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Residents raise safety, parking and YMCA concerns during public comment
Summary
During public comment at the Jan. 29 council meeting residents raised safety concerns about the Rio Hondo bike path, traffic and signal changes, RVs and inoperable vehicles, and urged support for a YMCA project; the clerk noted two written correspondences were filed for the record.
Residents used the public-comment period at Wednesday’s council meeting to raise several neighborhood concerns and to urge city support for community amenities.
The city clerk reported two written submissions filed for the record: correspondence from Gonzalo Espinosa about safety on the Rio Hondo bike path and a letter from Zachary Young asserting that Downey is not business-friendly. During the in-person public comment period, speakers raised multiple issues:
- Traffic and signal changes: A resident said that a Caltrans redesign at Lakewood and Vista de la Rosa removed a left-turn arrow and urged the city to press Caltrans to restore safe left-turn access to the neighborhood. The mayor said staff is contacting Caltrans and that the city had no input on that change.
- Public-safety and nuisance behavior: Several residents reported public urination and disorder near a retaining wall and other neighborhood hotspots; one speaker said current police response procedures require officers to witness incidents and expressed frustration with enforcement thresholds.
- RVs and inoperable vehicles: Councilmembers earlier noted repeated constituent emails about RVs, trailers and inoperable vehicles parked on streets and in yards; council members said the city has recently hired additional code-enforcement staff and will discuss expanding parking enforcement.
- YMCA funding and community space: A new resident urged the council to prioritize community spaces for young families and said a YMCA project had lost a $5 million county-level grant after the city did not secure an additional $1.5 million in matching funds; the mayor later noted the YMCA subsequently received additional funding from another source.
Speakers also requested follow-up from staff on neighborhood traffic and homeless encampment concerns; public-works and police staff were asked to follow up with residents making those requests.
