Candidate campaign page: http://www.alexdeocampo.com/
Alex de Ocampo is a promising candidate for AD51, whose endorsement list includes former Bike The Vote L.A. endorsees Mike Gatto and Mitch O’Farrell. In his candidate response, de Ocampo makes strong commitments towards equitable transportation funding, the ‘Idaho Stop’ law (AB 1103), Vision Zero, and subsidies to make bike share systems more accessible to low-income residents.
Bike The Vote L.A. 2017 Primary Grade: A-
(See below for full candidate questionnaire response)
1. What future do you see for active mobility, and public transit in the daily lives of Angelenos, particularly those who lack access to cars and rely on these other modes as their primary way of getting around?
I grew up in Historic Filipinotown, Silver Lake, and Echo Park when gangs, drugs, and crime were rampant. We didn’t have safe routes to school and reliable public transit. These areas are now completely transformed and have better access to transit, and safer roads for pedestrians and bicyclists. I want to see Los Angeles continue down this path. Using the funds from Measure M, we can improve our transportation infrastructure, expand access to bus and rail lines and, and create more walkable neighborhoods. I also want to ensure these improvements benefit everyone. Too often when improvements come to a neighborhood, the current residents are priced out of the housing market and are displaced. I will make it a priority to fight for affordable housing along with public transit improvements.
2. Do you support Vision Zero, an approach to street safety that treats each fatality as preventable and seeks to eliminate traffic deaths on public roads?
Yes, I support Vision Zero. I believe it’s smart and effective to use data from the LA Department of Transportation’s High Injury Network to start making improvements where the greatest needs are first.
3. In Los Angeles, low-income communities of color are disproportionately burdened by the impacts of streets designed primarily for cars, without receiving proportional funding for their mobility modes like walking, biking, and quality mass transit. Would you support legislation to add a ‘complete streets’ policy to SB 1, California’s newly augmented gas tax, to direct revenues to projects and programs that benefit pedestrians, bicyclists and transit-dependent communities?
SB 1 requires Caltrans to incorporate the complete streets design concept to the Highway Design Manual by January 1, 2018. I would support legislation to require complete streets for all road projects, as well as advocate that funding decisions be made with the transportation justice principles in mind.
4. In 2017, Assembly Members Phil Ting (D-San Francisco) and Jay Obernolte (R-Hesperia) introduced AB1103, a bill to enact an “Idaho Stop” adjustment to traffic code that allows cyclists to safely yield right of way at stop signs. This bill would help to reduce subjective traffic stops by law enforcement for a practice that is common by people on bikes and was endorsed by the L.A. Times Editorial Board. Will you commit to support an “Idaho Stop” bill that allows people on bikes to safely yield at stop signs as it comes up in the 2018 legislative session?
Yes, I will support AB 1103 and similar legislation on this topic in the future.
5. Would you support expanding state funding for bike share, and providing incentives for low-income individuals to afford high quality, family-friendly bikes that empower more economical mobility such as electric bikes and cargo bikes?
Yes, I would support expanding state funding for bike share. I am in favor of helping low income individuals afford quality bikes for transportation purposes.