SAFE is here to serve the people of Los Angeles and California. Our success is measured not by numbers alone, but by the lives we touch and the communities we help strengthen.

Thanks to hundreds of volunteers and advocates who have shown up, spoken out, and taken action, we’ve been able to do more, take on more projects, and save more lives.

If you look at this map of SAFE Grassroots Advocacy Projects, you’ll see we have 28 different advocacy projects happening across Southern California. There is too much going on for a single blog, but we are going to roll out info on ALL of our projects over the next several newsletters and also work to improve our website so you can stay updated on progress as it happens.

If you would like to help on any of these projects, please contact me - the Director of LA County Advocacy, Brett Slaughenhaupt - at Brett@StreetsAreForEveryone.org or sign up as a SAFE volunteer.

Slowing Down Speeding Drivers in Los Angeles, Glendale, and Long Beach

In 2023, after years of advocacy and close collaboration with Assemblymember (now Congressmember) Laura Friedman, AB 645, the California Speed Safety Systems Pilot Program was passed. This groundbreaking policy allows six cities across California (including three in Southern California: Glendale, Long Beach, and the City of Los Angeles) to pilot speed safety systems to reduce speeding and improve conditions on high-injury corridors and in vulnerable areas, such as school zones.

While San Francisco already has their speed cameras ticketing speeding drivers and making roads safer, implementation in all three Southern California cities has been slow, leaving vulnerable road users at continued risk of injury or death.

SAFE is actively working with local advocates and partner organizations to push for the timely and effective rollout of this critical safety program. Most recently, we published a report on the status of all six pilot cities and Malibu, which you can read here.

Bike to Dodger Stadium

Looking ahead to the 2028 Olympics and the LA Mayor’s call for a car-lite Olympics, SAFE is working to combine Angelenos’ love for the Dodgers with their enthusiasm for group bike rides. We’re planning to launch "Bike to Dodger Stadium," a group ride that will demonstrate cycling as a fun and viable way to get to and from the stadium.

The first ride is scheduled to take place during a Dodgers game. Stay tuned for more updates on this soon!

Clean Ride Crew

Los Angeles County can always use more safe, accessible, and maintained bike infrastructure.

In an effort to highlight its need and bring together volunteers for a morning of fun, SAFE hosts a monthly Clean Ride Crew event, partnering with a local group to clean up a stretch of protected bike path.

Since 2023, we have hosted over 20 events, gathering hundreds of volunteers and cleaning hundreds of miles of bike path.

Most recently, SAFE expanded our Clean Ride Crew program by creating a very exciting partnership with Council District 13 to conduct bi-monthly cleanings of…

Clean Ride Crew – Hollywood Blvd. Bike Lane Sweeping

In October of this year, SAFE and Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martinez (CD13) unveiled a brand new electric bike lane sweeper on October 11.

After a community naming competition, the bike sweeper was announced as… Sweeping Beauty.

Since then, our Clean Ride Crew Coordinator, Kayla Hankins, has been working to keep Hollywood Blvd. clean and accessible for cyclists and pedestrians.

You can read more about the Sweeping Beauty in our blog post here, and if you happen to see Kayla and Sweeping Beauty out and about, don’t hesitate to say hello!

Fix PCH

In October 2023, four Pepperdine University seniors and sorority sisters were killed on PCH by a driver speeding at 104 MPH along a stretch of road the locals know as Dead Man’s Curve.

At the time, this was the 58th fatality along the 21 mile stretch of PCH through the City of Malibu since 13-year-old Emily Shane was hit and killed in 2010.

Past community members have demanded change but got little. SAFE stepped up to work with Malibu residents and the Emily Shane Foundation through the community group Fix PCH to push for PCH to be a safer road for drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians.

The work has been challenging, and there’s a long way to go, but there are some definite successes:

SAFE and Fix PCH installed the first-ever PCH Ghost Tire Memorial with tires representing every person killed since 2010, now 61 tires total.
Caltrans has already invested several million dollars in immediate safety improvements (though a lot more is needed).
The LA County Sheriff’s Dept. and CHP have increased the number of traffic officers patrolling the area for speeding or dangerous drivers.
SAFE successfully secured approval for SB 1297, which designates the City of Malibu as a location for the installation of speed safety systems to enforce speed laws. These systems are slated to start ticketing reckless drivers in late 2025 or early 2026.
Caltrans completed a PCH Master Plan Feasibility Study to help guide and coordinate future safety improvements for PCH.
SAFE worked to get AB 1014 approved, which will allow Caltrans to slow PCH speeds in high-injury areas for safety.

