If you’re buying or selling near White Avenue, 5th Street or 6th Street, La Verne has formally accepted two nearby alleys into its city street system. The October 5, 2026 decision clears the way for those alleys to be repaved as part of the White Avenue Rehabilitation Project and establishes their status under California Streets and Highways Code section 1806.
The decision does not answer questions about property ownership, lot lines, easements or access rights. Those issues require separate review with the City Engineer and a title company. This is general information and not legal advice.
What did the City Council approve?
The City Council approved the White Avenue construction contract, related project spending and resolutions accepting two public alleys as city streets.
Consent calendar item 3 asked the Council to award Vance Corporation a $1,272,329.00 construction contract. That amount includes additive alternate bid items A-10 and A-11, which are the battery backup equipment at the traffic signals of White Avenue and Town Center Drive and White Avenue and Eighth Street. The Council also authorized change orders up to a total possible contract cost of $1,463,178.35.
A separate $91,500 purchase order went to RKA Consulting Group for construction management, materials testing and inspection.
The final two recommendations called for resolutions declaring each public alleyway to be a public street. One alley is south of 6th Street between White Avenue and I Street. The other is south of 5th Street between the same two streets.
The October 5 action minutes state, “All recommendations as stated above were approved.” The scanned minutes do not provide a vote count for this item, and the draft resolutions in the packet use placeholder resolution numbers. No final resolution number should be inferred from those drafts.
Why did La Verne accept the alleys as streets?
La Verne accepted the alleys to remove ambiguity about their status in the city street system and support their maintenance and improvement.
The resolutions say the city owns, operates and maintains various alleys. They also say the city intends to maintain and improve these two alleys and eliminate ambiguity about whether the facilities have been accepted into the city street system under Streets and Highways Code section 1806.
Staff explained the funding reason directly. A city can use California gas tax funds to repair or pave an alley if the alley belongs to the public city street system and the work qualifies as a street or road expense. According to the State Controller guidance described in the report, a public or private road becomes a city street only after the City Council accepts it into the system by resolution under section 1806.
Each resolution therefore states that the Council approves and accepts the alley as a city street.
Where are the accepted alleys?
The accepted alleys are two 20-foot-wide passages in the Lordsburg Townsite, running from White Avenue to I Street.
The alley south of 5th Street is in Block 42. The alley south of 6th Street is in Block 25. In both resolutions, the western endpoint is described as H Street, known as White Avenue, and the eastern endpoint is I Street.
Their recorded location appears on the Map of Lordsburg Townsite filed with the Los Angeles County Recorder in Miscellaneous Record Book 18, pages 9 through 14. The resolutions say both alleys provide access for public vehicular traffic and public utility facilities.
The city documents do not identify every parcel that abuts the alleys. They also do not state how many homes back onto them. Buyers and sellers who need parcel-specific information should ask the City Engineer to identify the affected location and compare that information with the recorded map and preliminary title report.
What will the White Avenue project build?
The project will resurface White Avenue, repave the two alleys and add several roadway, sidewalk and signal improvements.
White Avenue is scheduled for resurfacing from Foothill Boulevard at the northern limit to Grove Street at the southern limit. The project also includes a median near the driveways at 2220 and 2230 Foothill Boulevard. Its stated purpose is to prohibit left turns when vehicles exit those properties.
The two public alleys south of 5th and 6th streets will be repaved between White Avenue and I Street. A proposed concrete ribbon gutter is intended to support pavement life and drainage.
A new sidewalk will be built on the east side of White Avenue between 5th and 6th streets. The report says all proposed new sidewalk improvements will remain within existing public right-of-way.
Battery backup equipment will be installed at the existing traffic signals at White Avenue and Town Center Drive, and at White Avenue and Eighth Street. Available contingency could also permit work near the intended southerly limits at Eighth Street.
