The Brief

The Los Angeles Department of Transportation has a new general manager.

Laura Rubio-Cornejo, who previously served as Pasadena's transportation director, will oversee 52 transportation services and projects, including the Vision Zero initiative that aims to reduce traffic related deaths.

Susanne Whatley, who hosts LAist 89.3's a.m. news show Morning Edition, spoke with Rubio-Cornejo about what's ahead for transportation in Los Angeles. This conversation has been edited for length and clarity.

Top priorities

LAist: Talk about your top priorities as L.A.'s new transportation general manager.

Rubio-Cornejo: My top priority would be ensuring that our streets are safe for all Angelenos, but particularly for the most vulnerable amongst us. Ensuring that whether you're a child, you're an elderly person, that you can walk out your front door and that is safe, and that is inviting.

LAist: And that's quite a challenge for a city that was pretty much constructed, at least in modern times, on the automobile. Back in 2015 is when the city approved Vision Zero, and it was called a commitment to eliminate traffic deaths by the year 2025. And yet we're seeing the numbers actually increased since then. It's up, my understanding is, nearly 70% percent in this past year compared to when Vision Zero was adopted. Talk about what's behind this increase and how you plan to make L.A. streets safer.

RC: The trend is one that we're seeing not just in Los Angeles, not just statewide, but nationwide. And it's a very disturbing trend that despite efforts to make our streets safer, despite ongoing infrastructure that LADOT and the City of Los Angeles has been implementing, we continue to see an increase in fatalities, particularly amongst pedestrians. But what we know is that where there is safe street infrastructure — it is effective. And so this isn't a time to scale back. This isn't a time to throw our hands up and say this isn't working. We know it is working. And so we need to continue to address safe streets.

We need to continue to implement safe street infrastructure and we need to do that one street at a time, one community at a time.

What it will take to make streets safer

LAist: What specific steps do make a difference in making the streets safer?

RC: When we have streets that acknowledge that they're intended to be for all modes. We have a very good example with Avalon Boulevard, where we were able to reallocate road space and make that a multimodal street. We saw a reduction in speeds there. We saw pedestrian amenities be more inviting for that mode. And so that's just one example. Bicycle infrastructure isn't just about allocating road space for the bicyclist. It's about also traffic calming. It's about providing some additional protections for the pedestrian. And really, when we plan our streets, when we design them, in consideration that the streets really are intended to be shared. By all modes, that really makes the greatest impact.

Where does Vision Zero stand?

Map of L.A.'s High-Injury Network (HIN). Just 6% of city streets account for 70% of deaths and severe injuries for people walking.

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Courtesy City of L.A.

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LAist: On the city's Vision Zero website, the most recent progress report was from about six years ago in 2017, just a couple years into the program. When do you anticipate another update for the public on where things are with the Vision Zero goal?

RC: We just provided an update to our city council this last summer. We do anticipate a more comprehensive update report coming out of the city's CAO office in a couple of months, if not sooner. And so that will really be a full view of the program, its effectiveness, and some recommendations on how to proceed.

How to get involved

LAist: If people in L.A. want to get involved in supporting Vision Zero, how can they do that?

RC: They can participate, be active participants when we do have meetings. They can coordinate with our community engagement team here with LADOT. They can work directly with their council offices. I would say the best way is when we do have a project and we have a community meeting, attend speak out, share with us what your concerns are, your preferences. That's what we're there to gather. Making sure that whatever infrastructure we move forward with, really reflects the priorities of that community.

What's next for transportation is L.A.?

LAist: Moving ahead, what have been the biggest changes involving transportation in Los Angeles in recent years, and are there any major projects that you'd like to highlight for our listeners?

RC: You know, we've had the ability to implement over 20 miles of bus only lanes. We're really excited about our Safe Routes to School programs where we're advancing safety at the nearby schools. Those are just two of the ways that we're really working on advancing safety at a more local level.

LAist: Governor Newsom just signed hundreds of bills into law over the past month or so after the end of the legislative session. And I'm wondering if there are any new laws Angeleno's in particular should keep in mind when it comes to driving or street safety or just transportation in general.

