| | Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition Newsletter October 9, 2014 |
Nine Days Left to Join LACBC or Renew Your Membership to Win a Trip for Two to CicloSDias
The winner and guest, plus their bicycles, will travel aboard the Amtrak Pacific Surfliner train, enjoy two nights at the swanky Omni San Diego Hotel, and experience CicloSDias, San Diego's open streets event. Join LACBC or renew your membership today! Thanks to our sweepstakes sponsors: San Diego County Bicycle Coalition, CicloSDias, and Amtrak. |
| Ride or Volunteer in El Grande Fondo de Los Angeles Crest on October 18th The 1st Annual El Grande Fondo de Los Angeles Crest travels through the classic high country of the San Gabriel Mountains along scenic Angeles Crest Highway and up to historic Mt. Wilson. This super-sweet event, a partnership between LACBC and National Forest Foundation., has 3 different rides: - a full century (100 miles)
- a metric century (62 miles)
- 30 mile route
When: Saturday, October 18, 7 a.m. Where: Crescenta Valley Park
Volunteer for El Grande Fondo
The 1st Annual El Grande Fondo de Los Angeles Crest features 3 rides and benefits LACBC and the National Forest Foundation. Help make this event happen by volunteering. We need help with ride marshaling, registration, set-up, clean-up, time-keeping, photography, and more. See the full list of volunteer opportunities here.
Weekly Training Rides
Our ride marshal and route planner extraordinaire Jon Riddle finishes up leading weekly training rides this weekend.
Training Ride #8-Saturday October 11, 2014
El Grande is near, about a week away, so we can get in one great training ride this weekend before tackling Bug Tujunga, Angeles Crest Highway, and Mount Wilson on the 18th. As pro cyclists will tell you, it's a great idea to know the course, so we'll follow this sage advice with a reconnaissance ride over part of El Grande's route. Beginning at Crescenta Valley Park, we'll ride northwest to Big Tujunga Canyon Road and then on to Upper Big Tujunga Canyon Road before returning to the low country on Angeles Crest Highway. Expect about 60 miles of riding, around 6,000 feet of elevation gain, and 6 hours of saddle time. We should have a fantastic day of riding in our Nation's newest National Monument. Meet at Crescenta Valley Park (3901 Dunsmore Ave at Honolulu Ave, Glendale, map) at 8:30 AM, ride at 9:00 AM. Bring at least two water bottles and snacks. RSVP: strongly encouraged, via training4elgrande@gmail.com, so we can send you last-minute advisories, particularly about weather.
You can also get updates on the weekly ride by emailing him or checking our Facebook event page. |
Join Us for the Firefly Ball Awards Dinner on October 30th  Named out of its timing with the seasonal launch of Operation Firefly, an education and bike light distribution program of LACBC, the Firefly Ball is a light-filled evening of art, music, food and drink. Celebrate with us as we honor community members doing good bike work while raising much needed funds for LA's largest, full service bike advocacy nonprofit--the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition! This year's honorees are: - Andy Leeka - Passionate Pedal Award
- Alex Baum - The Alex Baum Award for Achievement in Advocacy
- Suja Lowenthal - The Innovator Award
Join us at 6 p.m. for a cocktail hour and silent auction (in your classy, business attire) in our bicycle art gallery. At 7 p.m. we move into the Merchants Bank for our dinner program with music by Historic Filipinotown's best swing time jazz band, the HiFi Honeydrops. When: Thursday, October 30; 6 p.m. - 9 p.m. Where: Farmers and Merchants National Bank - 401 S Main St., Los Angeles, CA 90013 RSVP: Please RSVP and purchase your ticket here. Contact: Kelly Martin · kelly@la-bike.org · (213) 629-2142 ext.112 Media Kit: For everything you need to know about being an event/table sponsor look here. Tribute Journal: Unable to attend, but want to place an ad in our tribute journal? Select one of three sizes here. Donate: Can't make it, but still want to help? Donate here. |
| Councilmember Paul Koretz Sponsors Operation Firefly Distribution 
