This picture is nothing to brag about.

Hi friends,

On my way to work yesterday, I saw our protected bike lanes being removed by construction crews.

The same lanes that protected people across our city for nearly three years and that folks in the community had requested for the better part of a decade.

It was a startling sight to take in, because we’re the only city in the region doing it. Just as our neighbor cities are accelerating their safe streets infrastructure, we are the only ones actively undoing ours.

In fact, two thirds of voters in our neighboring city of L.A. just passed a measure requiring that the city create bike lane projects (just like the one we are removing) every single time a road is repaved.

But Culver City had just two protected bike lanes in the entire city, and now one of them is gone.

As someone who lives on this street and must use it every time I leave my home, I know firsthand that it is far from perfect. I see the traffic on the corridor and experience it every time I need to drive to and through Downtown Culver City. 

But there are so many tools we can use to improve traffic flow that do not involve ripping out the bike lanes that families depend on every day to safely get to school, the grocery store, the train, you name it!

We could have explored removing one of five traffic lights in a .1 mile stretch that often bring traffic to a standstill. We could be increasing bus frequency to make the bus lanes as effective and attractive as they should be. We could be working with the three massive companies that opened offices on this cooridor to provide employees with commuter benefits if they use other modes.

We could have implemented a number of different approaches to relieve our congestion, but this conservative Council majority was fixated from the start on a wasteful plan to spend over a million dollars removing the protected bike lanes, saying it would reduce traffic woes.

We felt the historic heat wave this week and saw the smoke from the wildfires engulf our region. We cannot ignore the reality that if we do not invest in other mobility options, we are creating a less livable future.

I truly hope traffic improves from this decision. But I have serious concerns that it will not, because adding more car lanes usually creates more traffic. And I’m worried about the safety of the folks on foot, bike, scooter, and skateboard who might be more vulnerable in this next phase of the project.

As the only transportation professional in this race, I pledge to do for Culver City what I already do every day for the County— create safe streets for all ages and abilities and help move our communities toward a more sustainable future where everyone can thrive.

The good news is that our message is resonating with folks across the city (and County!).

We were just endorsed by the LA County Democratic Party and Supervisor Janice Hahn who I have the privilege of serving in her role as Chair of the Metro Board of Directors.

These endorsements make it clear that we have a viable path to victory in this race.

We just need your help in the final 53 days of the campaign.

We are still a few thousand dollars short of our goal for what we hoped to raise by September. 

Can you pitch in $50 so we can win this election, defend our progress on safe streets, and expand life-saving infrastructure to the rest of the city?

And don’t forget to sign up to knock doors with us this month. The weather is looking decent again, thank goodness!

Thank you for standing with me for a Culver City that prepares us for the future and keeps all of us safe.

With gratitude,

Bubba