The Metro Board of Directors will hold its regular September meeting virtually on Thursday, Sept. 24, at 10 a.m. due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The meeting will be livestreamed here. The agenda for the meeting is above.
Public comments can be submitted two ways:
1) Comments can be submitted by emailing jacksonm@metro.net by 5 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 23. Put “public comment on budget item” in the subject line.
2) You can hear the meeting and submit a comment via phone during the meeting by:
•Calling 888-251-2949 or 215-861-0694. The numbers will be available five minutes prior to the meeting beginning at 10 a.m. and throughout the meeting.
•Enter English Access Code 8231160# or Spanish Access Code 4544724# and then follow instructions to comment.
•If you need assistance, please call 888-796-6118.
Among the items that the Board are scheduled to consider are:
•The $6-budget for fiscal year 2020-21, which runs from this past July 1 through next June 30. The budget was originally scheduled to be considered this past May but was pushed to September to give Metro staff more time to better understand the financial impacts of the ongoing pandemic.
The budget includes the amount of bus and rail service that Metro plans to run for the remainder of the fiscal year. The Metro budget proposes that we continue to run our current level of bus and rail service through June 30, 2021 — we’re presently running 80 percent of the service we had prior to the COVID-19 pandemic for about 50 percent of our normal ridership. We are not proposing ANY additional cuts.
Please see this FAQ about service levels that we posted earlier this week for much more info. Here’s the budget item on the agenda and here’s a budget presentation.
Several Board Members have also authored a motion that the Board will consider on service levels:
•The Board will consider the Moving Beyond Sustainability plan, which is a 10-year blueprint for Metro’s many efforts to reduce its environmental footprint and expand its use of renewable energy while lowering greenhouse gas emissions. Staff report and here’s a presentation.
•The Board will consider Metro’s Long-Range Transportation Plan (LRTP), a 30-year financial blueprint for the agency. The LRTP is, in essence, a compilation of previous sales tax ballot measure plans and other projects/programs. Staff report
•The Board will receive-and-file a staff report on a community-based approach to law enforcement and public safety.
•The Board will receive-and-file a staff report that reviews use-of-force policies by law enforcement agencies/staff that patrol the Metro system. Here’s a graphic on compliance by law enforcement agencies and here’s a presentation, also posted below:
•The Board will hear an oral report on Crenshaw/LAX Line construction progress. Here’s a presentation.
•The Board will consider a motion on “fare capping,” which ensures that a rider’s fare does not pay more than the cost of an applicable pass. The motion also asks for staff to return with more info about fare capping as part of the ongoing fareless proposal under development. Motion
Categories: Policy & Funding, Projects
Steve – hope whatever they pay you is worth spreading propaganda and misleading the poorest and most vulnerable residents of Los Angeles – people that you’re supposed to be serving. Don’t know that I could do it.
Hi Metro Cuts 20%;
Sorry you feel that way. I wrote exactly what was being proposed: we were proposing to continue to run our current service for the remainder of the fiscal year — which is about 80 percent of our pre-pandemic service (or 20 percent less, if you prefer). I didn’t portray it as a service cut — as did others — as I didn’t want current riders to think we were cutting service further, as I think was implied in some social media posts. Also this: I put my name on it so you know exactly who wrote it and who you can complain to.
Steve Hymon
Editor, The Source