For comparison with other city roadway work covered by Insider Realty, see the Barstow street rehabilitation guide and the Buena Park Valley View repaving guide.
How is the project funded?
The project is funded through restricted transportation sources, with no impact to La Verne’s General Fund.
Nine bids were opened on September 15, 2026. The winning company’s base bid was $1,228,475.00, compared with an Engineer’s Estimate of $1,450,000 for the base scope.
The staff report gives a total project cost of $1,653,178.35. That total includes design, construction management and a contingency. The available budget for Capital Improvement Program project ST2307 is $1,720,000.
Funding comes from Federal STPL, State RMRA under SB1, LA Metro Proposition C and Measure R Local Return funds. These are restricted funds rather than General Fund money.
The report also identifies the project as categorically exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act under Section 15301, Existing Facilities.
This street project is separate from the city’s rules for private construction. Questions about additions or accessory dwelling units are addressed in the La Verne impact fee guide.
What notices should affected properties receive?
Affected properties should receive a later construction notice after the contractor finalizes the project schedule.
City staff had already sent individualized letters to each of three identified properties explaining project work. The report does not say that the same three properties account for every property affected by both the sidewalk and alley work.
A later notice containing work dates is scheduled for properties with new sidewalk frontage and properties affected by the alley repaving. Staff said that notice would be distributed once the contractor solidifies the schedule. Changeable message boards will also warn drivers before disruptive work.
As of November 6, 2026, the reviewed city documents did not provide a construction start date or completion date. Check La Verne’s Agenda Center and ask the City Engineer for the current schedule and parcel-specific notice information.
What should a buyer or seller verify?
A buyer or seller should verify the parcel’s relationship to the alleys through city records, the recorded townsite map and the property’s title documents.
The Council action addresses acceptance into the city street system. It does not say who owned the alleys before October 5, 2026, or whether ownership or title changed. It also does not explain any effect on lot lines, easements, setbacks, garage access, parking, fencing, trash pickup, liability, property taxes or an owner’s obligations.
A practical review can include:
- Ask the City Engineer whether the parcel abuts either accepted alley.
- Review the preliminary title report for recorded rights or exceptions.
- Check the Map of Lordsburg Townsite in Miscellaneous Record Book 18, pages 9 through 14.
- Request the construction schedule notice when it becomes available.
- Ask the seller about alley access and past work, without treating that answer as a substitute for city or title records.
An owner next to one of the La Verne townsite alleys asked us whether the city’s decision meant he could immediately fence the area into his yard. We explained that a city action involving an alley does not necessarily settle ownership, access or private easement rights. We reviewed the recorded property information before treating any part of the alley as usable lot area.
The short version
La Verne accepted two 20-foot-wide alleys south of 5th and 6th streets, between White Avenue and I Street, into the city street system on October 5, 2026. Both are included in the approved White Avenue Rehabilitation Project.
The project also covers White Avenue resurfacing from Foothill Boulevard to Grove Street, a new sidewalk between 5th and 6th streets, a median near 2220 and 2230 Foothill Boulevard, and battery backup equipment at two traffic signals.
The city documents do not resolve parcel ownership, title, boundaries, easements or access rights. Check those questions with the City Engineer and a title company, and request the construction notice when the schedule is finalized.
To see an estimate for your property, visit the home value tool.
Common questions
Which La Verne alleys were accepted as city streets?
The City Council accepted the 20-foot-wide alleys south of 5th Street and south of 6th Street, between White Avenue and I Street.
Did the City Council approve the White Avenue project?
Yes. On October 5, 2026, the Council approved all recommendations for consent calendar item 3, including the construction contract and two alley resolutions.
Does the decision change property ownership or lot lines?
The city documents do not answer that question. They address the alleys' status and acceptance into the city street system, not ownership, title, lot lines or easements.
When will construction begin?
The city documents do not provide start or completion dates. A notice with work dates is scheduled for distribution after the contractor solidifies the project schedule.
