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HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem 28 - Rainbow Crosswalks in Downtown Santa Ana City Manager Office www.santa-ana.org/cm Item # 28 City of Santa Ana 20 Civic Center Plaza, Santa Ana, CA 92701 Staff Report July 20, 2021 TOPIC: Rainbow Crosswalks in Downtown Santa Ana AGENDA TITLE: Informational Report regarding the Installation of Rainbow Crosswalks in Downtown Santa Ana RECOMMENDED ACTION Accept informational report and provide direction to staff. DISCUSSION About Pride Month The month of June is currently celebrated as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ) Pride Month to honor the 1969 Stonewall Uprising in Manhattan, New York. Beginning on June 28, 1969, the Stonewall Uprising consisted of six days of protests by residents against the New York Police Department that began on June 28, 1969 after police raided the Stonewall Inn, a gay club in Greenwich Village. These protests were seen as the tipping point of the gay rights movement, as gay Americans in the 1950s and 1960s were perceived to be constantly targeted by an anti-gay legal system. Within weeks of the initial uprising, residents of Greenwich Village organized activist groups that made efforts to establish places for gay individuals to practice newfound openness with their sexual orientation. The Stonewall Uprising sparked a turning point for the advocating of gay rights, and the following year on June 28, 1970 gay pride marches took place in New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco to commemorate the beginning of the movement. Thus, Pride Month recognizes the impact that the LGBTQ community has had on history locally, nationally, and internationally, with a focus on the hardships the gay community has endured throughout our nation’s history. About the Rainbow Flag The Rainbow flag was created by artist Gilbert Baker in 1978 and rose to prominence as a symbol of LGBTQ pride and LGBTQ social movements. The rainbow colors reflect the diversity of the LGBTQ community and the spectrum of human sexuality and gender. The flag’s design has undergone several revisions since its debut, first to remove colors then Rainbow Crosswalks in Downtown Santa Ana July 20, 2021 Page 2 1 9 0 7 restore them based on availability of fabrics. Baker's first rainbow flag had eight colors, though the most common variant consists of six: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and violet. LGBTQ individuals and allies use rainbow flags and many rainbow-themed items and color palettes as an outward symbol of their identity or support. As is described in the sections below, entities such as governments use these colors to show support for or commemoration of the Pride Month and the LGBTQ community. The City of Santa Ana displays the rainbow flag at City Hall each year, from May 22 through June 30, in commemoration of Harvey Milk Day and Pride Month. Rainbow Crosswalks In June 2021, a constituent contacted the City regarding a request to install rainbow crosswalks in Downtown Santa Ana to commemorate Santa Ana’s LGBTQ community. The constituent noted how efforts are made by cities and organizations to celebrate the LGBTQ community during Pride month, but stated that not much is done to continue this celebration of a historically oppressed group beyond the month of June. While the City does not paint or otherwise design crosswalks in response to a request from a member of the public, the City may choose to, on its own, paint or design a crosswalk as an expression of the City’s own sentiments. As such, staff presents to the City Council an opportunity to consider painting one or more crosswalks in rainbow colors for the City to commemorate the LGBTQ community. Rainbow crosswalks have been implemented in cities nationwide, including Atlanta, GA, Long Beach, CA, San Francisco, CA and West Hollywood, CA. More Information on each of these cities’ installation is provided below. Atlanta, Georgia Figure 1: Intersection of 10th Street and Piedmont Avenue in Atlanta, GA Rainbow Crosswalks in Downtown Santa Ana July 20, 2021 Page 3 1 9 0 7 In 2015, the City of Atlanta chose to paint the intersection of 10th Street and Piedmont Avenue, known by locals as a largely gay