Residents praise La Crosse bike-lane changes; council hears calls for ethics oversight and probes into Section 8 records

Councilmembers and residents used the June 2 meeting to air a range of community concerns including recent lane reconfigurations, calls for ethics oversight and questions about housing records.

Councilmember Gharpetian displayed photos from residents of La Crosse Avenue showing traffic backups and vehicles parked in bike lanes; constituent correspondence read at the meeting described the street as "significantly quieter" and called the redesign "much more pleasant." Councilmember Brotman read an email from a resident, Valee Fletcher, noting that the lane changes have reduced noise and made walking in the neighborhood more pleasant: "It's been so much more than that. I wanted to show my appreciation." The council asked staff to consider enforcement and to factor community safety into future road design work.

Multiple speakers urged the council to strengthen ethics oversight. Mayor Meir Kassakhian said the city should "consider having someone, whether it's a city employee or an outside contractor, someone who's very independent" to act quickly on allegations of wrongdoing, because existing options (city attorney, Fair Political Practices Commission, district attorney) can be slow. Councilmember Najarian noted he has a pending item to create an ethics commission he previously brought forward and discussed models to ensure independence.

Several public commenters raised housing and program concerns. Caller Rami urged the council to examine Section 8 files and investigate staff conduct after an elderly resident reported being contacted "in an interrogating style," saying the council should "put those files back... and investigate what happened in those years in the Section 8 system." Victoria Valentine described difficulty with property trust and taxes and asked where tax dollars are going; she also said she would seek Section 8 assistance.

Speakers also raised campaign conduct and rhetoric complaints during the second oral communications period, asking for clarification about past statements and potential impacts on neighborhoods if certain redevelopment or parking-lot disposition plans proceed. Council took no formal action on these requests during the meeting but acknowledged the concerns and invited staff follow-up where appropriate. The meeting adjourned after the second public-comment period.