OCTA coastal resiliency, L.A.'s 20,000 vacant lots, and more

OCTA is holding two public meetings for its Coastal Rail Resiliency Study, which will develop strategies to protect the seven miles of coastal railway running between Dana Point and San Clemente to the San Diego County over the next 30 years. The completed study is to be presented to OCTA's board in Fall 2026.

If interest, here are the dates, times, and locations for the upcoming meetings. 

• In-Person Public Meeting
  Monday, Aug. 10, 2026
  5 to 6 p.m.
  San Clemente City Hall
  910 Calle Negocio
  San Clemente, CA 92673
   
• Virtual Public Meeting
  Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2026
  5 to 6 p.m.
  Webinar ID: 858 8924 9103
  Registration: https://bit.ly/CRRS-Aug11
  Call-in: (669) 900-6833

This initiative is proceeding separately from a state-led effort to find a long-term fix, which likely means moving the rail corridor to an inland tunnel. The right-of-way transports Metrolink and Amtrak trains along a crumbling coastal bluff.

Here's what we're reading this week:

Hey LA County — get paid to give your car a rest! "Building on a successful pilot in Santa Monica, Metro is expanding the One Car Challenge to all of LA County in Summer 2026. This time, we’re inviting approximately 2,000 households to participate — and for the first time, one-car households are welcome....Here’s the deal: if you agree to keep at least one household car parked at home for five weeks and explore other ways to get around, you can earn up to $600 for your household." (The Source)

LA Metro Touts 57% Reduction in Homelessness on Transit System Since 2024 "Metro officials described this year’s results as continued progress, which they say is due to the agency’s integrated public safety model, combining care-based services with coordinated law enforcement and security to improve safety." (Pasadena Now)

Burbank is more than Bob’s Big Boy. How the city found a solution to downtown doom "The city tries to keep its idiosyncratic businesses going while prospecting for newcomers. It wants to populate downtown with fun storefronts. It has a team working off of a master list of desired tenants, boosting Burbank for consideration for popular shops, restaurants and cafes. They represent the city at big shopping and real estate events to stir up interest." (LA Times)

L.A. has more than 20,000 vacant lots. They could help solve the city’s housing crisis "Small-scale, multiunit housing has been a mainstay of L.A. architecture for more than a century — from grand Spanish Colonial duplexes in places like Carthay Circle to tidy courtyard apartments and boxy mid-century “dingbat” complexes across Hollywood and the Fairfax District." (LA Times)

State pays $50M for 16-property portfolio near UCLA  "University of California system has been adding real estate around Westwood campus in recent years" (TRD)

Major international ad agency moves to El Segundo "Seoul-based Innocean will rent 100,000 square feet in a former airplane manufacturing plant that has been converted to offices and now houses well-known businesses such as L’Oréal cosmetics and Beyond, which makes plant protein meat substitutes." (LA Times)

Beverly Hills rejects microtransit program "The proposal would have established an on-demand shared transportation system operated by Via Transportation, integrating the city’s existing Dial-A-Ride program into a broader service available to residents, employees and visitors. Riders would have been able to travel throughout Beverly Hills, to Metro’s D Line stations along Wilshire Boulevard and to the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center area." (Beverly Press)

New park under neglected 6th Street Bridge stirs up hope, Boyle Heights gentrification fears "The 12-acre Sixth Street PARC aims to connect the Arts District and Boyle Heights, but questions over funding, security and long-term stewardship threaten to repeat the bridge’s rapid decline." (LA Times)

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