The steering committee advising City Hall on the redesign of Fountain Avenue has one major problem — none of the nine members on the committee actually live on Fountain Avenue.
City Hall is in the process of adding three more members who do live on Fountain, but the committee has already finished work on the contentious Phase 1 of the Fountain Avenue Streetscape Project, the portion regarding the protected bike lanes the city plans to install at the cost of one lane of traffic in each direction and all parking spots on the north side of the road. Phase 2 focuses on sidewalk improvements.
The committee — whose members are not identified in the staff report — has met six times since the beginning of the year,
but their work is “anticipated to wrap up in the coming weeks,” suggesting any input from additional steering committee members would be too little, too late.
City Hall has also revealed more details about the multimillion dollar grants the project is riding on, and what strings are attached to the funding.
WeHo was awarded $8,214,840 from the California Air Resources Board for pedestrian, bicycle, roadway safety and transit electric fleet improvements.
The city must accept the funding by Oct. 1 or it will be forfeited — a fact that sheds light on the rushed nature of the project. The city has until Jan. 1, 2028 to spend the money.
If City Council accepts the grants but later decides to change aspects of the project, CARB would have to approve the changes or they would issue a stop work order. If the project was halted, the city would not have to pay back funds that were already distributed for completed work.
The grant application, submitted in late 2023, will likely fuel suspicions that City Hall considers the project a done deal. It also reveals the extent to which BikeLA is involved in the project, and the social re-engineering mindset that is driving the plans.
“Building multi-modal transportation projects is just the start of revolutionizing travel behavior,” the application states. “Often, a project is only successful when constituents have further instruction and encouragement to utilize the streetscape enhancements.”
Secret Steering Committee???? Are we the Kremlin all of a sudden? Bike lanes -as I have said, are not a good idea on any street in West Hollywood. On Fountain they will need ambulance lanes in tandem. And as for a cabal of “Secret Steerers”—please!!!! What genius thought up this distraction to muddy the already dirty waters of our city’s current Councilmembers wade in? Bike lanes are a disastrous idea. On Fountain… even worse. And the idea of a cabal of whisperers is another Little Rascals attempt at diversion from the real issue. GROW UP
I have lived on Fountain for 15 years now. My apartment is on the street and I would say I have a love/hate relationship with Fountain. I am tired of the late night racing 80+ mph after 10 pm (added bonus, the dealership sells you the car with the modified muffler so you can let everyone enjoy that). The road as is does not work. This is a residential street and the way lanes cut from 2 down to one without any signage that says lane ending is dangerous. Left hand turns are equally as dangerous because of obstacles such… Read more »
That is the biggest complaint I have with these bike lanes! West Hollywood BikeLA should be coordinating efforts with LA County to make an overall plan that unites these. It doesn’t work unless it is continuous. I would much rather Santa Monica Blvd lose parking and make that the continued path since half of that street is already providing bike lanes. The residential neighborhoods should be left for residents and parking. Rework Fountain on better measures to slow traffic but not at the inconvenience for lost parking. Mad that I live on Fountain and no effort has been made by… Read more »
No matter what you do, only the same 7 people will bike to work.
We should all get involved and attend the next meeting and find out who has been assigned to this committee.When do they meet next? Who is on this committee? Those would be great questions that need answers.
Sept 16th at City Council Chambers below the WH Library. 6pm
They meet in secret in the booth in the booth in the back in the corner out of town…PLEASE. A secret steering committee. Another backyard show by The Little Rascals, aka WeHo CC Members.
Thank you Wehoville for allowing us to comment again. This article points out what is so beyond OUTRAGEOUS, it makes my head spin! How DARE they?! How DARE they continue screwing the very people who put them in office. The audacity to appoint a steering committee that EXCLUDES ANYONE LIVING ON FOUNTAIN AVE?! And for the singular MOST IMPORTANT aspect of this ILL-FATED PLAN, the BIKE LANES! (Which = LOSS OF ALL PARKING ON ALL OF FOUNTAIN!) To say I am gobsmacked is the understatement of this century! In addition, at the August 22nd city meeting we were told by… Read more »
That is because it is a “secret” committee. Our group, the Eastside Neighborhood Watch, had asked staff for a presentation on this project last year and was rebuffed and was told “it is a long way in the future…”. Clearly the City wants to tell the State it has a committee reflecting the community but it did not name the members, much less announce the Steering Committee’s existence, to the public. I had heard the City wanted the Fountain project to fall under the jurisdiction of the Public Facilities Commission, rather than a working group of qualified Commissioners and impacted… Read more »
Woah Steve put the pitchforks down. PFC made an appointment of a single member to the Steering Committee. We appointed Nicole Payton. I’m sure other commissions did the same, just look through their minutes.
That appointment was the only time Fountain was ever even mentioned on the PFC agenda while I was there.
Thanks for the update; that is a lot more information than the City provided.
But look at the culture you feed into Steve. You could’ve asked these questions of staff or anyone who has actually been present at some of these meetings before going ahead and recruiting your Monday speakers.
I’m just sick and tired of the constant outrage culture and hysteria that you help create. For God’s sake, there’s a comment underneath this that says “This calls for massive protest and if necessary violent uprising.”
I am so ready for this election cycle to be over.
I read Steve’s comment in the English language in which it appears to have been written and I see a clear indication that Steve’s group did indeed ask staff for information and was rebuffed. The city could deal in more transparency and accountability to fend off what you condescendingly dismiss as outrage culture and hysteria.
Do you think that citizen engagement (errr, outrage culture and hysteria) will or should cease when the election is over?
Not a fan of Steve Martin? Pity.
I think the larger point being made was and is that nobody whom lives on Fountain or La Cienega sits on any committee. The process and transparency of this grant process feels suspect that certain groups are pushing an agenda and only involve the public once the project is too far along to change course. Public input should have been involved as part of the steering committee’s discussions. I would love to know the members names that were selected
I suggest that the “steering” issue should consider the idea of bikes and cars trying to avoid steering into each other on these ill-advised Bike Lanes.
Ask City to show and prove meetings conducted under the Brown Act………
….In California, the key opening meeting law is the Ralph M. Brown Act, which requires legislative entities of local governments and agencies — for example, city councils and school boards — to conduct business in a way that enables the public to scrutinize government decision-making….
Once heard of a sitting council member “i met with the building developers to review and change the plan” …..not ethical this is for Robertson lane …FYI the plans were changed
This calls for massive protest and if necessary violent uprising.
It is disturbing that staff now is asking city council to add 4 new members to the steering committee that actually live on Fountain and La Cienega to participate only beginning with phase 2 of the plan! How is this fair and why was BikeLA co-sponsoring this grant application? This grant should be denied on the grounds that whatever the city has promised has not been vetted by the public. Oh wait Erickson,Byers, and Shyne don’t care about that as they will push this through. Inconvenience residents whom live on Fountain with no plans to address where all the lost… Read more »
This whole Fountain bike lane thing is a joke. Colossal waste of taxpayer dollars.
I agree.
I live on fountain and i HATE this whole plan. What about emergency vehicles? Fix the traffic flow with traffic lights, sacrifice a few parking spots near fairfax on the north side for true lanes, and we DO NOT need a grant where the residents have no input on the outcome.
I thought comments were no longer allowed??
That’s how liberals operate. They know what’s best for you.
Actually informed people are the ones who comment. And people with common sense and experience. We have our own non-partisan group. Invitations are limited to the more open minded among the gen pop.