Last week the Los Angeles Times ran an editorial evaluating Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti at two years into his initial term of office. The article includes a report card, with various letter grades, including Leadership: C-, Vision: B+, and an overall grade of C.
The Times' report card does not focus on livability and transportation, but mentions them only in passing. Early on, the article states "[Garcetti's] vision of Los Angeles as a more livable, transit-oriented, environmentally- and technologically-friendly city" and then barely mentions transportation and livability. The Times only touches on a lack of funding for resurfacing streets and fixing sidewalks, and credits Garcetti for negotiating the under-construction Metro Crenshaw Line connection to LAX.
Readers - how would you grade L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti on Livable Streets issues? Photo: Roger Rudick
So, we figured we'd do our own livable streets report card.
And, frankly, the Streetsblog Los Angeles team is a bit split on Mayor Garcetti's record.
Safety: B- Garcetti's appointment of his LADOT General Manager Seleta Reynolds has brought a new safety focus to Los Angeles. Reynolds made Vision Zero an LADOT priority, leading to its adoption in Mobility Plan 2035, and maybe someday it will reach the streets of Los Angeles.
Planning: B Mayor Garcetti inherited Mobility Plan 2035 already underway. The mayor gave it some heft, including Vision Zero, and got it approved. Largely, though, even under the new Mobility Plan, parking and cars remain too enmeshed in the Department of City Planning's core functions, at the expense of fostering great places. If there's any kind of shake-up at Planning, could DCP's Seleta Reynolds be on the horizon?
Transit: B+
SBLA commends the mayor for bringing Phil Washington to Metro, securing federal funds for rail expansion, connecting to LAX, and supporting expanded Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) and affordable housing in Transit-Oriented Development (TOD.) Garcetti's Metro board appointees, Dupont-Walker and L.A. City Councilmembers Mike Bonin and Paul Krekorian have played constructive roles there. A bit more commitment to keeping fares low and improving bus systems (neither is easy) would have earned an A.
Walking: D+ The tab for sidewalk repair continues to mount, letting Angelenos on foot know that we are, at best, an afterthought. The Mayor should do better on LAPD pedestrian stings. Seleta Reynolds, People St, and Pedestrian Enhanced Districts (PEDs) in the Mobility Plan lifted what was nearly a failing grade.
Bicycling: C+
The pace of bike facility implementation is slowing, especially on critical and significant streets and bridges. Bike-share, CicLAvias, and protected bike lanes are commendable, and should be expanded.
Overall: B-
The mayor failed to entirely turn around a car-focused city in his first two years. No surprise there. Many Garcetti actions show great promise for L.A.'s future, but the mayor appears to have mostly spent time setting the table and now needs to follow through and serve a healthy meal. And some dessert.
Lastly, it is worth noting that some of these mid-term grades can rise (or fall) dramatically when we look at an entire term in office. At this point in Mayor Villaraigosa's term, he would have gotten high marks for talking the talk and pushing back against fare hikes and that's about all. Probably some F's and D's otherwise. Remember LADOT General Managers Gloria Jeff's and Rita Robinson's livability leadership? No, we don't either. By the end of Villaraigosa's tenure, with Measure R, Expo Phase 1, the 2010 Bike Plan including its implementation directive, and CicLAvia, Villaraigosa probably achieved in the B+, A- range. So we don't present this report card as final pronouncement, but as work very much in progress.
What do you think, readers? How would you grade Mayor Garcetti's first two years on the job?
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