The Lincoln and Michigan traffic light: 24 years later
Kira Bretsky, Staff Writer
It’s 8:28 a.m. on a Monday morning, but the traffic light just before Samo’s Michigan Gate refuses to change. The one-minute bell rings and three tardies equals an absence…
The traffic light on the intersection of Michigan Ave. and Lincoln Blvd. might seem like a small nuisance each morning, but it has prevented an innumerable amount of student-involved accidents—all thanks to the persistence of Samo mother and grandmother Terry Archuletta.
Archuletta noticed the dangers of the intersection in 1996 when her children attended Samo. Students would repeatedly dart across Lincoln Blvd. through rush hour traffic and get hit by cars. This wasn’t a new issue: SMMUSD PTA members and even city politicians had requested risk evaluations at the corner, but Archuletta was the first person who refused to back down to the policies of Caltrans, the California Department of Transportation.
First, Caltrans told Archuletta that a new traffic light would interrupt the flow of cars coming from busy intersections like the Olympic Blvd. ramps at the I-10 freeway. In response, she argued that the students running through Lincoln Blvd. at rush hour were already interrupting the flow of cars. Caltrans moved onto their next defense.
The department explained that they couldn’t build a signal if the intersection wasn’t designated as a school zone and the Santa Monica Police Department replied that they couldn’t designate the intersection as a school zone if it did not have a signal. There was a disconnect between the police department and the traffic department, and it was this conflict that had ended previous petitions.
That was when Archuletta turned to her community—friends, parents and neighbors. Born and raised in Santa Monica as a first generation immigrant, she had a lot of connections, especially within the city’s Mexican population. She was able to group together a team of advocates and achieved a prominent turnout at the Santa Monica City Council meeting on Feb. 5, 1998. This pressured the city to change course.
Archuletta’s daughter Angela Archuletta (’02) described her mother’s role as a Samo parent and activist.
“She was a leader and a trend setter, such a protector. So many people looked up to her,” Archuletta said.
On Feb. 9, 1998, the traffic light plan was approved by Caltrans, and it was announced that the light would be installed that July before the next school year. The intersection was also officially designated a school zone. Archuletta’s granddaughter Angelina Rivas (’22) remembers her grandmother’s lasting impact on the Santa Monica community.
“If she saw a problem, she would solve it. Nothing could stop her. She had such a fire in her,” Rivas said.
Archuletta went on to co-form the Mothers for Justice division of the Pico Youth & Family Center, a project that focused on restorative justice in public schools.
Rivas, inspired by the women she grew up with, will attend Stanford University next year to study social sciences. She’s focused on international peace and progress and hopes to work for the United Nations after college.
Terry Archuletta passed away in 2016, but she left her family with an important legacy and a lasting impact. Rivas plans to carry her grandmother’s lessons with her as she moves forward in her education and works towards a career in advocacy.
“A couple of months before she passed away she said to me, ‘You’re going to remember everything that I taught you, right? You’re going to take care of everyone?’ and that’s something I won’t forget,” Rivas said.
Terry Archuletta and her daughter Angela Archuletta (’02) stand in front of the Michigan Ave. and Lincoln Blvd. intersection.
Angelina Rivas (’22) and her mother Angela Archuletta (’02) pose next to the traffic light that Terry Archuletta fought for.