Boy, is it great to hear some concrete good news.
The news from Wednesday’s LA City Council meeting that the Griffith Park Circulation and Parking Enhancement Plan will be implemented is really music to my ears.
To see where we have been and the point we’ve reached in the past two years is amazing.
It started with the threat of Mount Hollywood Drive being opened to vehicular traffic that not only brought a packed house, but left many outside the auditorium wanting to get in.
The fact that an actual plan addressed the issues of parking, transit and overflow is an amazing victory.
While Recreation and Parks Superintendent Joe Salaices was a capable listener throughout this drawn out process, ultimately coming through with it answered the big question mark.
Going to the committee hearing last Tuesday, there was a lot of buzz spilling over in this small room.
Griffith Park Advisory Board Meeting in March 2015
The opposition from the Beachwood area is well funded and lawyered up, but how many times are our leaders going to kowtow to their demands?
At this point, if you’re living in that area, you moved there far after the Hollywood Sign and Griffith Park have been well-established.
Plymouth Rock didn’t fall on you.
The committee was missing a couple of members, but had the minimum number to form a quorum.
It was great to hear Council Members O’Farrell and Blumenfield’s support for the plan, but the big question mark came from David Ryu.
Griffith Park sits in his district, so his decision would definitely anger some of his constituents one way or another.
While we’re still trying to get a read on this guy two years in, he emphatically came forward to support this plan and backed it up with well-reasoning too.
Yes, this plan isn’t perfect, but considering the budget constraints the department faces, the results are pretty impressive.
Sure, parking meters for spaces that were previously free is going to rankle a few folks, but the upside is that it’ll help pay for DASH and will lead to higher turnover for spots.
Trying to find a space one weekend afternoon was enough from making me repeat that experience again.
What’s been even more impressive has been the work of individuals to stay on point.
Don Ward has done a lot of dirty work mobilizing everyone’s effort.
Friends of Griffith Park’s Gerry Hans has always been a stabilizing force.
Sean Meredith showed up to speak and I finally met Eben Lerner who has been a great asset in this fight too.
There are a number of other people that deserve to be thanked as well, but the bottom line is that we formed a community that made something happen.
The plan goes into effect on March 21st, just in time for all the Spring Break activity.
Let’s have everyone get behind it and Keep Griffith Wild!