Nithya Raman wins, CicLAvia to Pasadena on Nov. 15, and more

Election day has come and gone, and a seismic shift seems to have occurred in Los Angeles (and nationally, of course).

Six years after shocking the City Hall establishment by unseating an incumbent member of the City Council, Nithya Raman did it again by ousting Mayor Karen Bass. Folks in my network (which understandably has a heavy concentration of people who work in or are interested in real estate, architecture, and urban planning) seem to be all over the place in terms of what this means - folks in the "landlord" camp are wary of her stance on tenant rights and her flip-flopping on Measure ULA, while the consultant class is skeptical of her ability to enact meaningful change, and the urbanist crowd cheers her planning credentials and thinks she can usher in an era of TODs and bike lanes for everyone. 

Realistically, I think Unrig LA has perfectly summed up the herculean (and potentially sisyphean) task ahead of her: "...guess what, Nithya Raman is stepping into what is one of the worst jobs in the world. Fair or not, she now owns the environment, our ongoing failures, [and] the broader burden of our dysfunctional City Hall. The whole idea Raman needs to mend fences [with] City Council is silly, but she does need to do a hell of a lot to mend fences among broader city and build a governing coalition that can get shit done [and] address the structural problems, many central to our charter, that make so many of our elected offices 'impossible jobs' no matter who it is."

Good luck to her.

Other election items of note: the various charter reform measures that were on the ballot have all passed. Among them was Amendment PL, which removes the hard cap of 13:1 FAR imposed by the City Charter, potentially paving the way for taller, denser developments with City Council approval. Proposition 45, which would have curtailed CEQA statewide, fell well short of passage amid critiques about easing the construction of data centers and sprawl. Proposition 1, which includes more than $11 billion in bonds for affordable housing for veterans, did pass. Proposition 38, which will give one of the anchor tenants of the new UCLA Research park a lot of money, also passed.

CicLAvia is back on Sunday November 15 from 9 am to 3 pm in Pasadena, with a 2.7-mile route along Colorado Boulevard and Raymond Avenue.

Once again, here are the rules: only people-powered vehicles allowed. That means no electric scooters, skateboards, hoverboards, unicycles, motorcycles and other non-people-powered vehicles are permitted. However, Class 1 e-bike pedal-assist is allowed, Class 2 e-bikes are allowed when throttle is powered off, and Class 3 e-bikes are allowed when pedal-assist is powered down. 

The California Department of Housing and Community Development has smacked the City of Los Angeles on the wrist, determining that City officials violated AB 2011 when denying plans to redevelop a portion of the Woodland Hills Country Club with 398 homes based on the claim that the property serves as a habitat for mountain lions.

"The City's determination is based on [a] report's identification of potential or context-dependent ecological functions, not evidence that mountain lions actually use or occupy the property," reads a letter to the City of Los Angeles from HCD, which concluded that the project remains eligible for AB 2011 streamlining.

Project backers contend that given multiple violations of Housing Element law by the City of Los Angeles, the City could be vulnerable to tens of millions in legal liabilities unless the decision is reversed.

Here's what we're reading this week:

Mapping the 2026 LA Election "Bass led Bel Air and Baldwin Hills. Raman led Echo Park, East Hollywood and Boyle Heights." (The Basin)

San Clemente beach fix "The California Coastal Commission voted Thursday to allow transportation authorities to build a quarter-mile-long seawall just south of San Clemente State Beach to protect the coastal railroad from rising sea levels and coastal erosion. The plan also includes a major influx of sand for local beaches." (LAist)

Eyes on the Street: BRT Station Construction for West Valley Connector "Several median station shelters have been installed along the center running segment of the project in Ontario. BRT service is expected to start in mid-2027." (Streetsblog LA)

After Years of Fighting Metro, Cerritos Now Wants a Rail Station That Could Cost $200 Million "The dramatic reversal comes after years of conflict between the city and Metro, including a lawsuit, disagreements over whether the rail line should be elevated or underground, and opposition that contributed to Cerritos being left without a station in the project’s approved plans." (Los Cerritos News)

L.A. City Measure HLA Improvements: Still Only 300 Feet, But It’s Complicated "According to official city data the only project that HLA required the city to install is a 300 foot of Reseda Boulevard bike lanes in Tarzana" (Streetsblog LA)

City seeks input on Elysian Park’s next chapter "As part of the plan’s development, the Department of Recreation and Parks is encouraging community members to take a short survey that asks where the park needs improvement. Take the survey here." (Eastsider)

Legendary downtown diner the Original Pantry reopens this month. Here’s what’s new "But like another historic downtown restaurant, Cole’s, the Original Pantry is coming back." (LA Times)

Clifton’s quietly reopens with plans to become an immersive, Meow Wolf-inspired megaspace (LA Times)

16-month Vincent Thomas Bridge closure begins this weekend in San Pedro (KTLA)

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