And perhaps our most important win, which we wrote about in November, the Malibu City Council voted to uphold the Planning Commission’s decision to support Caltrans’s PCH Safety Project, a $55 million once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to rebuild and make PCH safer for everyone. This would not have been possible without the help of everyone who sent in letters of support and spoke at numerous meetings, making sure the Council knew how important this was to the community.

Looking ahead at upcoming improvements for PCH: Caltrans will invest another $70 million as part of a repaving and safety improvement project on PCH from Santa Monica to the City of Malibu. This will start in 2027 and finish in 2029. Stay tuned!

World Day of Remembrance

Every year, on the third Sunday of November, is World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims, an international day of remembrance designated by the United Nations.

This year, SAFE led a coalition of partner nonprofit organizations and local and state agencies to gather and place 711 black chairs, each adorned with a single yellow rose, throughout the Caltrans and LAPD plazas to represent every life lost to traffic violence in Los Angeles County in 2024. Along with the art installation of empty chairs, we held a press conference and hosted a safety village for the community to engage with road safety advocates.

Along with the event, SAFE was honored to have the World Day of Remembrance and our work for traffic safety recognized by local legislators throughout the county. We were recognized by the LA County Board of Supervisors, the LA City Council, and the West Hollywood City Council. You can read more about the event here.

Bike Path Report Card

Over the past few years, SAFE has been leading an important effort to evaluate and improve the safety and quality of bike paths across Los Angeles County.

Our Bike Path Report Card project invites volunteers to assess segments of Class I and IV bike paths during their regular rides, collecting vital data to support better cycling infrastructure. The evaluations focus on key factors such as safety, surface quality, accessibility, and connectivity.

The Bike Path Report Card project is currently being revamped with updated bike maps from LA Metro and is expected to be back up and running in the new year. We are always looking for passionate cyclists to join us as volunteer graders and help keep the initiative strong.

Closing the LA River Bike Path Gap

The LA River Bike Path is a much-beloved option for cyclists and pedestrians due to its separation from the roadway, making it safer to ride, run, and walk without fear of speeding vehicles.

In a perfect world, someone starting in the San Fernando Valley could make their way to Long Beach along one path. However, that is not the current reality. We are working to push the city to prioritize closing the gaps.

Griffith Park Safety Improvements

In 2023, following the tragic death of Andrew Jelmert, who was struck and killed while cycling on Crystal Springs Drive in Griffith Park, SAFE brought together local residents and advocates to demand meaningful safety improvements. This group became known as the Griffith Park Action Team.

The Griffith Park Action team led advocacy efforts to close Griffith Park Dr. and turn it into a pedestrian, bicycle, and equestrian path.

Also, in response to continued pressure, $4 million was earmarked for upgrades, and the first Griffith Park Safety and Active Transportation Safety Plan was completed.

For too long, Los Angeles has prioritized cut-through traffic over park users.

Drivers often use park roads to access the 5 or 134 freeways, often at dangerously high speeds. These same roads are shared by families, runners, cyclists, and visitors simply trying to enjoy the park’s vital green space.

While we’ve seen some progress, such as the closure of Griffith Park Drive, much more remains to be done. After years of starts and stops, Phase III of the plan, which involves reconstructing Crystal Springs Dr., is finally moving forward.

The Griffith Park Action Team will continue to work to ensure Griffith Park is safe and welcoming for all who use it, not just those passing through in cars. We welcome your involvement in this effort!

Deadly Del Mar

Vista Del Mar in Playa del Rey has long been at the center of road safety concerns.

Recently, a group of local residents reached out to SAFE to restart the conversation on the need to slow down speeding traffic and protect pedestrians heading to Dockweiler Beach.

Through ongoing efforts, including speed surveys, community outreach, and collaboration with the local Council District office, we’re working to create safer conditions for both the roadway and the surrounding neighborhood. Our goal is clear: to prevent future injuries and save lives.

Recently, The Washington Post highlighted our efforts to uncover the dangerous circumstances along “Deadly Del Mar” in an article about LA’s Vision Zero failures.

SAFE will be releasing a report on our efforts in the new year.

