D Line subway extension delayed to 2026, Redondo Beach housing element struck down, and more

Los Angeles County Supervisor Hilda Solis announced the start of this week on the Pellissier Village Trailhead, which will serve as a new equestrian entrance to the San Gabriel River. Located at the eastern bank of the San Gabriel River near San Jose Creek and the Rio Hondo, the trailhead will provide access to the Schabarum-Skyline Trail, Blackwell Arena, and the Whittier Narrows Recreation Area Equestrian Center. 

Completion is expected in 2026.

Genesis, Hyundai's luxury brand, has opened a new design studio in El Segundo, the City announced this week. 

The 80,000-square-foot complex, located in Continental Park along Rosecrans Avenue, will house 45 designers, modelers, and digital artists.

Earlier this month, the Port of Long Beach was awarded $20 million in state funding to support Pier Wind, a planned 400-acre complex where floating offshore wind turbines would be assembled and deployed. The money will be matched with $11 million in local funding. 

The overall project is expected to cost $4.7 billion, but emerges at a time at which the Trump administration has slashed funding for renewable energy projects. Nonetheless, state officials continue to push forward with plans to generate 25 gigawatts of floating offshore wind energy by 2045.

Here's what we're reading this week: 

Metro To Open D Line Subway Extension By March 2026 "The 4-mile Metro D Line Extension Section 1 will extend from Wilshire/Western in Koreatown to La Cienega/Wilshire in Beverly Hills" (Streetsblog LA)

SB 79 just legalized 1.5 million new homes near transit in the City of LA "It will immediately zone for 448,260 new units when SB 79 goes into effect July 1, 2026, and upzone for at least another 1,007,890 units of housing during RHNA Cycle 7 in 2031" (Streets For All)

California Court Strikes Down Redondo Beach’s Housing Element Plan "The decision, now binding precedent statewide, is expected to have far-reaching consequences. Dozens of California cities have relied on similar overlay strategies to meet their RHNA obligations, leaving commercial or industrial parcels zoned for 100 percent nonresidential use while adding 'housing overlays' on top." (Davis Vanguard)

DOJ accuses real estate executives of fraud in homeless funding "Federal prosecutors charged two real estate executives with defrauding California’s Homekey program, allegedly misappropriating millions meant for homeless housing." (LA Times)

LA's official homeless tally increasingly undercounts people on the streets, RAND study finds "City officials have celebrated two consecutive years of declining homelessness, reporting a drop of approximately 2,300 unsheltered people this year....If the pattern RAND researchers observed holds across Los Angeles, up to 7,900 people and dwellings may be missing from the city's most recent count, according to the report." (LAist)

Huntington and Fremont to get Complete Street Redesigns in South Pasadena "Early concepts portray lush, green streets - with pedestrian, bike, and bus facilities." (Streetsblog LA)

LA Mayor Karen Bass lays out her vision for 2028 LA Olympics "In an executive directive, Bass directed city officials to focus on mobility and transit, city services and streamlining bureaucratic processes like permitting for Olympics-related projects." (LAist)

The most dangerous intersections in Los Angeles "Over the past decade, the city's streets have become significantly more lethal" (Crosstown LA)

California made it through another summer without a Flex Alert. Thank batteries, experts say "California hasn’t issued an emergency plea for the public to conserve energy, known as a Flex Alert, since 2022." (LA Times)

L.A. Union Station Run-Through Tracks Complicated By Vernon Challenge "Much needed improvements now face potential cost increases and delays over a planned relocation of a short stretch of private rail storage tracks" (Streetsblog LA)

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