Congresswoman Luz Rivas and Los Angeles City Councilwoman Imelda Padilla recently announced plans for two new infrastructure projects to help beautify and improve community safety in Panorama City and North Hills.
Rivas, who represents California’s 29th District, secured $250,000 in federal funding for sidewalk improvements near the intersection of Terra Bella Street and Wakefield Avenue in Panorama City. The funds will be used to purchase and install sidewalks, curbs, gutters and ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act)-compliant ramps.
The project will also include new signage and crosswalks, with the key goals of improving safety and access to nearby businesses, schools and homes, according to Rivas. She said one of the problems the project will help rectify is the flooding that happens in the vicinity whenever it rains.
“We were running into a multitude of issues,” added Padilla, who represents the 6th District. “A lot of families were not feeling comfortable walking over to the local elementary [and there are] parking issues. But, of course, the flooding is something that is never helpful on rainy days and makes it almost impossible for our families who live around here to be able to walk over to the commercial sites.”
Rivas secured an additional $250,000 in funding for a new median at 8756 Parthenia Place in North Hills, also in partnership with Padilla, who identified both infrastructure projects. The public space, which is currently fenced, was previously rife with illegal dumping, said Padilla.
“This is a project that a lot of the community has been waiting for,” she said, describing it as a beautification project that will incorporate “the arts as well as California native plants.”
The funding will be used to replace the irrigation, install drought-tolerant landscaping and other elements, and for new signage to help improve public safety for area residents.
“This [project] is actually very personal to me, because this entire thing – beautifying and improving this [area] – actually started [back] when I was a field deputy in 2013,” said Padilla. “We’ve known that this community needs the attention, but this [median project] was sort of like the missing piece.
“What we needed was the funding,” she continued, thanking Rivas for facilitating both projects.
The combined $500,000 for the local projects is part of nearly $15 million in federal funding Rivas has secured for her district for the current fiscal year.