In accordance with the trend in commuting by alternate means, the Los Angeles City Council allocated money for project proposals to improve streets and passageways and levied subsequent cutbacks in the city’s existing transportation budget. On one item, number nine of the day’s agenda, were preliminary transit service reductions and fare increases in response to the Los Angeles Department of Transportation’s $30 million in shortfalls per year which can’t be made up with the general fund or Measure R. The stressful economic situation has left LADOT with little money for the Downtown Area Short Hop or D.A.S.H., which will undergo service cuts. These recommendations for cutbacks were approved unanimously but not without some criticism. Councilman Tom LaBonge asked James Lepton, a LADOT Representative, with mass transit options being reduced significantly, “Have you thought outside the box?” The City Projects Summary, which outlined projects for Item 8 of the agenda, was in front of the Council members and made available on the City of L.A.’s website. City Measure R uses a 40 year, half-percent sales tax increase to make up for the shortfalls of the previous Measure A city improvement plans. The bulk from a proposed set-aside of the Measure R returns, 10 percent, is planned to be used for cycle access ramps, pedestrian causeways, bike lanes, and a bike path that spans six or seven districts. Some projects on the list presented on the LADOT agenda have been in development as a part of their “Bicycle Master Plan” since the Council’s adoption of the “Bicycle Bill of Rights” in 2008. This was triggered by public concern after a fatal incident in Mandeville Canyon where a cyclist was hit by a driver, an event which Councilman Richard Alarcon had mentioned during this meeting. Speaking on behalf of the L.A. County Bike Coalition was David Gatzen. Gatzen spoke before the council in favor of this five percent for cyclists, five percent for pedestrians money distribution. “These improvements would keep traffic down and allow for pedestrians.” Gatzen Said. Councilmember Bernard Parks cited the unknown number of cyclists that would benefit from the proposal, and questioned whether this ten percent of the funds would benefit ten percent of the City of L.A. Council Member Parks, proposed “…up to ten percent of the Measure R return funding.” Acting Council President Eric Garcetti remarked on his experience with painting “sharrows,” an equivalent example of the return on small investments for bike and pedestrian traffic in safety and easing of congestion. “(These) set aside funds are needed for projects that would otherwise be set aside,” Paul Krekorian said. The Council voted in favor of proceeding with and financing the projects LADOT has outlined with 10 percent of the funding from Measure R. This was a key vote for those who do not own cars in L.A. or prefer the alternatives to driving. The bike and pedestrian projects have now been slated to comprise a significant percentage of an estimated $10 billion in return funds over the life of Measure R. Michael Uyeno, Sr. Transportation Engineer of LADOT explained how far the money would go. “The cement workers salaries are secured in the normal budget,” Uyeno said. The use of the surplus tax money would be tapping into a workforce that is already paid for to stretch the money into more projects. The U.S. Department of Transportation must respond to increasing public transit demand, more generously than the 20 percent allocated in its current six year transportation bill, according to www.t4america.org’s polls. In addition, the American Recovery and Revitalization Act of 2009 allocated $2.2 billion per year in CA for highway improvement funding according to the government website. These projects coincide with the U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood declaring “the end of favoring motorized transportation,” March 15, at the National Bike Summit.
Monday, 17 May 2010
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Pierce’s Bustling Farm
By Zakary Mayall
The Animal Unit is the remaining classroom where students are taking a hands on approach to Pre-Veterinary Science.
The students at Pierce engage in Animal Science laboratories involving Horses, Cattle, and sometimes the occasional pig or domesticated dog or cat. Once taught at this same site were dairy farming and artificial insemination with cattle.
Today, much has changed in a landslide of alterations to the school’s founder’s vision.
In 1999, the farm had sold land to developers, which wasn’t noticeable for many students, but produced an upheaval.
Some land adjacent to Pierce on DeSoto became apartments, and the programs involving these and several reallocated plots of land began to be switched around.
What remains in the Animal Science Unit are the Animal Sciences department and Pre-Vet program.
Prior to the cuts in Agriculture, Richard South was the Department Chair. Still a professor at Pierce, he describes himself,
“I’m a lot of things.”
The Farm Walk and Ag Days ran on two consecutive weekends, and are the events where the farm is opened up to the public during the different seasons.
“I don’t think it’s in any danger, it all depends on how you are utilizing it,” South said.
The portion of farm land that is home to the Farm Center was leased out to the Foundation For Pierce College, a 501c educational foundation, over 5 years ago.
“Not too many other community colleges with agriculture exist,” South said.
That is an accurate statement of Southern California.
Some schools in California that have extensive land grants for these programs are UC Davis and Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo.
“Over on the other side is Horticulture,” South said, in an approving way, that will be renovated in January 2011 and completely reworked.
The Pierce Farm is the site of a USDA weather station that is instrumental in local weather reports and Meteorology 1 offered at Pierce, according to the Catalog of Classes.
Pierce has the highest transfer rate into veterinary schools. A neighboring school, Moorpark College, trains students to be Pre-Vet but doesn’t have a farm or farm animals.
The last remaining classroom for veterinary students is Unit 4100 amid the new parking lot 8.
Each of the two classrooms in Unit 4100 can hold 40-50 people and the students sit among cow and llama skeletons.
Recently leveled were the dog kennels, which had various breeds of Setter dogs which were handy for both the farm work and the veterinary studies, as were the pigs that have been relocated since.
After being renovated less than a year ago, the three part housing complex for the farm staff was demolished before ever being fully occupied again.
Dennis Washburn of the Foundation For Pierce College has witnessed the Ag Days continue on for his part of its 35 years running.
His purpose as Executive Director is to bring attention and resources to bring in funding that is not otherwise provided for the college by the state.
“We need to hold onto its potential, because in five or ten years, the economy will be more based on agriculture and local agriculture,” Washburn said, pointing out Pierce’s special situation being a farm within urban confines.
Washburn, however, fears that the positive progress which the Farm Center is experiencing will not satisfy the administration and that they might go back on the lease agreement.
When Pierce no longer wanted the land across Winnetka and sold it to LAUSD for the occupational center, the buyers turned around another sale for a small housing development and promised a stipend of $10,000 per year to Pierce for its effects on farming.
According to Jeanne Thompson, an Agriculture Science Alumni and Pierce Farm worker, Pierce does not nor ever can expect that from such deals.
For a patron visiting the Farm Center, Marcus Strut, 53, “Great that they have generated operations to raise money for school, versus the old unit in the classrooms that sold fruits and dairy.” Strut said.
Along with producing a steady income, the Foundation’s efforts have laid a Legal groundwork for the future projects that will effectively save the 225 acres of open farmland according to Washburn.
Pierce now boards a herd of Cattle for part of the year from a farm to graze the land, and 18 horses which are used for Pierce studies. Eggs have been produced continuously across from 4100 in the hen coop.
Four events are now put on yearly: Ag Days, Farm Walk, the newly added Heritage Days, and the Harvest festival in October which features the iconic corn maze.
The Market at the Farm Center is located at the corner of De Soto and Victory and is open daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
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