Resident installed stop signs and says he was arrested; city traffic engineer: study found no four‑way stop warrants

At the start of public comment, Joseph Bramlin (S10) told the council he and neighborhood residents repeatedly requested four‑way stop signs at the Loma Vista and Acacia intersection near Acacia Park and that, after an apparent study, staff had installed painted crosswalks rather than stop signs. Bramlin said he spent about $1,000 installing temporary signs and stencils because he feared a child would be struck; during the effort he said he was stopped by a police officer and arrested and charged with felony counts, then taken to the Hawthorne jail. “I took it upon myself to install stop signs… I spent $1,000 in my own money,” Bramlin said, and submitted 73 letters from nearby households asking the city to readdress the intersection.

Traffic Engineer Elias (S19) responded during council comments that the intersection had been studied in October 2024 and again in March 2025 and that “the volumes are simply not there. It did not meet the warrants.” Elias said staff installed marked ladder‑style crosswalks on all approaches at four nearby intersections to increase driver attention, and that the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) criteria prevent installing a four‑way stop without meeting the statutory warrants. He said the traffic committee sends study responses to requestors and that staff tried to accommodate the neighborhood with crosswalks.

Council members asked whether the study could be made public; Elias said the traffic committee response goes back to the individual requestor and staff would share results with residents who ask. The council did not take formal action but asked staff to confirm communication with the requesting residents.

Next steps: staff to locate and share traffic study results with the requestor and to review whether additional mitigation beyond marked crosswalks is appropriate.