Lewis Center and Institute of Transportation Studies (ITS) students took
part in the ninth annual UCLA
Luskin Day at Los Angeles City Hall on Friday, February 8
to meet with and interview a panel of experts (including Lewis Center Advisory
Board Members L.A. Deputy Mayor Borja Leon and Santa Monica Mayor Pam O’Connor)
on the topic of Full Speed Ahead: Creative Solutions to L.A.’s Transportation Needs.
The event connected students from the School’s Public Policy, Social
Welfare and Urban Planning departments with city and county leaders as well as
representatives from the private and nonprofit sectors, to discuss this
multi-faceted problem. The recent failure in the November 2012 general election
of L.A.’s Measure J, which would have extended the half-cent sales tax approved
in 2008 as Measure R for an additional 30 years, leaves open the question: What
is the future of transportation funding in Los Angeles?
Lewis Center Associate Director Allison Yoh served as faculty advisor and moderated an open noontime discussion on
solutions to L.A.’s transportation challenges. The participating students will
be drafting a memo with Dr. Yoh on the information gathered and the solutions
proposed during the day.