered “Grand Theft”
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When the clock struck midnight on Saturday morning, it didn’t just usher in a new year, but it also ushered in a new set of laws that will effect the way we move around our streets. Some of the new laws concern new motorcycle licensing, while others concern higher tickets for traffic violators. However, one […]
CicLAvia, Let’s Go!
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For Angelenos, Sunday was a day that we’ll never forget. Our first Open Streets party was an unparalleled success. So much so that even the critics of the concept grudgingly came on board when it was obvious that they missed the boat on supporting and experiencing a groundbreaking day. The Los Angeles Times estimates that […]
CicLAvia: 100,000 Cyclists, Zero Incidents, Millions of Stories
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The numbers for yesterday’s CicLAvia are impressive. KABC News says that there were 50,000 people riding the streets of Los Angeles along a 7.5 mile stretch of streets that were open to public use, but closed to automobiles. The Los Angeles Times puts that number closer to 100,00 people. Anecdotally, the Coke truck ran out […]
Why Isn’t Proposition 22 a Slam Dunk with Voters?
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I thought voters would find a “yes” vote for Proposition 22 to be an easy decision. The proposition would end Sacramento’s ability to decide that it’s in a crisis and needs to raid taxes dedicated to transit funding (as well as other local public services, such as the police and fire departments) leading to the […]
Opponents of Clean Air Having Trouble Gaining Traction for Prop 23
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No political battle in the upcoming November election is as easy to sloganeer as the battle over Proposition 23, a measure that would suspend the state’s landmark global warming law, AB 32. Depending on your point of view, the measure is either about “jobs over the environment” or “Texas Oil Companies Meddling in California.” Across […]
LA Mayor Villagairosa Hosts First Bike Summit
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Former Mayor Richard Riordan presents training wheels to the wounded Mayor. For more pics from the conference, visist Gary Rides Bikes’ Flickr Page Despite the Monday 9am hour and the picture perfect weather, a standing-room only crowd assembled in the Metro Board Room for city of Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa’s first Bike Summit. Alongside Mayor Villaraigosa […]
Now That It’s Brown v Whitman, Let’s Talk Transportation
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Image: Politico It’s official. It’s Jerry Brown versus Meg Whitman for Governor of California. While we can expect a vigorous campaign between now and the election in November, neither candidate has staked out solid ground on transportation issues. For Brown, there’s a track record going back decades, but for Whitman all we know about her […]
Move to Delay California’s Greenhouse Gas Law Gaining Steam
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Republican Gubernatorial candidates are only debating how best to delay the implementation of A.B. 32 Proponents of clean energy and environmental laws designed to reduce greenhouse gases had best not take the challenge to California’s AB 32 too lightly. Backers of a ballot initiative that would "delay" implementation of the law until the state’s unemployment […]
Sadik-Khan Packs the House in LA, Then Brings It Down
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Thanks to Clarence Eckerson for this Streetfilms Shortie. The L.A. StreetSummit kicked off last night with a rousing keynote address and slide show by the groundbreaking New York City DOT Commissioner Janette Sadik-Kahn. Three levels of an Occidental College auditorium were packed with students, bike advocates from around the county, and others interested in Livable […]
Texas Oil Companies Fund Measure to Repeal CA Climate Law
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Air pollution over the Inland Empire. Photo: DanDC/Flickr (Editor’s note: This is the first of two stories by Streetsblog LA Editor Damien Newton on efforts to delay implementation of California’s groundbreaking climate legislation.) In 2006, the California Legislature passed, and Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed, Assembly Bill 32 (AB 32), a landmark law that requires the […]