**FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE**
Contact: Daphne Bradford
daphneade@gmail.com
STOP the 90 Freeway Tear Down! Petition is driving 1,000 signatures per day
September 29, 2023 (Los Angeles, CA) - Daphne Bradford‘s STOP the 90 Freeway Tear Down! petition has received more than 3,000 signatures since it’s creation on September 26th. Averaging 1,000 signatures per day, Daphne, a 90 Freeway driver, created the change.org petition calling on Mayor Karen Bass and US Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, Supervisor Holly Mitchell, CA State Senator Lola Smallwood-Cuevas, CA State Assemblymember Isaac Bryan and the Del Rey Neighborhood Council to listen to the voices of their constituents and immediately withdraw their support for the $2 Million Marina Central Park "Reconnecting Communities" grant application. The grant request was submitted by Streets for All and their partners at SWA design firm to acquire funds for a feasibility study to analyze and justify the viability of demolishing the CA 90 Freeway.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass considers the CA 90 Freeway a “freeway to nowhere” in her support letter to Secretary Pete Buttigieg. “Mayor Bass has shocked many of us with this dismissive disrespectful ‘they don’t matter’ declaration. The people of Ladera Heights, Culver, City, Marina, Del, Rey, Westchester, Windsor Hills/View Park and surrounding communities use the 90 Freeway everyday for work, health care access, shopping, entertainment and other quality of life services. The CA 90 Freeway is a “freeway to everywhere” for many of us. We should have had a voice before the proposed feasibility study grant application was submitted. We should have a say before it is approved. Where is the democracy in this massive decision?,” states Daphne Bradford, the STOP the 90 Freeway Tear Down! organizer.
The proposed 90 freeway tear down has raised significant concerns among Los Angeles County District 2 residents of Ladera Heights, Marina del Rey, Windsor Hills, Culver City and Westchester regarding its potential disruptive public safety and quality of life consequences. While residents understand the need for infrastructure improvements and urban development, it is crucial that these decisions are made with careful consideration for constituents who will be most affected by them. Daphne Bradford is a 31 year resident of Ladera Heights, the 3rd most affluent African American community in the nation.
Although the Culver City Council wrote a letter of support, Culver City has wisely chosen to pass on being the leading agency for the CA 90 Freeway tear down. One significant reason is because Streets For All, a local nonprofit seeking federal funding for a feasibility study justifying the tear down, FAILED to gather input from community members – those who will bear the brunt of this decision. This lack of consideration for our voices is unacceptable!
The first question for the majority of the Los Angeles County residents is “who is the leading agency for the 90 freeway tear down application submitted to Secretary Pete Buttigieg?” Ladera Heights, Marina del Rey, Windsor Hills, Culver City and Westchester communities deserve an opportunity to express concerns, ask questions, propose alternatives if necessary, and ultimately shape decisions that will have long-lasting consequences for all residents. We insist on transparency and meaningful public participation throughout every stage.