CicLAvia delayed, Metro needs money for the Olympics, and more

If you were hoping to check out CicLAvia this weekend - we have some disappointing news:

"We usually use this space to feature exciting details about CicLAvia—Historic South Central meets Watts on Sunday, June 22. However, out of care for our communities during our city’s current situation, and in collaboration with our partners, we are postponing this event. 

CicLAvia is about more than a day without cars—it is a vision of what Los Angeles can be when we put people first. CicLAvia is committed to returning to these neighborhoods in 2025, and we will share more details of the new date in the weeks to come. "

San Gabriel Valley Habitat for Humanity announced this week that it has received a $4.55 million grant to rebuild 22 homes for low-income, uninsured, or underinsured homeowners who saw their residences destroyed by the Eaton fire earlier this year. The average applicant is 72 years old, and has lived in their homes for more than three decades. The money comes from Altadena Builds Back Foundation, an initiative by the Pasadena Community Foundation. This is the largest grant ever distributed from a Pasadena Community Foundation fund.

"Due to our diligent efforts we received the first rebuilding permit in Altadena earlier this year," said SGV Habitat chief executive officer Bryan Wong in a news release. "Now with the first grant from ABBF we can provide hope to 22 households over the next 3 years. Many residents are reaching out to us trying to find options to affordably rebuild. With partners like ABBF this is possible." 

Habitat, working with L.A. County and The Foothill Catalog Foundation, has submitted pre-approved home and ADU designs to accelerate construction.

Fire survivors looking for support from SGV Habitat can apply at www.sgvhabitat.org/eatonfirerelief.

Here's what we're reading this week:

Metro scrambles to find funding for massive bus fleet that is the heart of its Olympics plans "The plan hinges on a $2-billion ask of the Trump administration to lease 2,700 buses to join Metro’s fleet of roughly 2,400, traveling on a network of designated lanes to get from venue to venue. But with roughly three years to go until opening day, the plan faces several challenges over funding and time." (LA Times)

George Lucas’ spaceship of a museum lands in L.A. with a wonderful surprise A nice preview of the new landscaped gardens that will accompany the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art when it opens in 2026 (hopefully). Buried in there (and h/t to Alissa Walker for pointing it out) is the news that plans to bury parking along the south side of Exposition Park to create new green space have been delayed until after the 2028 Summer Olympics. (LA Times)

3 immediate effects ICE sweeps and protests could be having on LA's economy "Probably the most affected area in Los Angeles is downtown, where the bulk of the protests have occurred and a curfew has been enforced." (LAist)

The number of carpool lane cheats in California is skyrocketing "But the winner is LA’s legendary 101 freeway, where Caltrans data shows 57.5% of the drivers in 2023 using the HOV lanes were violators when the data was collected." (KTLA)

L.A. bus ridership plummets amid fears of immigration arrests "...as many attempt to resume their daily routines, buses and trains have become yet another place to fear. There has been a 10% to 15% decline in bus and rail ridership since immigration enforcement activities began, according to Metro officials." (LA Times)

As ICE Continues Assault on Vulnerable Workers, Groups Launch Fundraiser to Assist Street Vendors "Empty streets and fears of being disappeared off street corners are hurting vendors' ability to stay afloat" (Streetsblog LA)

How TV City, a Major L.A. Soundstage Owner, Hopes to Weather a Filming Slump: Bring In Influencers "Owner Hackman Capital Partners has partnered with Interwoven Studios to welcome influencers into its soundstages. It's already hosted big-names like Logan Paul, Jake Shane and FaZe Clan." (Hollywood Reporter)

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