Oceanwide Graffiti, LAX People Mover likely delayed, and more

The heavy rain hitting California is not expected to let up until the end of next week. That might be good news for this year's "snow drought," but it's bad news for Metrolink and Amtrak's Pacific Surfliner, which still cannot access points south of San Clemente due to a landslide which has destabilized a hillside above the tracks. The state has responded by issuing a declaration of emergency, which opens up $10 million in new funding to address the problem.

As regular readers may recall, this is not the first time the combination of heavy rains and crumbling coastal bluffs have impacted rail service between L.A., Orange County, and San Diego - in fact, it's the fourth time in the past two years. While service has eventually been restored each time thus far by stabilizing the hillside, the long-term fix will require relocating the rail corridor inland through a tunnel. The price tag for that effort will be in the billions.

Lee & Associates LA North/Ventura announced this week that Machina Labs, billed as a "manufacturing company using next-gen AI and robotics technologies to build software-defined factories of the future," has inked a 60,300-square-foot lease for a warehouse at 20559 Prairie Street in Chatsworth. The lease is an expansion of the company's headquarters, which is already located in Chatsworth. Erica Balin and Scott Caswell of Lee & Associates represented Machina Labs in the deal.

Last year, a deal which would have seen the City of Los Angeles lease 300,000 square feet of space in the struggling Gas Company Tower in Downtown Los Angeles fell apart at the 11th hour. But actions taken this week by the L.A. City Council indicate that it's back on.

On Friday, the City Council voted to amend its lease agreement with the receiver for the 52-story tower at 555 W. 5th Street, which adds a provision for parkin accommodations at the nearby World Trade Center complex. The office space is intended to house five city departments: Community Investment for Families, the Economic Workforce Development Department, the Housing Department, the Youth Development Department, and the Office of Finance, all of which are losing their space at 1200 W. 7th Street in Westlake (L.A. Cares agreed to lease the majority of the space in the building way back in 2019).

Some have noted the irony of the Housing Department facing an eviction.

Here's what we're reading this week:

2 men arrested for vandalizing abandoned luxury apartments in Downtown Los Angeles "Police announced the arrest of two people who allegedly vandalized the unfinished Oceanwide Plaza in downtown Los Angeles Thursday....At least 27 floors of the deserted three-building project were covered with various multi-color tags.  In a tweet sent on Jan.31, the Los Angeles Police Department stated it has teamed up with the district representatives to develop a plan to secure the property. " (CBS LA)

$77M Wilmington Waterfront Promenade is a win for entire region—especially Long Beach—when it opens this weekend "The nine-acre Waterfront Promenade, opening this Saturday, is the work of design firm Sasaki Associates with landscape architecture by Studio MLA. It is one of a three-pronged green space development that began with the 30-acre Wilmington Waterfront Park and will be completed with the 13-acre Avalon Promenade and Gateway, just north of the Waterfront Promenade." (Longbeachize)

Long Beach’s Concrete Curb-Protected Bike Lanes "Concrete curbs are real protection compared to plastic bollard posts that errant drivers regularly mow down" (Streetsblog LA)

First Stretch of Rosemead Blvd Complete Street Improvements Now Open "It’s just a half mile of protected bike lane right now, but it’s slated to expand out to two miles, surrounded by a host of facilities around greater El Monte." (Streetsblog LA)

Eyes on the Street: Beverly Hills Bikeways "A trickle of new bike facilities - including one sweet protected bike lane - in recent years means that Beverly Hills is no longer a gap in the growing countywide bike network" (Streetsblog LA)

Los Angeles Creative Office Lands Government Tenant After Skims Passes on Property " Los Angeles County Signs Lease for West Adams Development" (CoStar)

Permanent Al Fresco Dining Applications Open For LA Eateries "All of the temporary authorizations, which launched under the COVID-19 emergency order in May 2020, won’t be valid after July 31, so businesses need to apply for the permanent program if they want to keep offering al fresco dining." (LAist)

Train Wreck? A Mogul’s Battle Against The Bel-Air Subway "Fred Rosen — the 80-year-old ex-CEO who turned Ticketmaster into a much-hated powerhouse — leads a group of ultra-rich Bel Air residents in a costly battle to halt a proposed metro line: 'They don’t understand who they’re dealing with. OK?'" (Hollywood Reporter)

Your guide to Los Angeles’ citizen ballot Measure HLA: Mobility plan "Street design in Los Angeles, such as adding bike paths, is often prioritized based on funding and political will. This would prioritize the plan, according to the city’s chief legislative analyst, Sharon M. Tso. She notes that the measure doesn’t deal with any environmental or public review process. And critics complain that it does not take into account community needs, relying instead on the mobility plan to determine which projects are done and when." (LA Times)

Rent Hikes Return In Most LA Apartments After City’s Nearly Four-Year Ban "As of Feb. 1, the city allows landlords to raise rents up to 6% annually in rent-controlled housing, which makes up about three-quarters of the city’s total apartment stock." (LAist)

LAX People Mover likely delayed to next year, bond agency says "The LAX Automated People Mover is now expected to be completed no sooner than April 2025, according to a report posted by Fitch Rating Service, one of three major bond rating agencies in the U.S." (KTLA)

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