RC: One in particular that the City of Los Angeles really participated in advancing to the governor's desk is AB645 sponsored by Assemblymember Friedman that allows for us to be able to detect speeding and enforcement of speeding. And so that's one that we'll be working really closely over the next several years with our fellow departments on implementing and reporting back out to the state on its effectiveness.

LAist: Is that the speed camera law?

RC: It is. And I think what's really important about that law is it allows us to enforce speeds in a way that's consistent, in a way that is accountable. So really looking forward to having that implemented.

LAist: And that encompasses city of Los Angeles, Long Beach, and Glendale, where Laura Friedman is from, in addition to three cities up north. How long is this going to be a pilot program and what method is going to be used to evaluate whether that works or not?

RC: I believe we have to report back a couple of years into the program being in effect. Five years or so is my understanding. There are a couple of metrics we have to report back on to the state, and so we'll be making sure that we're tracking that in house and reporting out to the state as well as to our fellow cities, working with our other cities that are part of that legislation to ensure that the application is consistent across the board.

LAist: Anything else that you'd like to add?

RC: I would just like to reinforce the department's commitment to safe streets. It is really important that individuals at Angelenos, whether you're a resident, you're visiting, that you feel safe walking down our streets, that you be mindful as you're driving that we are sharing the same road space. There's a strong commitment here to make sure that the streets really do reflect that they are intended to be for people.

At least seven wildfires burning around Southern California are sending smoke across the region. The South Coast Air Quality Management District has extended a smoke advisory warning of unhealthy air through 4:30 p.m. Wednesday.

What does a smoke advisory mean?

Local health officials send out warnings when the air quality is unhealthy. The advisories encourage people to avoid outdoor activities and take other steps to limit contact with smoky air.

Where are the wildfires?

Wildfires are burning in Ventura, San Diego, Riverside, Santa Barbara and L.A. counties. You can keep tabs on the fires on the CalFire website.

How bad is the air?

Wildfire smoke is generally worse for your health than the kind of “garden variety urban pollution” Angelenos are used to, said Suzanne Paulson, an atmospheric chemist at UCLA. But air quality depends on where you live, and might change from hour to hour. The good news is that low-cost air quality sensors have made it easier to find out just how bad the air is in your neck of the woods. You can check PurpleAir, Clarity, and IQAir for real-time data on pollution levels, often down to the neighborhood level.

How to avoid breathing bad air

Staying indoors in the best way to avoid bad air pollution, Paulson said. You can also try to avoid the worst areas. “So for example, I ride my bike to work. I regularly look at the map and see if the air quality is OK, and sometimes I even change my route,” Paulson said.

The city of Santa Ana is just $85 short of closing what started as a $13 million budget deficit. On the chopping block: after-school programming, park maintenance and more.

The city manager’s office presented another round of cuts to balance the budget at yesterday’s City Council meeting. Officials reported that the current proposal avoids layoffs and furloughs. Most of the cuts will come from the Public Works Department at more than $3 million.

Santa Ana's current budget proposal includes an estimated $85 deficit for the upcoming fiscal year.

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Courtesy of the city of Santa Ana

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More on what’s being cut 

The Police Department is seeing a proposed $2 million in cuts, but could still be allocated $4 million more than last year, according to the budget draft.

The city is looking to cut 20 vacant full-time positions and reduce part-time spending.

Five non-mandated commissions will also be dissolved, including the youth, parks and recreation, and arts and culture commissions. The move will save the city nearly $28,000.

Ambulance services will be cut down from a 24-hour unit to a 12-hour unit, saving $250,000, and fees will increase.

How did we get here? 

At a City Council meeting earlier this month, officials reported that the city’s revenue increased by 3% compared to last year, but spending is up 6%, with hikes in labor and pension/liability costs.

What’s the deal with youth programming? 

The Santa Ana Police Athletic and Activity League, also known as PAAL, costs the city more than $877,000, about 80% of which goes toward salaries for its current fiscal budget.

PAAL costs the city about $5,400 per child, compared to youth programs run by the Parks and Recreation Department, which cost about $100 per kid.

PAAL’s after-school and summer programs serve 87 children, and more than 200 are mentored and coached through its sports programming. The program’s budget will be slashed by about half.

