Waymo hits the freeways, L.A. caps rent hikes, and more

Driverless cars are officially hitting the highway.

This week, Waymo announced that it will expand its service to freeways in the San Francisco Bay Area, Phoenix, and Los Angeles. The service will not initially be offered to all users - you'll have to sign up to try it out.

Here's what we're reading this week:

Los Angeles City Council votes 12-1 to urge Metro to halt Dodgers gondola project "The resolution signals a major roadblock for Frank McCourt, though city council approval is still needed and Mayor Bass previously supported the project." (LA Times)

LA reforms rent control for first time in 40 years, lowering rent hikes for most tenants "This is the first overhaul of the city’s rent increase formula since 1985. Tenant groups have long argued that the current rules increase costs faster than incomes for many renters, pushing some toward eviction and potential homelessness." (LAist)

The first SB 79 battle "LA has to pick which neighborhoods to let the law take effect in next July. Advocates are already drawing lines." (The Future is LA)

As a century-old oil field winds down, what’s next for Baldwin Hills? A sprawling park or housing? Complex land ownership, environmental concerns and competing community priorities make the outcome highly uncertain and likely years from resolution." (LA Times)

LAX officials vote unanimously to build new road into airport "The governing board of LAX voted unanimously Thursday to appropriate more than $1 billion to build long-planned elevated roadways officials said will separate airport-bound vehicles from local traffic." (LAist)

City Scrapes Grassroots Koreatown Crosswalks, Plans To Replace "The city will replace guerilla crosswalks with an interim traffic circle and new crosswalks. The delayed permanent traffic circle is expected to installed next year." (Streetsblog LA)

City chooses safer, people-focused redesign for Huntington Drive in El Sereno "A long-awaited vision for Huntington Drive is finally coming into focus. In the future, the busy corridor will have dedicated bus lanes, protected bike lanes, two lanes of vehicle traffic in each direction, a thin median, and wide sidewalks" (Eastsider)

South Gate opened three new parks in the last year. How did the small city do it?  "The park is called the Urban Orchard — 7 acres of renovated city-owned land sandwiched between the freeway and the river. To get there, you have to wind through industrial businesses. The din of the freeway is constant." (LAist)

Follow us on social media: 

Twitter / Facebook / LinkedIn / Threads / Instagram / Bluesky