Thank you to Councilmember Paul Koretz, who will be sponsoring an Operation Firefly bike light distribution this fall. The Operation Firefly season begins the first week of November, and Koretz's 5th Council District is one of the areas in which we'll be organizing a light distribution. Operation Firefly (Operacíon Luciérnaga) is an education and bike light distribution program intended to make sure people riding bikes in Los Angeles are riding safely at night. The season sponsor for Operation Firefly is the Laemmle Charitable Foundation, which benefits nonprofit agencies working to improve life in Los Angeles through addressing social and environmental issues critical to the region. Thank you to CM Koretz and the Laemmle Charitable Foundation for your support! Join the Laemmle Charitable Foundation and CM Koretz in Sponsoring Operation Firefly Join the Laemmle Charitable Foundation and CM Koretz in helping to make this next season of Operation Firefly bigger and better, so we can reach even more night-time bicycle riders. There are several fun levels at which you can join Team Firefly and receive a premium. (Lights, hats, and vests will ship beginning the first week of November 2014.) You can also make a general donation to the Operation Firefly program. Did you know that donating $10 means that 1 more person will soon be riding safely at night with lights? Donate $50 and 5 more people will be a little safer. $100 and that number jumps to 10. Give the gift of light today! |
Volunteer Shifts Still Available 2014 L.A. Bike and Pedestrian Corridor Count
Thanks to all of our volunteers who kicked off the bike and ped count on Tuesday! We still need a few more shifts filled, so please sign up soon! We still need volunteers for these streets: - PCH (between Avalon & Broad)
- Central (between 101st & Century)
- E. 54th (between McKinley & Central)
- East G Street (between Avalon & Broad)
Sign up here using Volunteer Spot. These are the count shifts you will be selecting from: - Saturday, October 11th; 11:00 a.m. to 1 p.m.
- Tuesday, October 14th; 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. & 4:00 p.m. to 6 p.m.
- Saturday, October 18th; 11:00 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Those who participate will be entered into a drawing to win River Ride jerseys and other cool prizes! Questions? Email Alek Bartrosouf at alek@la-bike.org. |
The General Election Is November 4th - Bike the Vote
November 4th, 2014 is the general election and includes some critical offices for bicyclists in Los Angeles County. All voters in Los Angeles County can vote in the runoff for Los Angeles County Sheriff, while voters in the third district can vote in the County Supervisor runoff. LACBC invited all candidates to share their perspectives on bicycling and transportation with our members and supporters. While LACBC does not endorse candidates, we encourage you to consider these responses before casting your vote on November 4th Find out more about the election and how to register to vote here: https://www.lavote.net County Supervisor Race - 3rd District (in the order received) County Sheriff Race (in the order received) Vote Yes on Proposition P LACBC endorses Proposition P and urges you to vote YES. See more details below. |
P Is for Parks! Support Prop P This November and Come to a Workshop Near You LACBC is proud to endorse Proposition P this fall, which replaces an expiring tax that provides $54 million per year for parks, greenways and open space throughout Los Angeles County. Proposition P is a $23 per parcel special tax that will fund many park improvement, water quality and maintenance projects for 30 years.
Many of our favorite parks and bike path amenities were funded by Prop P's predecessor, including pit stop locations for our LA River Ride, greenways along the Ballona Creek bike path and the Emerald Necklace in the San Gabriel Valley. Prop P will provide critical funding to complete the LA River Greenway by 2020, and build new trails along its tributaries. All for less than $2 per month! To find out more about Prop P, read this Fact Sheet or attend an information session near you.