Councilmember Johnathan Ryan Hernandez said this move should not be seen as a cut to youth services.

“Through this new proposed recommendation, we’ll reinstate exercise instruction at four different elementary schools, and we will increase the services from 228 children to 2,200 children,” Hernandez said. “We are not cutting youth services, we're actually adding youth services while saving money for our city.”

Mayor Valerie Amezcua said the library and parks departments can do the same programs, but not the way PAAL does.

“I just want to make sure whatever cuts we're making, that we continue to include our Police Department. To me, that's very important for the public trust,” Amezcua said.

What’s next? 

The city isn’t completely in the clear when it comes to its finances. Measure X, a voter-approved sales tax, will be reduced in 2029, resulting in the loss of at least $30 million in annual revenue before completely expiring in 2039. The City Council, aside from Councilmembers David Penaloza and Jessie Lopez, has supported asking voters if the tax should be made permanent.

A public hearing to review the drafted budget will be held on June 2. Details will be posted on the city’s website.

At least 20 detainees have launched a hunger strike at Desert View Annex, an immigrant detention center in Adelanto, California, where about 400 people are being held.

At a news conference Wednesday, immigrant rights groups, including the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights, said the strikers were motivated by the detention center’s inadequate response to life-threatening health conditions among detainees, “decreasing portions of food” as commissary prices rise and “retaliation and suppression” against those who’ve spoken out against conditions inside. The media event included family members and legal representatives, who described hearing from detainees about how the hunger strike began.

The strike follows the recent release of a critical report from the California Department of Justice. Grounded in interviews with 194 detainees across the state, the report details how the surge in immigrant apprehensions strained conditions and access to medical care at all of the facilities operating in California. State investigators also described the recent deaths of multiple detainees.

The annex strikers’ demands include:

• bond reform
• remediation of mold, repair of water infrastructure, clean water and functioning facilities
• timely medical appointments, “appropriate treatment for chronic conditions” and “substantive mental health support”
• “a diet that sustains basic physical health”
• accountability for detainee deaths, including a man who died shortly after being released 
• “The ability to meet collectively, speak with outside advocates, and communicate with family and the public without interference or retaliation.”

Desert View Annex is operated by The GEO Group, a private prison company, under contract with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. No one at the press conference could confirm whether any detainees at the main Adelanto detention facility were on a hunger strike, too.

What is the response from authorities?

In response to a request for comment, The GEO Group referred LAist to the federal government. In an emailed statement, an unnamed Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said: “There is no hunger strike at Adelanto.”

The department also added: “For the record: During hunger strikes, ICE continues to provide three meals a day, delivered to the detained alien’s room, and an adequate supply of drinking water or other beverages.”

The department also said: “It is a longstanding practice to provide comprehensive medical care from the moment an alien enters ICE custody. This includes medical, dental, and mental health services as available, and access to medical appointments and 24-hour emergency care. For many illegal aliens this is the best healthcare they have received their entire lives.”

What do detainees experience?

Caleb Soto, an attorney with the National Day Labor Organizing Network, represents people currently detained at the Adelanto detention center. He said he goes inside the facility every week.

“I watch [detainees] deteriorate week by week,” he said. “The food they're given ... provides almost no nutrition. Medical appointments can take weeks or even months to be approved, and often last 60 seconds ending with the prescription of Tylenol, Advil or even a salt packet. People with serious conditions go untreated, and I've watched people age in front of me in a matter of months.”

Soto also described his experience with the bond system. “Discretionary releases have fallen 87%,” he said. “And for those who do get a bond hearing, the average bond is now over $14,000, which is a stark increase from the previous administration.”

Detainees have filed grievances, raised formal complaints and written officials about the conditions they’re experiencing, Soto added. “A hunger strike is not a first resort," he said. "It's what people do when every other option has been taken from them.”

Detainees say staff use solitary confinement to retaliate against those who speak out against these conditions, and to isolate detainees who are experiencing mental health crises.

Earlier this year, a coalition of immigrant rights groups filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of detainees, calling for conditions at Adelanto to be improved. The coalition has since requested an emergency court order to prevent further harm. A hearing is scheduled for July 10.