Protect Our Kids: Extend the School Zone to Dreamland Daycare

Children Deserve Equal Protection on Both Sides of Centinela

Every day, dozens of young children cross or walk near Centinela Avenue to reach Dreamland Daycare — located directly on the Santa Monica–Los Angeles border. Despite its proximity to other school zones, this stretch remains unprotected. Parents regularly witness speeding, near misses, and unsafe conditions.

The same street, just blocks away, already has a designated school zone for Vida Nueva at Westside Baptist Church (1457 Centinela Ave, Los Angeles). Our children deserve the same protection.

LA Already Recognizes Centinela as a School Zone Corridor

At 1457 Centinela Avenue, the City of Los Angeles installed a "School Zone – 25 MPH When Children Are Present" sign for Vida Nueva at Westside Baptist Church. This establishes a clear precedent for Centinela's eligibility as a protected school corridor.

• Reference: View the sign on Google Street View ↗
• The church's student population and traffic patterns are similar to Dreamland's — confirming that Centinela qualifies under existing traffic safety guidelines for both cities.

One Street, Two Cities, No Unified Safety

Dreamland sits at the jurisdictional line between Santa Monica and Los Angeles. Because each city manages its own signage and enforcement, no coordinated school zone or speed reduction applies — leaving a dangerous gap in protection for preschool-age children.

Current Safety Gaps:

• Northbound drivers exit a 25 MPH school zone (LA side) and immediately accelerate to 35–40 MPH
• Southbound drivers enter the daycare zone with no warning or signage
• Neither city enforces crosswalk safety or school-hour speed limits at Dreamland's frontage

Joint School Zone Designation for Dreamland Daycare

We're requesting that both Santa Monica's and Los Angeles' Traffic Engineering Divisions coordinate to:

• Extend the existing LA school zone signage south to include Dreamland's frontage
• Post matching 25 MPH "When Children Are Present" signs on both sides of Centinela
• Add painted crosswalks and reflective school zone markings
• Conduct joint traffic studies to support speed enforcement and future safety measures

Parents and Neighbors Can Help

Your voice is critical to securing school zone designation. Here's how to support this effort:

1. Report Unsafe Driving

   Submit observations using our Safety Observation Form ↗

   Share photos, timestamps, and descriptions to document risk patterns. Please avoid including faces or license plates.

2. Submit 311 Service Requests

   File official complaints with both cities:

   • Santa Monica 311 ↗ — for the west side of Centinela
   • MyLA311 ↗ — for the east side of Centinela

3. Contact Local Officials

   Express support for joint school zone designation:

   • Email Santa Monica Traffic Engineering
   • Email LADOT Western District + Councilmember Park

4. Sign Our Petition

   Sign the Petition ↗

Documentation of Safety Concerns

We are collecting visual evidence and parent observations to support our request. This documentation will be presented to traffic engineers and city officials.

What We're Documenting:

• Map showing existing LA school zone at Vida Nueva Church
• Dreamland Daycare's location on the Santa Monica/Los Angeles border
• Absence of signage and speed reduction measures between the two locations
• Parent-submitted photos showing speeding, unsafe crossings, or lack of signage
• Street View evidence of the school zone sign at 1457 Centinela Ave