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In addition to yesterday's big news that Metro is restoring bus service, there were plenty of other actions taken by the Metro Board of Directors. Below are six takeaways from from the January 28 Metro Board of Directors meeting.
New Boardmembers: Holly Mitchell and Tim Sandoval
Yesterday's meeting was the first for two new boardmembers: L.A. County Supervisor Holly Mitchell and Pomona Mayor Tim Sandoval. Mitchell replaced termed-out County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas, who was elected to the L.A. City Council. Mitchell, formerly a state legislator, is a longtime community leader who prioritizes ending homelessness, reforming the criminal justice system, expanding healthcare, and furthering environmental justice. In her brief introductory remarks, Mitchell recalled riding RTD (Metro's predecessor) buses with her grandmother.
Tim Sandoval replaced the longtime San Gabriel Valley sector representative, Duarte City Councilmember John Fasana, who retired. Sandoval chairs the Foothill Gold Line Construction Authority. Hear a recent interview with the mayor at SBLA's Connect SGV podcast.
While work on the line is progressing, Metro still has no new official estimate for when it will open. Yesterday, Clarke reported that the firm building the line, Walsh Shea, is now projecting substantial completion in mid-May 2021, but Clarke expressed skepticism that Walsh Shea would be able to make that date. Following substantial completion, the contractor will turn the line over to Metro for roughly six months of testing and training before it opens to the public.
Clarke stated that Metro is doing an independent assessment of project completion, and he expects to bring a new estimated completion date to the board next month.
The way things are going, it appears unlikely that Crenshaw/LAX will open this calendar year.
Accelerated Regional Connector Construction Approved
This year, as the contractor is looking at walking away (per Caltrans District 7 Director Tony Tavares' statement yesterday), Metro proposed loaning $73.2 million to Caltrans for the I-5 North project. Metro staff proposed that Caltrans could pay Metro back using in-kind services. Yesterday, L.A. County Supervisor Janice Hahn criticized the Caltrans loan and vague in-kind payback as "fuzzy" and "wishy-washy;" in committee last week, Hahn called it "sketchy" and "a moving target."
The Barger motion brings the final approval back to the board next month.
New Metro Staff for Equity
In January 2020, Metro brought on KeAndra Cylear Dodds as its Executive Officer for Equity and Race, charged with ensuring that work throughout Metro advances the agency's adopted Equity Platform. As part of the mid-year budget adjustment approval, Cylear Dodds will be joined by three additional full-time employees to "improve efforts to expand access for historically and currently marginalized, underserved, and vulnerable communities, to contribute to a more inclusive and equitable L.A. County."
First Round of MAT Program Active Transportation Projects Approved
The Metro board approved $63.1 million worth of project grants under its new Metro Active Transport, Transit and First/Last Mile program (MAT Program) which disburses Measure M active transportation monies to local jurisdictions. See full project listings at Metro staff report.
Transit ridership and freeway funding are up. $14 million for MicroTransit was postponed. South Bay C Line extension draws both controversy and support. Law enforcement, Taylor Swift, bus lanes, and more!