Shake-up at LADOT

Gloria Jeff is out as L.A. transportation czar, according to The Times' Steve Hymon and David Zahniser:

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa today replaced the city transportation chief he once predicted would "be instrumental in easing traffic congestion." In March 2006, on a downtown bridge over the Hollywood Freeway, Villaraigosa held a news conference to announce his hiring of Gloria Jeff, who at the time was head of the Michigan Department of Transportation. On Thursday night, City Hall sources said, Jeff was told by the mayor's office that she had until Friday afternoon to resign or she would be fired. This afternoon, Villaraigosa sent out a news release announcing a "leadership change" in the Transportation Department, leaving it unclear whether Jeff had resigned or been fired. A few minutes after the news release was issued, Transportation Department spokesman Bruce Gillman told The Times that Jeff was still on the job. "She's had meetings and been here all day," Gillman said.

Comments

[Marcotico]

"Residents who are opposed to this because they want to continue living their suburban lifestyle within Los Angeles should actually move to the suburbs."

Dan W.

This is one of the few times I've disagreed with something you've written. (Unless I misunderstood you and you were referring to the bus lanes). The residents in question are hardly living the suburban lifestyle. These are latino neighborhoods, with high levels of walking to local stores, and multi-generational housing. The real opposition, is to the typical traffic engineer's solution of barrelling high speed traffic through pedestrian scale neighborhoods.

Think about the terrible historical examples, such as Geary Blvd in San Francisco, that destroyed a vibrant black neighborhood. That being said Octavia St is providing a new example of a high volume boulevard that still maintains pedestrian walkability. Hopefully this second example can be properly implemented.

[Pablo Escobar]

When I first heard about this I thought:
Ding dong the ?itch is dead; well, not really dead but at least out of LADOT. I can't believe after a nationwide search, this was the best Tony can come up with. Shows what kind of judgement he has. I'm surprised he got out of that reporters pants long enough to notice what a train wreck gloria was. I heard the Michigan DOT celebrated her departure 2 years ago and now LADOT is celebrating.

Now, if we can only get rid of the mayor!!

[Pablo Escobar]

When I first heard about this I thought:
Ding dong the ?itch is dead; well, not really dead but at least out of LADOT. I can't believe after a nationwide search, this was the best Tony can come up with. Shows what kind of judgement he has. I'm surprised he got out of that reporters pants long enough to notice what a train wreck gloria was. I heard the Michigan DOT celebrated her departure 2 years ago and now LADOT is celebrating.

Now, if we can only get rid of the mayor!!

[Ken Alpern]

Gloria, we hardly knew you. We're you too candid, or the right person for the right time? Were you too slow, or did you demand results from others who themselves were too slow?

Again, we hardly knew you...and it's anyone's guess if we'll ever know what the real story is behind your whirlwind tour of L.A.

[Dan W.]

According to L.A. City Beat, she was opposed to turning Olympic and Pico into one-way streets.

Hopefully, her successor will support them. Motorists are likely to lose a lane of traffic on Wilshire and possibly Santa Monica for bus lanes. Therefore, this may sense as a counterbalance.

Residents who are opposed to this because they want to continue living their suburban lifestyle within Los Angeles should actually move to the suburbs. Major metropolitan cities around the world have one-way streets.

[David Garcia]

That roar you hear is from the engineers at LADOT and probably a lot more people within the LADOT. This woman was a lousy hire from the beginning. I think it's hilarious that she left Michigan citing her distaste for politics. She was quoted in a Michigan paper when she left that state. Where did she think she was going? Idaho? Hello, wake up Mrs. GM. This is also indicative of our "distracted" little mayor who knows more about come ons than about traffic. The council is not much better especially with would be experts like Wendy Gruell. Left hand turn signals are the solution? Hmmm, real geniuses at work there. Next on the hit list should be the mayor himself.

[jay]

The problem is much bigger than one person, and it starts with the top. If our Mayor would have spend more time in the last 2 years fixing conjestion instead of running around on his wife, he may have come up with some creative ideas. Too bad there is always a scape goat for the in action of our eleected leaders. Let's hope his political future is as dim as the conjestion he has mitigated.