(July 13, 2019, 9:55 a.m., updated 4:00 p.m.) -- Just hours before 2nd dist. Council candidate Robert Fox's first campaign fundraiser and two days before a planned demonstration (July 15) against the controversial Broadway corridor "road diet" (between Alamitos and Redondo Aves.), 2nd dist. Council incumbent has webposted a Facebook statement listing a series of changes and actions that she says will be forthcoming:

[Pearce Facebook text, July 13, approx.7 a.m. hour] My team and spent all week on the broadway corridor. We talked to business we hadn't yet, we surveyed the changes and on Friday I had Pat West and Craig Beck join me on the corridor to see exactly how we could improve the corridor.

Here’s what we heard this week:

1. There were spots in front of my business removed

2. Business went down during construction and after, but it’s back up now

3. Loading zones are needed for restaurants

4. I watched buses not pull all the in the red zone, but stop well before where the bus bench was - meaning there is space for additional parking

Nothing we didn't already know. But I needed action, so I invited Pat and Craig to survey for themselves and to give me a plan on how they would remedy the challenges from this city project. What's going to happen next:

1. Red curbs at all bus stops will be reduced, the benches pushed closer to the intersection- this will create 1-2 spots at every intersection.

2. The new spots will be loading zones for a period of time and then will be overnight parking

3. The black parking blocks will be moved 18 inches to give more space for cars.

4. Where the intersections do not have a 4 was stop, signage or paint will indicate for the bike lane to watch for traffic

5. [drum roll icon] I will agendize an item to change trash pick up to 4am.

6. Cross walk at Esperanza

As promised changes are coming.

We also heard A LOT of miss [sic] understandings, false numbers, and questions on why the bike lane was on the inside. - this street is designed to save lives, slow traffic. We are still working to improve what the traffic engineers designed - to have it match with how we all move in corridor.

Thank you to those that reach out with solutions and work with us to improve our neighborhoods.

[Scroll down for further.]

Initial visible responses on Councilwoman Pearce's Facebook page were mostly (but not universally) thankful for the actions, but stopped well short of satisfying candidate Robert Fox. He told LBREPORT.com by phone: "Making tweaks to corridor? Really? How many millions did she spend getting it wrong in the first place? You cannot tweak this thing. It needs to be reconfigured."

Fox has repeatedly cited both safety impacts as well as business impacts in holding Pearce responsible for allowing city staff to install the vehicle lane-shrinking/parking-impacting (Fox adds driver-vision obstructing/accident inviting) Broadway "road diet" despite mounting public opposition.

Mr. Fox added that he may issue a more formal statement on the matter in the coming hours and will likely speak to it at his campaign event tonight (which he scheduled along the Broadway corridor at Gallagher's Pub 6-8 p.m.) Mr. Fox added that he very much plans to proceed with a planned public demonstration against the Broadway "road diet" on July 15 (area Broadway Cherry/Junipero) (details coming.)

LBREPORT.com has also invited comment from candidate Jeanette Barrera, pending as we report.

[UPDATE: Formal statements by Mr. Fox and Ms. Barrera are reported in our follow-up here.]

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For weeks, Mr. Fox has publicly blasted incumbent Pearce for her action (he charges inaction) regarding the Broadway "road diet," citing it in announncing his candidacy at a June 13 meeting of the Alamitos Beach Neighborhood Association (LBREPORT.com coverage here.) (At the June 13 meeting, Ms. Barrera was more restrained in her comments on the Broadway "road diet," acknowledging it has created issues but saying she prefers a longer term view to address traffic, transportation and mobility issues.)

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"The straw that broke the camel's back for me was the careless reconfiguration of the Broadway Corridor which has lead [sic] to mroe car accidents in one month than we have seen in 35 years. But that was only the cherry on top of the hot mes that Councilwoman Jeannine Pearce has created for the 2nd District, and the embarrassment that her shameful behavior has brought to the City. We must unseat Jeannine Pearce in order to bring acountability, transparency, and acessibility back to the Council Office of the Second District..."

Mr. Fox, a veteran grassroots activist (stretching back to opposition to "crackerbox" apartment density in the 1980s), most recently revitalized LB's Council of Neighborhood Organizations (CONO) and ignited citywide opposition to city staff sought density increases in a revised Land Use Element. Mr. Fox has criticized Pearce for allowing building height increases in the LUE in already parking impacted 2nd district neighborhoods. He was also among supporters of an unsuccessful effort (by others) to recall her.

Developing.

Developing.

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