To download a pdf of the agenda, click here.

The Metro Board of Directors has its first full meeting of 2022 at 10 a.m. on Thursday, Jan. 22. As has been the case since March 2020, the meeting will be virtual due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. You can watch or listen to the meeting online by clicking here shortly before the meeting begins — a link will appear to the live webstream.

To leave a live public comment:

Live public comment can only be given by telephone.

The Board Meeting begins at 10:00 AM Pacific Time on January 27, 2022; you may join the call 5 minutes prior to the start of the meeting.

Dial-in: 888-251-2949 and enter English Access Code: 8231160# Spanish Access Code: 4544724#

Public comment will be taken as the Board takes up each item. To give public comment on an item, enter #2 (pound-two) when prompted. Please note that the live video feed lags about 30 seconds behind the actual meeting. There is no lag on the public comment dial-in line.

Some of the more interesting items the Board will discuss and/or consider include:

•The Board will consider approving a route for the initial segment of the West Santa Ana Branch Transit Corridor project — i.e. a light rail line between Southeast L.A. County and downtown L.A. The Board will also consider naming Union Station as the northern terminus of the project. Staff report and recent Source post.

A related Board motion calls for further study and planning on several aspects of the northern part of the line — including the transfer between West Santa Ana and the A Line (Blue) at Slauson Station, a future station in Little Tokyo, improvements to the A/E Lines junction at Washington and Flower and funding strategies.

•The Board will receive-and-file a staff report on proposed temporary service reductions because of staffing issues. The Board will also consider a motion to set a goal to return to full service levels no later than June 2022.

•The Board will consider a motion that Metro partner with the County of Los Angeles and the nonprofit PATH for a heightened response to homeless and high acuity people on the Metro system.

•The Board will receive-and-file a staff report on the future electrification of buses used on the J Line (Silver). Some context: Metro has a goal of an entire zero emission bus fleet by 2030 (which is ahead of the state’s deadline) and the G Line (Orange) is now running an entirely electrified fleet of buses.

•The Board will consider a motion to increase the number of trees that need to be replaced to accommodate a new auxiliary lane to be built along the 91 freeway between Atlantic Boulevard and Cherry Avenue in Long Beach. The motion also calls for Metro supplying at least $1 million for improved air filtration systems in homes and businesses within 750 feet of the project.

•The Board will consider adopting a budget of $115 million for the Rail-to-Rail project to build a walking and bike path between the Crenshaw/LAX Line’s Florence/West Station and the A Line’s (Blue) Slauson Station. The project will be built atop the old freight tracks in this corridor — including the stretch of tracks along the north side of Slauson Avenue. A second segment will extend the path to the L.A. River. Staff report

•The Board will hear an oral report on rising construction costs across the U.S. and potential impacts to capital projects. Presentation