The latest effort to restore service on the passenger rail line which carries Metrolink and Amtrak trains through San Clemente continues, with OCTA commencing work this week on a catchment wall to protect the coastal right-of-way from sliding soil and debris. The wall will stand between 10 and 15 feet high, and will span approximately 200 feet in length. Pending completion, passenger rail service could begin again in late March or early April.

Repair to rail right-of-way in San ClementeOCTA

This week, the L.A. County Board of Supervisors adopted a new motion from Supervisor Janice Hahn which sets the stage to potentially restart a shared use agreement between the County and LAUSD for shared use of the Walnut Park Elementary School campus. The potential 10-year agreement would continue the use of an existing nature park on the campus, and possibly open up access to the playground and multi-use field.

Despite its name, Walnut Park is notoriously starved of green space. The unincorporated community's first dedicated public park made its debut just last year.

Walnut Park Elementary campusLos Angeles County

“Like so many of our other dense urban communities, Walnut Park has nowhere else to build a space for sports and recreation, so we have to get creative. On evenings and weekends, this huge site in the heart of Walnut Park is locked up out of reach for families who have few other open spaces to turn to,” said Hahn in a news release. “We are ready to deliver sports and events to our residents here as soon as this agreement is finalized."

Here's what we're reading this week:

Rendering of a Brightline West train

New high-speed train from Vegas to SoCal will be a model for the nation — if it succeeds The LA Times takes a close look at Brightline West (LA Times)

Measure HLA Fact Check: Sidewalk Costs "The city says $200 million worth of annual ADA work is 'included in the cost' of Measure HLA, but the city is already on the hook for that ADA work anyway, so none of it should be included as HLA costs" (Streetsblog LA)

Main Street to Close for Installation of Automatic Bollards Feb 28 – March 1 (Culver City Crossroads)

Looking Southeast from the Southwestern Portion of Los Angeles State Historic ParkLA ART

Dodger Stadium gondola clears first (but not last) regulatory hurdle "The project still faces more approvals, stiff opposition from some residents, and a potential lawsuit, as residents fear displacement and cost overruns." (LA Public Press)

Forget California exodus. New Jersey residents lead an influx back into the Golden State "In recent years, California has experienced a net exodus to most other states, with experts attributing the population shift primarily to California’s high housing costs. But a handful of states have bucked that trend, sending transplants into the Golden State at a time when more people are moving out. New Jersey, one of the nation’s most densely populated states, has recently recorded the biggest net exodus of residents moving to California." (LA Times)

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