I want to bring you up to speed about two motions I recently introduced to improve the quality of life of my constituents. The first will utilize LA traffic officers to cut down on congestion at two Studio City intersections, and the second will create a sensible temporary parking permit program to relax ticketing on residential streets where parking restrictions currently exist. White Glove ServiceAnyone who has driven through the Studio City intersections of Laurel Canyon Boulevard and Mulholland Drive or Coldwater Canyon and Ventura Boulevard during morning rush hour knows there is often a massive volume of traffic backed up in all directions. Drivers get understandably frustrated and commuter and pedestrian safety is compromised as turn lanes stay clogged and cars get caught in the middle of the street.These busy intersections are jammed up for a number of reasons. Studio City is a popular place to live, Ventura is a bustling commercial corridor and these streets provide an alternative transit route to the basin for drivers who don't want to idle on the southbound 101 parking lot. But the main reason traffic is so bad is that there are far more vehicles traveling through these intersections during the morning rush today than they were originally intended to accommodate. For some time, I have searched for smart, cost-effective ways to help alleviate traffic at these intersections. Recently, at my direction, the LA Department of Transportation conducted a congestion survey to investigate traffic problems at Laurel Canyon and Mulholland and Coldwater and Ventura. The results didn't surprise me at all: they found the congestion to be very high. I'll go further than that - I find it unacceptable. Both intersections qualify for deployment under a city program that permits the placement of LA traffic officers at key intersections. As a way to alleviate traffic and improve your morning commute, I introduced a motion to create a six-month pilot program that will bring LADOT traffic officers out to direct traffic at these intersections during morning hours. The pilot program will begin this month and last through June. During the pilot program, I will seek ways to reduce congestion more permanently. Having a white-gloved traffic officer in the middle of each intersection during the morning rush should dramatically improve the flow of traffic, increase pedestrian safety and make your drive safer and more enjoyable.Common-Sense Parking PermitsI also introduced a motion to create a common-sense, temporary parking permit program for residential streets with time restrictions or preferential parking restrictions. This is important because people who live on such streets find it challenging to have friends over for get-togethers or even to receive deliveries. Right now, the city allows for temporary permits, but the system is makeshift and cumbersome. Under my plan, instead of living in fear of tickets, the city would create a standardized temporary parking permit program that would be easy to use and treat all requests equally and fairly. Ideally, people would be able to apply online, pay a small fee and get a temporary permit that grants a piece of mind and short-term parking relief.Please let me know what you think by emailing me at [email protected] or calling me at213-473-7002. I'm confident that we'll see positive results from these motions very soon.