CicLAvia on Oct. 12, Hawthorne Plaza, and more

CicLAvia returns on Sunday, October 12 with its 63rd event - CicLAvia—Heart of LA. Open from 9 am to 4 pm, plans call for a 7.15-mile open streets event connecting MacArthur Park, the Historic Core, Chinatown, Little Tokyo, the Arts District, East L.A., and Boyle Heights along segments of Broadway, Central Avenue, St. Louis Street, Whittier Boulevard, 1st Street, 6th Street, and 7th Street. That includes a jaunt over the Sixth Street Viaduct, where you can scope out progress on 12 acres of park space (but not any decorative lighting).

Once again, here are the rules: only people-powered vehicles allowed. That means no electric scooters, skateboards, hoverboards, unicycles, motorcycles and other non-people-powered vehicles are permitted. However, Class 1 e-bike pedal-assist is allowed, Class 2 e-bikes are allowed when throttle is powered off, and Class 3 e-bikes are allowed when pedal-assist is powered down. 

Here's what we're reading this week:

Can one of L.A.’s tallest towers survive a huge quake? L.A. County won’t tell the public what its report found "The head of the county’s Department of Public Works, Mark Pestrella, said at a public meeting this summer he expects the Gas Co. Tower, at 555 W. 5th St., would survive even the most powerful earthquake and the supervisors have said they believe it exceeds safety requirements....But there remain real questions from others about whether the skyscaper suffered undiscovered damage during the Northridge earthquake in 1994, and whether another earthquake would render the tower so damaged that it would be unusable as the headquarters for the nation’s most populous county." (LA Times)

Anaheim hotel workers will now get affordable housing help under new tax breakdown "Anaheim city leaders unanimously approved a plan to allocate some of the revenue generated from a hotel tax to affordable housing programs that will benefit workers." (LAist)

How an old Denny’s transformed into a vibrant hub for unhoused L.A. families "This is the new 4,500-square-foot Betty Bazar Community Resource Center — a recently-opened meeting space and early childhood learning center that serves residents of the Woodlands, the converted Comfort Inn, which now offers 100 transitional housing units for families, in addition to case management and meal service, thanks to funding from the state’s Project Homekey initiative." (LA Times)

A bridge too far? Vincent Thomas plans put Port of L.A. at odds with locals "Raising the bridge would allow larger cargo ships to pass under its deck, helping create jobs and keep the port relevant. It would also increase the project’s price, already projected at more than $700 million, by an additional $1.5 billion." (LA Times)

Marketing Firm Canvas Worldwide Doubles HQ Footprint in El Segundo "The agency will move from a 36K-SF space in nearby Playa Vista" (Commercial Observer)

Eyes on the Street: Culver City Robertson Improvements Under Construction "Culver City is nearly done transforming one long block of Robertson Boulevard to be a safe bike/walk/transit first/last mile connection to the Metro E Line Station" (Streetsblog LA)

LAX has fallen in global airport rankings. Will a pre-Olympics transformation help? "The Automated People Mover train, once set for a 2023 opening date, continues to get pushed back. LAWA officials now hope it will open in time for the 2026 World Cup in June, but are working on contingency plans." (LA Times)

Big Outdoor reimagining biggest digital display in downtown LA "Launching in early 2026, the 20,000-square-foot curved display will offer the highest quality LED technology allowing for 3D anamorphic creative, synchronized animations and other dynamic content capabilities, according to a press release." (Display Signage Today)

New ‘Electrolink’ Report Calls For Metrolink Improvements "Californians for Electric Rail has a new report out that supports public investment to make Metrolink train service better, faster, and more competitive with car travel" (Streetsblog LA)

The Hawthorne Plaza mall was abandoned 25 years ago. Can the city force property owners to act? "This summer, a Los Angeles County Superior Court judge ordered owners of the 900,000-square-foot property to secure the site and step up safety measures while devising a plan to either turn it into something the community can use or demolish it....In late 2016, the firm filed new development plans with the city to begin work on a $500 million overhaul. The City Council approved them, but nothing happened. So in 2018, the city canceled the plans." (LAist)

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