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Dear Friend:
Last week, the LA City Council voted to move forward with a $2.6 billion expansion and renovation of the Los Angeles Convention Center. With interest payments, the total cost will be more than $5 billion. While Los Angeles truly needs a modern Convention Center, the specific deal that was approved is a very bad one for taxpayers and includes unnecessary and serious risks. Two colleagues and I approved a better option in Budget Committee, but unfortunately, the full City Council moved forward with a very problematic plan.
To expedite the work, the Convention Center was initially awarded via a sole-source design-build contract because AEG was going to run the facility and could make it happen before the Olympics. There was no ‘request for proposal’ (RFP) or review process to hear different plans from a variety of contractors and receive bids that could have helped control costs.
The conceptual design dates from 2012, as an alternative to a Downtown football stadium, long before Covid transformed business travel and technologies such as driverless cars and AI changed what’s needed for an ideal convention center. The Budget Committee proposal involved issuing a new RFP that would not only help control costs, but would insure a state-of-the-art convention center.
Despite all this, I was supporting moving ahead until recently when the estimated costs doubled and the assumed revenues started to evaporate. The financial burden of the project was shifting to the taxpayer, and exponentially increasing and crowding out every other critical city priority, from hiring cops and firefighters to paving streets, housing homeless folks and rebuilding the Palisades. Read more about my thoughts about the Convention Center here.
There is still much work to do and as always, if you have any questions for me or my staff, or would like to get in touch, please do not hesitate to write to us at c03.foryou@lacity.org or call my office at 818-774-4330.
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Warm Wishes for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur |
As the Jewish community observes the High Holy Days, beginning with Rosh Hashanah and culminating in Yom Kippur, Councilmember Blumenfield extends heartfelt wishes for a meaningful and reflective season. May this sacred time bring renewal, peace, and hope for the year ahead. Shanah Tovah and G’mar Chatimah Tovah. May all who are observing be inscribed and sealed in the Book of Life for a good and sweet year. |
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Reseda Artwalk Next Weekend |
Join us on Saturday, October 4th for the annual Reseda Rising Art Walk, a free, all-ages community celebration of the arts in Reseda. Friends, neighbors, and art enthusiasts of all ages are invited to join us for a day filled with live art, interactive projects, vendors, live music, food trucks, and more. This is a free community event where everyone is welcome.
Presented by Councilmember Bob Blumenfield, the festival will activate the Great Streets Sherman Way corridor between Etiwanda and Lindley Avenue and aims to use art to re-energize the streets and engage local businesses to strengthen neighborhood pride. Learn more at resedaartwalk.com. |
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Reseda Parking Lots Update |
Improvements to Reseda Parking Lots 622 (Canby) and 640 (Darby), both along Sherman Way, are nearly complete. Next week, the fencing will be removed, and the lots will reopen for public use. Both lots have been freshly repainted and new pay stations have been installed to enhance convenience for patrons. |
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Maintaining the Tree Canopy in the West Valley |
Councilmember Blumenfield continues to work directly with community members to find solutions to improve and maintain trees throughout the district. Blumenfield allocated $75K in discretionary/overtime funding for Urban Forestry tree surgeons to preserve our urban tree canopy in the district. |
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Upcoming Closures of Topanga Canyon Boulevard |
Caltrans will continue overnight lane closures on Topanga Canyon Boulevard for utility work and street loop installation starting Monday, September 29th. All work will take place daily from as early as 7PM to as late as 6AM through Friday, October 3rd.
Crews will be adjusting maintenance holes, aka “manholes,” to street levels between Devonshire Street and Mulholland Drive. This will close up to two lanes in both directions. Many folks have noticed these covers being off grade with the rest of the street, and this work should resolve those complaints. Street loop installation work will continue at intersections between Valerio Street to Mulholland Drive, closing up to two lanes in one direction at a time. These devices “sense” when a vehicle is present and alert the signal to change from red to green.
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Each month, Councilmember Blumenfield conducts Small Businesses Outreach by visiting storefronts and offices in different areas of the 3rd District. This month he visited several businesses along Owensmouth Avenue in Canoga Park. These visits provide Blumenfield a chance to share information about City resources and programs to folks who can take advantage of the information to help grow their business. Equally important, it provides an opportunity for him to get direct feedback and learn how his office and the City can better serve and support our local business community.
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Valley Relics Museum is a gem in the San Fernando Valley that celebrates the rich history and culture of the San Fernando Valley. Team Blumenfield recently paid a visit and recommends it to anyone who appreciates the region’s past and nostalgic charm. |
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Community Events and Resources |
This week's photo from the Los Angeles Public Library's archives is from the Valley Times Collection taken in 1960 of local officials at the opening of two parking lots located in Reseda behind commercial buildings on the south side of Sherman Way off Canby and Amigo Avenues. Learn more about the photo here. |
Councilmember Bob Blumenfield 200 N Spring Street, Room 465, Los Angeles, CA 90012 Unsubscribe |
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