RI-1
Minutes
Lakewood City Council
Adjourned Regular Meeting held
June 23, 2026
MEETING WAS CALLED TO ORDER at 6:13 p.m. by Vice Mayor Wood in the Executive Board Room, 5000 Clark Avenue, Lakewood, California.
ROLL CALL: PRESENT: Vice Mayor Jeff Wood
Council Member David Arellano
Council Member Steve Croft
Council Member Todd Rogers
For the record, Mayor Cassandra Chase was absent.
ANNUAL STREETS AND ALLEY RESURFACING AND TRAFFIC CALMING
PILOT PROJECT FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Vice Mayor Wood introduced the item.
Director of Public Works Pickler 1) introduced a) Gabriela Dow, Director of Public Affairs and Community Relations, Ardurra Group, Inc.; b) Mark Lewis, Project Director, Ardurra Group, Inc.; c) Jeff Lau, Deputy Director of Engineering, Willdan Engineering; and d) Greg Garces, Design Manager, Willdan Engineering, who provided a PowerPoint presentation of the item; and 2) along with City Manager McCormack, responded to Council Members’ questions and comments.
At the request of Council Member Arelleano and Vice Mayor Wood relative to the survey results at the Palo Verde Avenue location, Director Dow 1) reported that the results showed 84.7% of respondents support retaining the improvements with modifications, such as enhanced signage, traffic flow, and pedestrian safety, while 12% favor removing the improvements entirely; and 2) noted that approximately 600 postcards were mailed, Ardurra staff conducted door to door outreach at approximately 200 homes, and staff engaged residents and park visitors at Rynerson Park.
For the record, Council Member Rogers 1) stated that the survey results demonstrate meaningful community support for retaining the improvements despite receiving fewer responses than the Studebaker Road survey; and 2) suggested conducting additional outreach regarding the final design to provide residents with a sense of ownership in the project.
In response to questions and comments provided by Council Member Rogers, 1) City Manager McCormack suggested implementing a basic asphalt treatment before conducting outreach on aesthetic enhancements; and 2) Council Member Croft recommended that future public outreach be focused by presenting specific design options rather than using an open-ended approach.
Adjourned City Council Minutes
June 23, 2026
ANNUAL STREETS AND ALLEY RESURFACING AND TRAFFIC CALMING PILOT PROJECT FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS – Continued
For the record, Vice Mayor Wood expressed concern that the Palo Verde Avenue survey primarily reflected input from nearby residents only, expressing the opinion that the street serves a broader population of residents and commuters.
Following brief discussion, 1) Project Director Lewis reported that the traffic analysis found that the temporary improvements resulted in a a) 15 to 20% reduction in average daily traffic on Palo Verde Avenue, making driveway access easier for adjacent residents; and b) a 50% reduction in aggressive speeding and a 17% reduction in vehicles traveling more than five miles per hour above the posted speed limit; and 2) Director Pickler confirmed that the City had not received complaints regarding increased speeding on neighboring streets.
For the record, Mayor Chase arrived at 6:39 p.m.
At the request of Council Member Rogers relative to traffic on neighboring streets, 1) Design Manager Garces explained that temporary traffic diversion is common during pilot projects; however, traffic patterns generally normalize once permanent improvements are implemented and refined based on community feedback, further noting that few parallel routes provide a practical alternative; 2) Council Member Croft stated that the arterial streets adjacent to Palo Verde Avenue already accommodate high traffic volumes, expressing the opinion that this minimizes the overall effect of diverted traffic from Palo Verde Avenue; and 3) City Manager McCormack emphasized that the project successfully reduced speeding and reckless driving along Palo Verde Avenue.
Following brief discussion, in response to questions and comments provided by Council Member Croft, 1) Design Manager Garces reiterated that there is typically a “normalization period” during which traffic speeds and distribution stabilize; and 2) Project Director Lewis noted that commuters generally adjust their travel patterns overtime and ultimately utilize routes that provide the shortest travel times.
For the record, 1) Vice Mayor Wood expressed concern that diverting traffic to arterial streets could increase speeding and reckless driving on those roadways, further suggesting that a citywide traffic study be conducted to determine the impact of the proposed improvements; and 2) Mayor Chase expressed support for moving forward with the proposed improvements on Palo Verde Avenue.
Adjourned City Council Minutes
June 23, 2026
ANNUAL STREETS AND ALLEY RESURFACING AND TRAFFIC CALMING PILOT PROJECT FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS – Continued
At the request of Council Member Arellano relative to the proposed parking lot geometry adjustments at Rynerson Park on Studebaker Road, 1) Director Pickler explained that the changes are intended to reduce vehicle speeds in the area, noting that other traffic calming measures, such as speed bumps, are generally less effective; and 2) City Manager McCormack clarified that the presented designs are conceptual only.
In response to questions and comments provided by Vice Mayor Wood, Director Pickler confirmed that striping and/or a median could be incorporated on Centralia Street to separate oncoming traffic.
For the record, 1) Council Member Croft thanked staff for their work and expressed support for staff’s recommendation; 2) Council Member Arellano thanked staff for their efforts, further stating that he was disappointed by disparaging comments made by some commuters during the pilot project; 3) Vice Mayor Wood a) stated that improvements on Studebaker Road are warranted but expressed hesitation about the need for the Palo Verde Avenue improvements, noting that he would have preferred greater participation from residents in the surrounding area; and b) thanked staff for their work; and 4) Mayor Chase thanked staff and expressed support for moving forward with staff’s recommendation.
For the record, there was no formal action taken on this item.
ADJOURNMENT
There being no further business to be brought before the City Council, Mayor Chase adjourned the meeting at 7:18 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Dakota Wallace, CMC
City Clerk