One year ago, Congress defunded public media. Now that we're 100% community funded, please become a sustaining member or increase your existing membership today.
This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
City Council OK's Funding for Downtown Streetcar
One of two proposed routes; download full-size .PDF maps here (via goLAstreetcar)
The long-awaited Downtown Streetcar project is one step closer to reality thanks to Friday's City Council vote to approve funding for the transit endeavor, according to ABC7. Backed by AEG, who have their finger implanted mightily in the pie that is urban Los Angeles, the system would "serve a four-mile area including Bunker Hill, the Music Center, historic Broadway, L.A. Live and the L.A. Convention Center."Last summer, the streetcar project missed out on being awarded federal funding, but local advocates have been pushing hard in support of the project. In October, Los Angeles Streetcar, Inc. raised $200,000 to help sustain administrative costs for their non-profit group working to get the streetcar operational in the next five years.
Projected figures associated with the construction of the streetcar indicate an addition of 9,300 jobs and $125 million in private investment, and, once the line was running, an extra $24 million in added annual revenue from tourism and consumer spending.
One year ago, Congress voted to defund public media, eliminating a critical $1.7 million from our budget every year going forward. But they couldn’t silence us, and we’re not going anywhere. LAist is now 100% community funded and that means we’re taking our future into our own hands and turning to you to keep local reporting strong.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
