How I Fixed That 405 Exit

You Don’t Need to Be a Transportation Expert to Help Keep the Roads Safe

Don’t you hate it when a driver makes a wide turn into your lane?

Me too.

When I first moved to Redondo Beach, I noticed this happening regularly at the Southbound 405 Inglewood Avenue off-ramp. At first, I wasn’t sure what to do about it.

The problem was one of design. There were two lanes from which one could turn right at the bottom of the off-ramp—the right lane and the center lane—but those two lanes merged into three lanes heading south on Inglewood. It was a dangerous mismatch between the off-ramp and …

by Derek Hildebrandt | June 11, 2013

The Cans That Saved Choir

When My Daughter’s School Needed Cash, My Frugal, Recycling Chinese Parents Showed Me How To Raise It

by Chi Jasmine Jia | May 30, 2013

Cling… Clang… Clank. From inside my apartment, I winced at the noise my parents were making as they sorted bottles and cans out on the cramped balcony. With as much …

Is Civic Engagement Illegal?

Old Public Meeting Laws Make Public Participation Out of Bounds. New Model Laws Are Needed.

by Matt Leighninger | March 26, 2013

Everyone knows the standard public meeting in America: formal agenda handouts, official presentations, and three-minute speeches at the microphone for citizens. It’s boring. It doesn’t work. And it’s mysterious—because the …

I Blocked Off Wilshire and Angelenos Loved It

People In This City Yearn To Connect and Engage. Just Look At CicLAvia.

by Aaron Paley | January 23, 2013

I’m a native Angeleno. I like to throw that out at dinner parties just to see if any other natives are in the room. We’re usually a small minority, because …

If You Engage Them, Will They Come?

Seven Lessons in How to Convince People to Show Up for Civic Engagement

by Pete Peterson | November 30, 2012

As she takes a seat behind a table to begin a town meeting about a local planning issue, Leslie Knope—the local official played by Amy Poehler on the NBC sitcom, …

Feeling OK About Our Unhealthy Wreck of a Nation

U.S. Poet Laureate Philip Levine Talks About Social Isolation, Democracy, and Beer Drinking On Lake Erie

June 5, 2012

U.S. Poet Laureate Philip Levine thinks that democracy in America today is “unhealthy” and “a wreck.” Yet in a wide-ranging, often raucous conversation with Sacramento Bee editorial page editor Stuart …

civic engagement

How I Fixed That 405 Exit

You Don’t Need to Be a Transportation Expert to Help Keep the Roads Safe

The Cans That Saved Choir

When My Daughter’s School Needed Cash, My Frugal, Recycling Chinese Parents Showed Me How To Raise It

Is Civic Engagement Illegal?

Old Public Meeting Laws Make Public Participation Out of Bounds. New Model Laws Are Needed.

I Blocked Off Wilshire and Angelenos Loved It

People In This City Yearn To Connect and Engage. Just Look At CicLAvia.

If You Engage Them, Will They Come?

Seven Lessons in How to Convince People to Show Up for Civic Engagement

Feeling OK About Our Unhealthy Wreck of a Nation

U.S. Poet Laureate Philip Levine Talks About Social Isolation, Democracy, and Beer Drinking On Lake Erie

Get More Zócalo

Does Dodging Traffic on a Motorcycle Save Lives?

The CHP and DMV No Longer Encourage Lane-Splitting. But Riding Between Cars Makes the Roads Faster—and Safer—for All of Us.

Why Building More Freeways Makes Traffic Worse, Not Better

To Ease L.A. Gridlock, We Need Improved Mass Transit and Smart Urban Planning

This Is the Future of Your L.A. Rush Hour

From Public Transportation Projects to Express Lanes, Southern California Transit Is Being Transformed. But Will Any of It Speed Up Traffic?

Shield

A Prodigal Son Glimpses Salvation On the Road to L.A.

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