Advocating for Extension of Transportation Sales Tax in Los Angeles

Los Angeles Councilmember Mike Bonin talks mobility on the Westside and the region. With another transportation sales tax extension in the works, Bonin sees a sunny future for LA, but no easy fix to end congestion.

1 minute read

March 30, 2014, 9:00 AM PDT

By Kevin Madden


The Planning Report recently spoke with Mike Bonin, the new councilmember of the City of Los Angeles’ 11th District, representing much of the Westside—Venice, Brentwood, the Pacific Palisades, Westchester. Bonin, a longtime aid to his predecessor Bill Rosendahl, is familiar with his district’s constituents, issues, and landscape. In the following interview, part one of two, Bonin speaks to transportation, to the need for a Measure R successor in Measure R-2, and to congestion challenges plaguing the Westside. Balancing a macro and micro vision of his district and the region’s mobility needs, he holds, is the necessary response to an issue that has no magic solution.

While Los Angeles has made strides in expanding its transit services, and while the Expo Line is due to connect Santa Monica with Downtown and Pasadena in the near future, the region stands faced with increased congestion and frustration. A jobs and housing imbalance draws hundreds of thousands of workers to the Westside each day, and to Bonin's constituents this is the issue most prominently affecting their way of life. Balancing small immediate changes important to his constituents with the long range regional vision of a transportation planner makes Bonin a smart advocate for realistic urban evolution across Southern California.

Friday, March 28, 2014 in The Planning Report

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

June 11, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Metrorail train pulling into newly opened subterranean station in Washington, D.C. with crowd on platform taking photos.

Congressman Proposes Bill to Rename DC Metro “Trump Train”

The Make Autorail Great Again Act would withhold federal funding to the system until the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), rebrands as the Washington Metropolitan Authority for Greater Access (WMAGA).

June 2, 2025 - The Hill

Large crowd on street in San Francisco, California during Oktoberfest festival.

The Simple Legislative Tool Transforming Vacant Downtowns

In California, Michigan and Georgia, an easy win is bringing dollars — and delight — back to city centers.

June 2, 2025 - Robbie Silver

Color-coded map of labor & delivery departments and losses in United States.

The States Losing Rural Delivery Rooms at an Alarming Pace

In some states, as few as 9% of rural hospitals still deliver babies. As a result, rising pre-term births, no adequate pre-term care and harrowing close calls are a growing reality.

5 hours ago - Maine Morning Star

Street scene in Kathmandu, Nepal with yellow minibuses and other traffic.

The Small South Asian Republic Going all in on EVs

Thanks to one simple policy change less than five years ago, 65% of new cars in this Himalayan country are now electric.

7 hours ago - Fast Company

Bike lane in Washington D.C. protected by low concrete barriers.

DC Backpedals on Bike Lane Protection, Swaps Barriers for Paint

Citing aesthetic concerns, the city is removing the concrete barriers and flexposts that once separated Arizona Avenue cyclists from motor vehicles.

June 15 - The Washington Post