Vote P for Parks on November 4th! Pacoima When: October 14; 6 - 8 p.m. Where: Pacoima City Hall - 13520 Van Nuys Blvd., Pacoima, CA 91331 Hermosa Beach When: October 21, 2014, 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. Where: Hermosa Beach Community Theatre - 710 Pier Avenue, Hermosa Beach, 90254 South L.A. When: October 21; 6:30 - 8:30 p.m. Where: Santee Educational Complex Theatre - 1921 Maple Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90011 Westchester When: October 22, 2014, 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. Where: Westchester Senior Citizen Center - 8740 Lincoln Blvd., Los Angeles, 90045 Baldwin Hills When: October 24, 2014, 5:30 - 7:30 p.m. Where: DWP Crenshaw Auditorium - 4030 Crenshaw Boulevard, Los Angeles, 90008 |
| Updates from Around L.A. County: New Stretch of Bike Path Open on San Fernando Road
Pacoima: Last week a new 2.75 stretch of bike path was unveiled on San Fernando Road, in between Brandford Street to Wolfskill Street. It connects to the already existing 1.75 miles of bike path there. Read more about it on the LADOT Bike Blog.
Las Virgenes-Malibu: Join the Las Virgenes-Malibu Bike Plan team for one of three identical Open House Workshops on October 21st (Malibu), 22nd (Westlake Village), or 23rd (Calabasas). Provide your thoughts on potential and existing bicycle facilities in the region, possible bicycling-supportive programs and policies to consider, or anything else that you can contribute to the process of developing this Regional Bicycle Master Plan. For more info: http://regionalbikeplan.org/news-events
Hyperion Bridge: Do you live in CD4 or CD13? Please contact your elected officials to voice your support a Hyperion for all. They need to hear from you! Here is a template to work with, or better yet, write your own. (Already sent an email? Consider calling their office to follow up.)
| Tom LaBonge (CD4) | Mitch O'Farrell (CD13) | Mayor Garcetti | (213) 485-3337
| 213-473-7013 | (213) 978-0600 |
bcc: alek@la-bike.org
Subject: Hyperion4All - ensure safety for everyone Dear Councilmember LaBonge, Councilmember O'Farrell, and Mayor Garcetti,
As someone who bikes or walks between Silver Lake and Atwater Village, it is absolutely critical that Hyperion Ave. be made safe for people like me. Everyone's needs can be met if the project is designed for appropriate speeds through an urban community. Specifically, I would like the project to include: - Bike lanes on Hyperion Ave.
- Wider sidewalks and well-marked crosswalks with wayfinding signs
- Narrower lanes to provide space for bicyclists and pedestrians, discouraging speeding
- No crash barrier and banked turns that will make people drive even faster
- A complete crosswalk on the Atwater end of the viaduct to let people access the sidewalk from both sides of Glendale Blvd. and give bicyclists an alternative through the dangerous merge
There is no reason for this project to not be consistent with the bike plan and Caltrans complete streets policy. The viaduct is currently the greatest barrier to safe bicycle access across the 5 Freeway and the LA River. This project can change that and make all travelers benefit.
Sincerely, your name
your address
L.A. County: LACBC and Safe Routes to School recently submitted comments on Metro's draft Complete Streets policy recommending that it be strengthened. View our comments and letter here. Please save the date for Metro's Policy and Programming committee meeting on Wednesday October 17th at 2:30 p.m. when the Metro Directors will consider this policy for adoption. More info. |
We're Hiring: Executive Director and Bookkeeper
As many of you know, our Executive Director Jennifer Klausner will be stepping now at the end of the year to pursue new adventures. Thanks to our members, volunteers, donors, and supporters, LACBC is in terrific shape. Our search committee has begun looking for our next leader. We're looking for a leader who will direct our team to achieve more for bicycling in LA than we ever have before.This person will be our main spokesperson, strategist, and facilitator. See the full job description here, and share it widely. We're also hiring a part-time bookkeeper. We're looking for someone with accounting experience who is proficient in Quickbooks and Excel. See the full job description here, and share it widely. You can also check out our jobs board at la-bike.org/jobs. |
| What's Ringing Our Bike Bells: Celebrating Multimodal Commutes
 | | Los Angeles Councilman Joe Buscaino Goes Multimodal |
We know that our County is vast and sometimes hard to get around. So if you're trying to go car-free and ride a bike, your best option might be finding transit to complement your ride.