community, rainbow colors to signify a sign of unity during Atlanta Pride Week. In 2017, the Atlanta City Council made the decision to make the painted crosswalks permanent, doing so on the one-year anniversary of the Pulse Nightclub Massacre. The cost of the entire project was $196,000, which included permits, lane closures, and the cost of staff time needed to direct traffic. The city used thermal plastic tiles instead of paint, with a life expectancy of 10 years. The project was paid for by the City’s transportation funds and represents three-tenths of one percent of the city’s transportation budget. This number does not include the annual maintenance of the project, which is subject to the city’s discretion. The project followed city policy guidelines and did not conflict with the MUTCD requirements because of the inclusion of the white limit lines on the crosswalks. Long Beach, California Figure 2: Rainbow Crosswalks being Painted in Long Beach, CA The City of Long Beach painted four corridors in a rainbow colorway along the Broadway Corridor intersections with Junipero, Cherry, Falcon, and Orange Avenues in 2015. These corridors are located within Alamitos Beach, one of the city’s well-known gay communities. The cost of the entire project process was $31,000, which includes the cost of installation for each individual crosswalk and the traffic control. The sole cost for the installation of the painted crosswalk was $6,759, with the rest of the budget being dedicated to traffic control as the chosen intersection experiences heavy traffic. The budget for this project was fully funded through State funding, with the monies being allocated from the city’s gas tax fund. Rainbow Crosswalks in Downtown Santa Ana July 20, 2021 Page 4 1 9 0 7 San Francisco, California Figure 3: Rainbow Crosswalks in San Francisco, CA The City and County of San Francisco painted four crosswalks in a rainbow colorway in the Castro District, one of the city’s most well-known gay communities. The entire project was privately funded through donations from the Castro/Upper Market Community Benefits District as part of a larger streetscape project. The total cost of the project was $37,500. The local transportation agency, the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) and the City Traffic Engineer approved the project, despite hesitancy from the Federal Highway Administration. The City Engineer determined that since the rainbow colors of the crosswalk are not considered part of the safety or traffic control measures of the crosswalk, no experimental approval was needed as an exception to the MUTCD. To further detail and guide the project and future decorative crosswalk treatments, in 2014 the SFMTA updated their Crosswalk Guidelines to include a section titled “Decorative Crosswalk Paving”. This updated section includes the following: Clarification on the types of the decorative treatments that are acceptable, based on FHWA guidance Clarification of the use of continental crosswalk markings with the decorative pavement per the SFMTA’s marked crosswalks policies Clarification of the SFMTA’s responsibility for crosswalk maintenance where decorative crosswalks are installed Rainbow Crosswalks in Downtown Santa Ana July 20, 2021 Page 5 1 9 0 7 West Hollywood, California Figure 4: Rainbow Crosswalks in West Hollywood, CA In 2012, the City of West Hollywood painted two rainbow crosswalks on San Vicente Boulevard, at the intersection with Santa Monica Boulevard. The total cost of the project was $70,000, with the city opting to use thermos-plastic technology that would allow for a more durable fixture. The cost covered the industrial water-based paint, labor, lane closures, touch-ups as needed for the first year, paint removal, and clean-up. The city engineer and Caltrans approved the treatment and use of State funds with no exception to MUTCD requirements needed because of the inclusion of the white limit lines on the crosswalks. West Hollywood’s interpretation of the MUTCD regulations is that they do not expressly exhibit roadway treatments with varying colors and patterns as long as the limit line is included in the treatment for safety. Request for Rainbow Crosswalks in Downtown Santa Ana The Public Works Agency provided