What You Need To Know Today: Requesting Speed Humps On Your Street, LAPD Mental Health Calls, A Walk Through Ascot Hills

Good morning, L.A. It’s Friday, September 30.  

Today in How To LA: What you need to know to request a speed hump to slow traffic in your neighborhood; plus LeBron James is buying a pro pickleball team. Who knew that was even a thing?  

Unfortunately for me, I’ve seen a lot of car crashes in my life. I’ve also had several family members in Los Angeles who have lost their lives because of collisions on the road. The truth of the matter is, L.A.’s streets are pretty dangerous. In fact, last year was the deadliest year for collisions in nearly two decades. 

I am sure you, too, wish people would slow down, especially on the streets where you live and where kids play. So what’s a solution for this?

Speed humps are one. They can force vehicles to slow down, reducing the chance of a severe or fatal collision.

And guess what? L.A.’s Department of Transportation just announced they are taking applications again for speed humps in qualified neighborhoods starting at 9 a.m. on Thursday, Oct. 6. That’s next week!

Here’s what L.A.’s Department of Transportation Interim General Manager Connie Llanos said about it:

My colleague Ryan Fonseca’s latest story has all the info you need to request a speed hump in your neighborhood, including guidelines about which residential streets qualify. But, he writes, you better act fast if you want one — there’s a cap on how many applications the city will accept.

As always, stay happy and healthy, folks. There’s more news below — just keep reading.

The News You Need After You Stop Hitting Snooze

*At LAist we will always bring you the news freely, but occasionally we do include links to other publications that may be behind a paywall. Thank you for understanding! 

• The Los Angeles Police Department’s Mental Evaluation Unit (MEU) teams are falling short when it comes to responding to the mental health calls they’ve received. They’re getting more calls than the department can handle. 
• A candlelit vigil was held in West Hollywood Thursday night in honor of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian woman who witnesses say was beaten by police after she was arrested for not wearing her headscarf correctly. Her death has triggered ongoing protests in Iran and around the world over the oppression of women. 
• The L.A. County Department of Public Health expanded eligibility requirements for who can get the monkeypox vaccine. 
• Gov. Gavin Newsom finally agreed to sign a farmworker labor bill after facing pressure from President Joe Biden and labor union leaders. It allows farmworkers to more easily form unions.  
• How truthful are those obscure ads you’ve seen lately on TV, websites and billboards about legalizing sports betting? Well, CalMatters has what you need to know about those ads and the two propositions on which they’re focused. 
• The U.S. Department of Education has quietly changed its guidance on who qualifies for the Biden Administration’s student loan forgiveness plan.
• Did you know there’s a Major League Pickleball organization? Yeah, me neither. I might just try it out now that Los Angeles Lakers superstar Lebron James is buying a pickleball team. 
• It’s finally Halloween season. If you’re game to having an absolutely terrifying, haunting, spooky time, check out the Nights of Jack and Urban Death Tour of Terror all throughout October and Beyond Fest 2022 through Oct. 11. Check out the whole weekend list of events here.

Wait! One More Thing...Take A Walk In Ascot Hills

Maria Patiño Gutierrez poses with her now husband while on a date at Ascot Hills Park in 2010

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Ascot Hills

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Courtesy Maria Patiño Gutierrez

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I think we have established the fact that you love being outside and I love being outside. That’s why we regularly tip you off to a nice place to spend time in L.A.’s great outdoors. This week we bring you the calming nature of Ascot Hills Park, courtesy of LAist reader Maria Patiño Gutierrez.

Smack in between the 110 and 5 Freeways near El Sereno, Ascot Hills has hiking trails, critters and great views of Downtown L.A. Though right in the middle of the city, Maria says it does really feel like you are in nature when you walk Ascot’s paths.

The land was once used by the Tongva people for hunting and gathering. There’s even evidence they set brush fires to alter the landscape to better enhance their hunting needs. Today, it’s a place to easily escape the hustle bustle — it’s right in the middle of the city! — and to gather with friends and family. For Maria, it’s a place that holds great memories of first dates and time spent with her kids and her mom. It’s her happy place. Hear her Ascot Hills story on the How to LA Podcast. If you want to tell us about your favorite place to spend time outdoors in L.A., share your story here.