Check out this video of Councilmember Joe Buscaino going multimodal by riding his bike, taking the bus, and taking the subway from San Pedro to City Hall in Downtown L.A. As Buscaino discovers, many improvements are needed to make his journey (as well as the journeys of the many people in his district that use transit and ride bikes) better. It takes him a whopping 2 hours and 29 minutes to complete his trip. Watch the whole thing to see many gems, like an interaction with a man he used to arrest when he was a cop and a cameo from Councilmember Cedillo.
LACBC and Culver City Bicycle Coalition member Tony Gaimari also uses biking and the bus to get to and from work, but in a different way. He alternates between taking a Commuter Express bus and biking (Ballona Creek Bike Path to the Expo Line Bike Path to Grand Ave.). Read more about his journey a Metro's The Source. |
| | Events, Meetings, & Volunteer Opportunities
2014 L.A. Bike and Pedestrian Corridor Count When: Tuesday, October 11, 14, 18
El Grande Fondo de Los Angeles Crest When: Saturday, October 18 More info in newsletter. Mayoral Sustainable Housing, Transportation, and Jobs Summit
When: Wednesday, October 19; 7:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Where: UCLA Korn's Convocation Hall Come to the Los Angeles Business Council's upcoming summit to explore innovation and investment in L.A.'s economy. The summit will include the release of LABC Institute Workforce Survey of the Downtown Arts, Design and Innovation District, as well as the unleashing of new economic policies. More info. Basic Bicycling Skills for LACBC Members When: Saturday, October 25; 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Where: LACBC Headquarters, Mezzanine level - 634 S. Spring St., Downtown Los Angeles This 2-hour workshop will provide you with basic information you can use to safely ride your bicycle on the streets of LA County. The workshop for LACBC members only includes a booklet and LACBC materials you can take home with you. Instruction is classroom only - we will not be riding. Bringing your bicycle is optional. RSVP here. When: Thursday, October 30; 6:00 p.m. to 9 p.m. Where: Farmers and Merchants National Bank - 401 S. Main St., Downtown Los Angeles
Named for its timing with the seasonal launch of Operation Firefly, an education and bike light distribution program of LACBC, the Firefly Ball is a light-filled evening of art, music, food and drink. Celebrate with us as we honor community members doing good bike work while raising much needed funds for L.A.'s largest full-service bike advocacy nonprofit--the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition! This year's honorees are: Andy Leeka - Passionate Pedal Award; Alex Baum - The Alex Baum Award for Achievement in Advocacy; and Suja Lowenthal - The Innovator Award. Get your tickets here! California by Bike 2014 Surf 'N Turf When: Friday, October 31 to Wednesday, November 5 Where: Santa Barbara to San Diego Join the California Bicycle Coalition on its inaugural fundraising tour this Fall 2014 from Santa Barbara to San Diego. This phenomenal five-day fully supported tour will be the only in California to strictly raise funding to support advocacy groups. When you join the ride through this link, $250 of your total raised will be dedicated to LACBC. For more information, visit: calbike.org/surfnturf. |
LACBC Local Chapters - Join when you become an LACBC member or renew your membership!
Other Events Around Town |
| | | | Join LACBC or Renew The Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition is a member-supported organization that works for you to build a better, more bike-able L.A. County.
Members are the backbone of LACBC! Help keep LACBC strong by becoming an LACBC member (or renewing your membership) and be part of the change! |
Contact Information
Carol Feucht
Membership & Communications Director
Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition
carol@la-bike.org |
Let's be friends! Connect with LACBC: www.la-bike.org     |
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