Los Angeles has started an important new chapter in its efforts to enhance transportation safety and mobility across the city.
As of August 18, 2025, the city has officially implemented a voter-approved measure aimed at ensuring that mobility and safety improvements are integrated into routine road maintenance projects.
This new initiative, known as Measure HLA, requires the city to employ upgrades outlined in the Mobility Plan 2035 whenever significant maintenance work is performed on designated streets.
The plan originated from the Mobility Plan 2035 that was recognized in 2015, which identified key networks for enhancing urban transportation through the installation of protected bike lanes, improvements to pedestrian signals, and the introduction of dedicated bus lanes, among other upgrades.
Measure HLA was passed by voters in March 2024 and subsequently became law in April of the same year.
The L.A. City Council, along with the City Attorney’s Office, has spent over a year developing strategies for implementing these upgrades effectively.
Most recently, Mayor Karen Bass approved the comprehensive implementation plan last month, enabling this significant step forward.
The significance of the implementation plan cannot be understated.
It provides an essential framework that aligns various city departments—such as Transportation, Public Works, LAPD, and LAFD—ensuring their coordinated efforts on street improvement projects.
Additionally, the plan outlines stipulations regarding when the city can exempt itself from following Measure HLA’s requirements during maintenance on Mobility Plan streets.
To ensure that residents have a voice in addressing potential discrepancies, the city has introduced an “administrative appeals process.”
This new procedure allows Los Angeles residents to formally challenge the city’s decisions should they believe that upgrades mandated by Measure HLA were overlooked.
Interestingly, this appeals process is a prerequisite before residents can pursue any legal actions regarding non-compliance with the measure.
To navigate the appeals process, residents can perform several important tasks which include checking a dedicated online dashboard that provides reports on Mobility Plan street projects.
If the city asserts a project is exempt from the Measure HLA requirements, it will provide the rationale for this decision on the dashboard.
For those who disagree with the city’s assessment, an appeal must be submitted within 30 days following the project’s posting on the dashboard.
On the dashboard’s bottom left corner, residents can find a clickable button that leads to an online form.
While filling out this form, residents will be asked for their personal information along with crucial details including:
1. The name and location of the project in question,
2. The grounds for the appeal,
3. The specific Mobility Plan upgrades that were omitted, and
4. The legal and factual justification for their appeal.
Some early appeals have raised issues about resurfacing work on Mobility Plan streets not reflected on the dashboard.
Therefore, it remains uncertain whether these kinds of appeals will be accepted by the Board of Public Works.
Joe Linton, who tracks these early appeals in his personal capacity and not as editor of Streetsblog LA, notes this ambiguity in his blog.
The situation is compounded by criticisms from advocacy group Streets For All, which supported Measure HLA.
The group expressed concerns in a July newsletter stating that the dashboard lacks sufficient information and is not compliant with what was envisioned in the measure.
So, what happens after an appeal is filed?
The implementation plan stipulates that the Board of Public Works must address appeals within 60 days from the appeal deadline.
If needed, the Board is allowed to extend this period by an additional 15 days to adequately review the cases.
Residents who submitted appeals can expect to be notified ten days prior to a hearing regarding their case.
Moreover, any decisions made by the Board concerning appeals will be reflected on the dashboard, keeping the process transparent.
As L.A. embarks on this new course of action through Measure HLA, the public’s engagement will be critical in ensuring that the city remains accountable for enhancing mobility and safety on its streets.
image source from：boyleheightsbeat
