Advocates urge council to halt dismantling of BlueLA EV car‑share stations in South and East Los Angeles

Community members and mobility advocates used the City Council’s public‑comment period to press the city to halt plans that would remove 40 BlueLA electric car‑share stations from South and East Los Angeles and to insist that any reallocation of state funds be delayed until replacement services are guaranteed.

Speakers at the meeting said the Los Angeles Department of Transportation (LADOT) has failed to implement equitable clean‑mobility investments and that removing the stations would worsen long‑standing access gaps in South and East LA. "LADOT has failed to uphold its commitments to expanding EV car share in South and in East LA," said Neda Quintanilla, a transit advocate who addressed the council during public comment. She urged the council to delay the vote on council file 20‑1041‑S5 and to halt dismantling until a publicly reviewed transition plan is developed.

Another commenter, Ivana, who works on community engagement for BlueLA issues, asked the council to direct LADOT not to reallocate $1,500,000 in CARB STEP funds without first earmarking replacement funds and to hold LADOT accountable for the allocation rationale. Cydis Barrios and other speakers repeated calls for transparency, emphasizing that South of MLK covers 39 square miles and some 650,000 residents who lack comparable clean‑mobility options.

Why it matters: Advocates framed the BlueLA stations as an important clean‑mobility resource for parts of the city they say have been treated as transportation deserts. They asked the council to ensure equitable access to EV car sharing, e‑bikes and scooters, rather than allowing resources to be reallocated without replacement commitments.

Council action and status: The council agenda had council file 20‑1041‑S5 scheduled; speakers noted the item had been rescheduled to a later meeting (the transportation committee had moved the item from Friday to Tuesday). At the time of public comment the council had not voted on the requested hold; advocates asked councilmembers to remove the item from the agenda until LADOT provided full transparency on funding allocation and a public transition plan.

Next steps: Advocates asked council offices to direct LADOT to freeze any dismantling of BlueLA stations in affected council districts and to present a publicly reviewed plan that ensures replacement services for South and East LA residents before funds are reallocated.

Ending: The council did not take an on‑the‑record action on the BlueLA requests during the public‑comment period; the item remains scheduled for committee consideration per the council calendar.