Marvin Braude Bike Path Restoration

Elsewhere in Playa del Rey, SAFE worked closely with Supervisor Holly Mitchell and her office to move forward in fixing a portion of the Marvin Braude Bike Path along Dockweiler Beach.

A motion in October committed funding to restore and realign the bike path, so cyclists and pedestrians will once again have 22 miles of uninterrupted protected path to use.

Mode Shift Action Team

SAFE is gathering a group of volunteers interested in creating campaigns/calls to action around policies related to car culture and public/active transportation.

This new effort will work to create greater transparency about the need for better access and awareness of alternative ways to get around, and the barriers that keep people from using them throughout the County. SAFE highlighted one barrier related to first and last mile connections to transportation, sent to us by an advocate here.

South LA Street Racing/Takeovers Task Force

Illegal street racing and takeovers continue to be an ever-present issue across Los Angeles, but it hits certain areas of the city especially hard.

Los Angeles County decided to convene a committee of local government officials and nonprofit organizations to discuss policies and initiatives to curb growth and to offer alternative pathways for participants in these activities.

In April of this year, SAFE helped support Supervisor Holly Mitchell’s motion “Increasing Penalties for Illegal Street Takeover Organizers and Spectators and Removing Posts and Demonetizing Profiles that Promote Illegal Sideshows on Major Social Media Platforms, which were passed by the Board and covered by local outlets.

Caltrans District 7 Complete Streets Advisory Committee

SAFE sits on the advisory committee, providing input and recommendations as District 7 Caltrans moves forward with implementing its active transportation plan, to ensure it meets walk and bike safety objectives.

Angelino Heights

Street racing and sideshows (street takeovers, donuts, and burnouts) are increasingly problematic in Southern California.

Angelino Heights has become a tourist destination for illegal street racing and dangerous stunts, driven by landmarks there, such as Bob’s Market, made iconic by the Fast and Furious franchise. It’s been a recurring problem for years and is only getting worse.

SAFE and Street Racing Kills worked with residents to organize a high-profile protest to call attention to the problem in their community, to demand change from the city and state, and to request that NBCUniversal take action to make good on the long-term detrimental effects the filming of Fast and Furious films has brought to the community.

While some safety improvements have been made, such as installing bollards around Marion Park, these measures are just a first step.

We are now working to set up a community action group and to bring in additional community partners to explore funding opportunities for a more permanent green space. This effort will aim not only to calm traffic and improve safety but also to beautify and preserve the character of this historic neighborhood.

Safe Routes to School Efforts in South LA and Paramount

Derick Serrano, a 12-year-old boy, was walking home from school when he was struck and killed by a car while crossing the Vernon and Wadsworth intersection in South Los Angeles.

It should not take the death of a child for the city to prioritize safer streets.

Since that tragic incident, SAFE has been working alongside LA ACCE to advocate for critical road improvements to protect children and families. This work also aims to raise broader awareness about the urgent need for slower, safer roads for pedestrians.

After months of hard work, Councilmember Curren Price announced a $1 million investment in the intersection to install a traffic signal and pedestrian crossings. You can read more about this major win here.

Walk Audit

In Paramount, we are collaborating with California Walks (Cal Walks), UC Berkeley SafeTREC, and local advocates to address hazardous street conditions near Mark Keppel Elementary and Dominguez High School.

As part of this effort, we conducted a neighborhood walk audit and hosted a Comunidades Activas y Seguras (Safe and Active Communities, or CAyS) workshop to engage the community and identify targeted solutions.

Pearblossom Highway

Pearblossom Highway 138 has been the location for many crashes and deaths due to unsafe road conditions.

A group of local advocates are working with the County to bring to light the many issues at play to create a safer roadway.

Most recently, they met with key decision-makers, including Assemblymember Juan Carrillo, along with Caltrans and LA County Department of Public Works staff, to tour the roadway and discuss the need for safety improvements. You can read more about this here.

Pine Mountain Club

Local advocates are working to raise awareness of the dangers of driving on mountain roads at high speeds. Additionally, they are working to improve pedestrian and bike infrastructure that is separated from cars.

Again, if you would like to help on any of these projects, please contact me at Brett@StreetsAreForEveryone.org or sign up as a SAFE volunteer!

A Look at SAFE’s Advocacy Projects Across Los Angeles County in 2025