This week, hundreds of thousands of Los Angeles Unified School District students returned to school, and in the coming weeks, nearly every young student in the city will be back in the classroom to kick off the new school year. As students get back to learning, I would like to remind parents, families and students to be safe and smart while making your way to school.

You might remember that, last year, the City Council launched LA's first-ever comprehensive sidewalk repair program. We pledged to invest more than $30 million a year and a total of $1.4 billion over the next 30 years to make all 11,000 miles of city sidewalks safe and accessible for everyone. The program, called Safe Sidewalks LA, is one of the biggest and boldest infrastructure projects in LA's history.

With the Fourth of July holiday just around the corner, some of our neighborhoods are already witnessing the familiar pops and bangs of illegal fireworks exploding in the night sky. My office has received several recent reports about the possession and use of illegal fireworks in North Hollywood and Valley Glen. I have notified the Los Angeles Police Department and the Fire Department about this issue and asked them to remain watchful and to continue to educating the public about the dangers of fireworks.

LOS ANGELES - Councilmember Krekorian and community members activated a brand new traffic signal and crosswalk at Lankershim Boulevard and Dundas Drive. The signal and the new crosswalk are vital safety improvements for this busy corridor that will protect pedestrians.

You may have heard about the Mayor's Great Streets Initiative and the options being discussed on portions of Lankershim Boulevard in North Hollywood. My office has held five public meetings with businesses, residents and stakeholders on the topic and we've received much valuable feedback. Because this is an important discussion for people in NoHo and the East Valley, I wanted to share with you my letter to the community with my thoughts on the current options.

LOS ANGELES - This week, Metro announced the launch of a new public awareness campaign to prevent bus operator assaults. 

EAST VALLEY - Community police stations are integral to keeping our neighborhoods safe. Fostering strong relationships to improve community trust and creating partnerships to fight crime are just some of the ways the Los Angeles Police Department helps our community. 

VALLEY VILLAGE - More than 100 residents and members of the faith community joined the LAPD Operations Valley Bureau for an open forum to discuss how the LAPD can continue to build better community relationships in the San Fernando Valley.  

Last Friday night, emergency crews rushed to the scene on the 4200 block of Laurel Canyon Boulevard in Studio City to rescue a woman from her car. The vehicle was trapped in a large, dark sinkhole filling rapidly with rushing water. The cause of the sinkhole was a collapsed sewer main below the street. It appears that the severe storm we endured was the catalyst. Thankfully, no one was seriously hurt by the sinkhole.