LAX people mover bonds, Culver City brings bus/bike lanes to Sepulveda, and more

Here's what we're reading this week:

Troubled LAX people mover drops further into junk bond status as key deadline nears "The downgrade by Fitch Ratings reflects heightened concerns that the city’s airport department will default on the debt." (LA Times)

Culver City Council approves major overhaul for Sepulveda Boulevard transit corridor "Multi-million-dollar plan adds dedicated bus lanes, protected bike routes, and pedestrian safety features along a 2.3-mile stretch" (Westside Today)

What could the future of LA transit look like under Raman? "The mayor-elect views broken sidewalks and potholes as crises that can be fixed with better governance." (Planetizen)

Nithya Raman’s big Olympics promise: Reduce street homelessness by 50% "Raman's plan for addressing encampments is to move people out of motel rooms within four months and expand a program that provides unhoused individuals with rental subsidies and case management for up to two years to move people into housing more quickly...On the campaign trail, Bass’s team criticized Raman’s strategy as 'unrealistic,' saying it relied on private landlords renting to people who had been living on the street." (LAist)

Who will fill Raman’s council seat? Community groups brace for a fight "The City Council has several options to fill Mayor-elect Raman’s 4th District seat, including holding a special election, appointing an interim council member or naming a nonvoting caretaker." (LA Times)

Can Nithya Raman Break L.A.’s Development Gridlock? ‘I'm a planner first and foremost’ (Commercial Observer)

In California’s Orange County, the New Direction Is Vertical "Developers are starting to lean into density in the famously car-centric and suburban L.A. neighbor" (Commercial Observer)

CA Approves City’s SB79 Ordinance, Confirming Delay Until 2030 in 6 of 7 Transit Zones "This past Wednesday, November 4, the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) approved the City’s SB 79 Exclusion Ordinance (Ordinance No. 2861), which the City Council adopted on July 28, 2026. With the State’s approval now secured, the delay of SB 79 implementation until 2030 is confirmed for six of Santa Monica’s seven Transit Oriented Development (TOD) zones." (Santa Monica Next)

Even business-friendly Vernon is souring on data centers "Numerous surrounding jurisdictions have put moratoriums on data centers as a wave of furious opposition sweeps the nation. But Vernon has courted them, with one already operating and an additional five in the works." (LA Times)

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