Vermont rail line, ULA exemption on the table for the Palisades, and more

Here's what we're reading this week:

A guerrilla gardener installed a pop-up wetland in the LA River. Here's how — and why "Generally, local officials and river advocates are far ahead of Rosenberg in revitalizing the channel. In recent years, the city has built several projects under a master plan designed to resurrect some of the river's natural habitat and expand public access. But progress is slow. Legal roadblocks and budget constraints have delayed the implementation of many proposals. " (LAist)

L.A. City Fiscal Year 24-25 Bikeway Mileage Buoyed by Completed Paths "This year L.A. City added 35.6 lane-miles of new or improved bike facilities - about half of that was new bike/walk paths" (Streetsblog LA)

Orange County begins safety testing on long-awaited streetcars "When service begins, the streetcars will operate from 6 a.m. until 11 p.m. and a few hours later on weekends. OCTA expects to have 5,000 riders a day. " (CBS LA)

One California city’s idea to tackle the housing crisis: Take the stairs "Culver City apartments up to six stories tall can now be built around a single stairwell. Conditions apply: These buildings have to be on the small side — each floor maxes out at 4,000 square feet with no more than four units. They’ll also have to abide by an array of added fire-prevention measures." (CalMatters)

A $6M grant aims to rebuild an Altadena bungalow court lost to the Eaton Fire "The money will purchase a lot on Pine Street in West Altadena that had 14 rental units in a bungalow court and two duplexes before the fire. The grant covered the purchase, as well as debris cleanup. It also will fund the reconstruction, which is expected to be complete by the end of summer." (LAist)

Even a full reservoir wouldn’t have ensured water in Palisades fire, California officials say "Gov. Gavin Newsom called for an investigation. State officials determined that even if the reservoir had been full, the water system still would have been quickly overwhelmed and lost pressure." (LA Times)

Intuit keeps naming rights on Intuit Dome for 2028 Olympics "The IOC’s reversal of its ‘clean venues’ mandate opens a revenue stream for L.A. Olympic organizers trying to cover $7.1 billion in estimated costs." (LA Times)

State Transportation Chief Said to Be Impressed by Work Done on Pasadena’s 710 Vision Plan "High-level meeting signals momentum for ambitious freeway stub redevelopment project" (Pasadena Now)

Sepulveda Connects – Transportation Workshop Begins Design Options for Boulevard Upgrades "Creating the corridor in Culver City in four parts – Venice Boulevard to Washington Place,  Washington Place to Ballona Creek, Ballona Creek to Sawtelle Boulevard, and Sawtelle Boulevard to Centinela Avenue – people were asked to consider how to configure transit improvement around the freeway ramps, the shopping centers, restaurants and schools." (Culver City Crossroads)

Signs designating Sunset Junction in honor of Jackie Goldberg unveiled "Goldberg was a high school teacher in Compton when she was first elected to the LAUSD board in 1983, serving until 1991. She was the board's president from 1989-91. During her first stint on the board she helped implement bilingual education programs that became a national model and ended corporal punishment, according to the motion....Goldberg became the first openly lesbian candidate to be elected to the Los Angeles City Council in 1993. " (Eastsider)

LA committee votes to explore canceling ‘mansion tax’ for Palisades homeowners "Any final tax exemption would still need further action from the City Council and Mayor’s Office to take effect." (LAist)

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