A new live events venue is set to open later this month in Canoga Park, Councilmember Bob Blumenfield announced in his newsletter this week.

Rendering of the Taxco TheatreCouncilmember Bob Blumenfield

The renovated Taxco Theatre, which will be located in the former Clyde Porter Playhouse, is described as a "one-of-a-kind," facility which is being managed by the Department of Cultural Affairs. It will be an "arts incubator," where Los Angeles-based artists will have the opportunity to develop theater, dance, and music productions in a venue with 125 seats.

The project was born out of the larger Canoga Park Arts Hub initiative, which also includes the renovation of the Madrid Theatre.

Here's what we're reading this week:

From ‘train to nowhere’ to Fresno’s dream: What high-speed rail means for the Central Valley "In five years, Fresno’s core will be transformed into the first major hub on America’s most ambitious active infrastructure project: a 500-mile bullet train shuttling people 200-plus mph from San Francisco to Los Angeles in under three hours. But unlike Interstate 5, the state’s north-south connector, it’ll run through the heart of the Central Valley. " (CalMatters)

Traffic fatalities eclipse murders in Los Angeles in 2023 "Year-end data shows the number of homicides and shootings declined, police shootings, retail theft increased" (NBC 4)

As ‘Mansion Taxes’ Catch On in US Cities, Los Angeles Offers Lessons "Amid backlash and a tough housing market, a new tax intended to fund affordable housing is bringing in far less money than projected." (Bloomberg)

As EVs gain traction, how will California pay for road repair? "A new report from the Legislative Analyst’s Office warns that loss of state fuel tax revenues could have dire consequences for the upkeep of roadways. Taxes on gasoline and diesel fuel now total about $14.2 billion a year. More than $4 billion annually could disappear by 2035, when the state’s ban on the sale of new fossil fuel cars takes full effect." (LA Times)

Rendering of a Sepulveda Line station in Sherman OaksMetro

Metro's Sepulveda Transit Corridor Project sparks fierce debate among riders Is the debate truly among riders? Or is it riders (and 93 percent of the public) versus a handful of loud voices in Bel-Air and Sherman Oaks? (Spectrum News)

Eyes on the Street: Parking Protected Bike Lanes on Variel "Recent road diet parking-protected bike lanes connect residential developments to the G Line bike/walk path" (Streetsblog LA)

Eyes on the Street: Short Bike Path Under Construction, Part of LAX People Mover Project "The new path won't quite make the car-centric airport area bike-friendly, but it will connect cyclists to the future Metro Airport Connector station, serving the K Line and LAX people mover" (Streetsblog LA)

Housing Advocates Sue City Of LA For Stalling Affordable Housing Near Single-Family Homes "ED1 was designed to speed up L.A.’s notoriously slow process for greenlighting new low-income housing. Bass said her administration would approve applications for 100% affordable housing projects within 60 days and issue building permits within five days....But in June, six months after signing ED1, Bass changed the rules to deny fast-tracking for any project located near single-family homes. Dozens of projects away from single-family homes have since moved forward in renter-heavy parts of the city such as South L.A. But nine projects proposing to bring more than 1,400 income-restricted apartments to the San Fernando Valley were left in limbo as a result." (LAist)

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