Councilmember Paul Koretz and his staff would like to share with you the following construction updates regarding the Mulholland Bridge and the 1-405 San Diego Freeway provided by Metro:

ATTENTION RESIDENTS AND BUSINESSES IN THE VICINITY OF THE MULHOLLAND BRIDGE AND THE I-405 SAN DIEGO FREEWAY

The contractor is scheduled to implement additional full directional freeway closures in order to further construct the falsework structure for the Mulholland Bridge. The falsework structure is designed to facilitate the reconstruction by providing temporary support to the bridge. The directional full freeway closures will be from the 101 freeway to the Getty Center Dr. ramps, weather permitting. Each night, ramps within the freeway closure limits may begin to close as early as 7:00 pm and freeway lanes will begin to close as early as 11:00 pm, leading up to the full directional freeway closure between 1:00 am and 6:00 am.

Anticipated closure schedule:

March 23 - Northbound I-405 freeway from Getty Center Drive to Ventura Blvd. (freeway lanes closures staring at 11:00 pm)

March 24 - Southbound I-405 freeway from the 101 freeway to Getty Center Dr. (freeway lanes closures staring at 11:00 pm)

What: Falsework construction to support the reconstruction of the Mulholland Bridge

When: Full directional freeway closures are anticipated to resume Friday, March 23, 2012, and occur for a total of approximately two nights, weather permitting. Each night, ramps within the freeway closures limits may begin to close as early as 7:00 pm and freeway lanes will begin to close as early as 11:00 pm, leading up to the full directional freeway closure beginning at 1:00 am.

Where: Between the Getty Center Dr. ramps to the 101 freeway

What to expect:

- Sepulveda Blvd. will remain open during the nights of the full directional freeway closures and will be used as a detour route. Detour maps are available at www.metro.net/405

- Emergency access will be maintained at all times

- For a listing of daily closures and latest updates visit our website at www.metro.net/405 or follow us on twitter: twitter.com/I_405 and Facebook at facebook.com/405project

This Sunday, March 18, is the 27th Annual City of Los Angeles Marathon, and while it is a wonderful experience for many participants and spectators, it is always going to involve street closures, which can be a source of inconvenience to those trying to get from one place to another during the relevant hours.

Official street closures along the route are: http://www.lamarathon.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/Course-Closures-20121.pdf

Street closures that are not along the actual route but that will be closed except for local access are: http://www.lamarathon.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/2012-Additional-Street-Closures1.pdf
Please drive with special caution due to the rare presence of the marathon in our city – especially if the streets are wet with rain – and visit the official website (www.lamarathon.com) for a lot of background information and any updates.

The course for the 26.2 mile race is the same as last year, reaching from Dodger Stadium to the Santa Monica and the ocean.  The marathon starts Sunday morning at 6:55 a.m. for people with wheelchairs, 7:00 a.m. for those with hand cycles, and 7:25 for everyone else who is participating, but street closures along the route will have happened by 3:15 a.m. that morning with signage to that effect posted, and a temporarily restricted, no-parking policy will be strictly enforced.  The route has been carefully shaped through a coordinated process that includes significant input from the LAPD, LAFD and LADOT. Those who suffer the unfortunate fate of having their vehicles ticketed and towed to an Official Police Garage should call (213) 485-4184 and select Option 2 or go online at http://www.opgla.com/. 

The official course map can be found here:  http://www.lamarathon.com/event/course-map/

Congratulations to all who take part, and thanks to all those who make this huge event possible. Stay safe and sound and have fun, everyone!

March 7th Press Conference featuring L.A. Councilmember Paul Koretz and animal welfare advocates opposing the repeal of the Hayden law (that protects shelter animals from premature euthanasia)

WHAT: Currently, in Sacramento, there is an attempt to repeal the Animal Adoption Mandate -- the so-called "Hayden Law" -- that requires that animal shelters hold stray dogs and cats for 4-6 days (depending on the hours that the shelter is open to the public to redeem or adopt animals). If repeal is allowed to occur, the State would revert back to the old law of holding them for only 72 hours before killing/euthanizing them. Obviously, this would lead to many animals being killed in shelters, often before owners desperately searching for lost pets are able to retrieve them alive. The attempt to repeal the Animal Adoption Mandate (Hayden Law) also calls for eliminating the requirement for shelters to provide lost-found posting opportunities, record-keeping, and necessary and prompt veterinary care. It would allow shelters to immediately euthanize all animals besides cats and dogs valued as pets, such as rabbits, pot-bellied pigs, hamsters, turtles, reptiles and cats.. After the conclusion of the press conference, during that morning's City Council meeting, Councilmember Koretz will be introducing a resolution urging the State not to repeal the Hayden law, which will have a devastating affect on animal shelters throughout CA. Humane organizations and elected officials at all levels of government are working to have this taken off the repeal list.

WHEN: 9:00 a.m., Wednesday, March 7, 2012

WHO: 5th District Councilmember Koretz will be joined by Judie Mancuso, president of Social Compassion in Legislation, Heigl Foundation, Best Friends Animal Society, Take Me Home Animal Rescue, The Paw Project, Stray Cat Alliance, Last Chance for Animals, REVA Foundation, Coalition for Pets and Public Safety, Operation Blankets of Love and other animal welfare groups and individuals – along with a dog and a cat from our city animal shelters, to be adopted out!

WHERE: Los Angeles City Hall, Council Media Room (3rd Floor behind Council Chambers)

WHY: Councilmember Koretz says, “If the Hayden Law is repealed, countless animals across the State will unnecessarily be put down. Currently, this mandate establishes the frame work to save animals lives and help get companion animals adopted out of our shelters. If this law is repealed it will set our progress back decades.”

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CERT -- Community Emergency Response Teams -- is a wonderful community-based network of volunteer first-responders. They may be the first trained people on-site to help immediately when there's a major earthquake or other emergency, since our fire and police personnel maybe scrambling to answer countless calls for help. To find out more about how you can receive CERT training from our Los Angeles Fire Department and become part of a team, visit http://lafd.org/cert.htm .

Here are some great links regarding earthquake preparedness and safety.

ABC7 Earthquake Preparedness Guide

FEMA: Are you ready?

Be Red Cross Ready