an estimate on the cost of installing rainbow crosswalks: It will cost approximately $8,000 to install one rainbow crosswalk leg. If there are four crosswalks at an intersection and all four crosswalks are to be painted with rainbow crosswalks, it will cost approximately $32,000 to paint all four crosswalks. If there is more than one crosswalk at a particular intersection, staff recommends that all the marked crosswalks at the intersection be painted rainbow colors to match. Rainbow Crosswalks in Downtown Santa Ana July 20, 2021 Page 6 1 9 0 7 The $8,000 cost estimate includes a durable application material that lasts longer than traditional paint. Staff has identified the crosswalks on Broadway at 2nd Street as a possible location to install rainbow crosswalks. The design would need to comply with the California Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (CA MUTCD) requirements, which, among other specifications, require that the white outer lines remain. The installation is expected to last three to five years, with a yearly maintenance cost estimate of $1,500. Next Steps At this time, staff requests direction from the City Council relating to a proposal to install rainbow crosswalks in Downtown Santa Ana. FISCAL IMPACT There is no fiscal impact associated with this action. Submitted By: Kristine Ridge, City Manager Approved By: Kristine Ridge, City Manager RainbowCrosswalks Rainbow CrosswalksCityManager’sOffice Slide 1 July20, 2021 PrideMonthLGBTPrideMonthiscelebratedinJunetorecognizetheimpactthatthe LGBT communityhashadon history— locally, nationally, and internationally— witha focus onthehardshipsthe LGBTcommunityhas enduredthroughoutournation’shistory. Rainbow CrosswalksCityManager’sOffice Slide 2 July20, 2021 RainbowFlagTheRainbowflagwascreatedbyartistGilbertBakerin1978androsetoprominenceasasymbolofLGBTQprideandLGBTQsocialmovements. The rainbowcolorsreflectthediversityof theLGBTQcommunityandthespectrumofhumansexualityandgender. The flag’sdesignhasundergoneseveral revisions, andthemostcommonvariantconsistsof six colors: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, andviolet. LGBTQ individualsandalliesuserainbowflagsandmanyrainbow- themeditemsandcolor schemesasanoutwardsymboloftheiridentityor support. Entities suchasgovernmentsusethesecolorstoshowsupportfor orcommemorationofthePrideMonthandtheLGBTQcommunity. TheCityofSanta Anadisplaystherainbowflag atCityHalleachyear, fromMay22throughJune30, incommemorationofHarveyMilkDayandPrideMonth. Rainbow CrosswalksCityManager’sOffice Slide 3 July20, 2021 Rainbow CrosswalksCityManager’sOffice Slide 4 July20, 2021 RainbowCrosswalksinSantaAna A constituentcontactedtheCity regardingarequesttoinstallrainbowcrosswalksinDowntownSantaAnatocommemorateSantaAna’s LGBTcommunity. ThisitemwasaddedtotheCityCouncilmeetingagendaattherequestoftheMayor. Rainbow CrosswalksCityManager’sOffice Slide 5 July20, 2021 Atlanta, GA Rainbow CrosswalksCityManager’sOffice Slide 6 July20, 2021 LongBeach, CA Rainbow CrosswalksCityManager’sOffice Slide 7 July20, 2021 SanFrancisco, CA Rainbow CrosswalksCityManager’sOffice Slide 8 July20, 2021 WestHollywood, CA Rainbow CrosswalksCityManager’sOffice Slide 9 July20, 2021 RainbowCrosswalks inDowntownSantaAnaItwillcostapproximately $8,000toinstallonerainbowcrosswalkleg. Iftherearefourcrosswalksatanintersectionandallfourcrosswalksaretobepaintedwithrainbowcrosswalks, itwillcost approximately $32,000topaintall fourcrosswalks. Ifthereismorethanonecrosswalkataparticularintersection, staffrecommendsthatallthemarkedcrosswalksattheintersectionbepaintedrainbowcolorstomatch. Staff hasidentifiedthecrosswalksonBroadwayat2ndStreetasapossiblelocationtoinstallrainbowcrosswalks. ThedesignwouldneedtocomplywiththeCaliforniaManualonUniformTrafficControlDevices (CAMUTCD) requirements, which, amongotherspecifications, requirethatthewhiteouterlinesremain. Theinstallationis expectedtolastthreetofiveyears, withayearlymaintenancecostestimateof $1,500. Rainbow CrosswalksCityManager’sOffice Slide 10 July20, 2021 NextStepsAtthistime, staffrequestsdirectionfromtheCityCouncilrelatingtoaproposaltoinstallrainbowcrosswalksinDowntownSantaAna. Rainbow CrosswalksCityManager’sOffice Slide 11 July20, 2021 Rainbow CrosswalksCityManager’sOffice Slide 12 July20, 2021