Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky and a team including county engineers recently hopped on bikes and took a look at street strategies that could be applied across the county. On their cycling tour of Long Beach-which makes no secret of its aim of knocking Portland off its perch as America’s most bicycle-friendly city-they pedaled along innovative bike boulevards, green sharrows and a spectacular stretch of the Pacific. Their takeaway: where there’s a will, there’s a bikeway.

Posted 01/19/12

The wedding of Denny Lyons and Terrie Madrid on Santa Monica Beach was less a storybook ending than a new beginning for the chronically homeless couple. Their big day—Friday, November 18—came about with help from a program called Project 60, which assists veterans like Lyons, who served in the Navy Reserve, to find permanent supportive housing, health care and treatment for mental health and substance abuse issues. Now, with a federal housing voucher in hand, the couple can move out of the Samoshel homeless shelter and into their own apartment.

Posted 11/23/11

As the Exposition Light Rail Line rolls closer to becoming a reality, Supervisor and Metro Board Member Zev Yaroslavsky recently hopped aboard one of the test runs. Early next year, trains are expected to run from the 7th Street Metro Center downtown to La Cienega and Jefferson. Meanwhile, construction will continue on Phase 1′s westernmost station in Culver City. Eventually, Expo Phase 2 will extend to 4th Street and Colorado Avenue in Santa Monica. When it’s complete, the 15.2-mile line will be the first mass transit rail project on the Westside since the Red Cars.

Posted 11/06/11

Last weekend’s closure of the 405 Freeway represented a historic moment in our region’s long traffic history. Bracing—and preparing—for the worst, we were rewarded with a day of surprisingly smooth driving and lower stress. Here’s a video we made to document this important event as we look ahead to doing it all over again eleven months from now.

Posted 7/19/11

Zev discusses the July 16-17, 2011 405 Freeway closure.

This video was produced by the Jewish Journal.

Click here to view the embedded video.

This video was produced by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Social Services.

Click here to view the embedded video.

This video was produced by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Social Services.

Click here to view the embedded video.