This morning, the Metro Board Planning and Programming Committee approved a staff recommendation to revoke $435,000 worth of grant funds previously awarded to Culver City.
The city had received $1.96 million in MAT (Metro Active Transportation, Transit, and First/Last Mile) grants for Move Culver City improvements boosting bike and walk access to the city's Metro E Line Station. Permanent quick-build bike/walk/bus improvements were installed in 2021. Evaluations at six and twelve months found the changes resulted in increased transit ridership, biking, and walking, with minimal impacts to drive times (although frustrated drivers disagreed).
Then political winds changed.
In late 2022 elections, the five-member city council shifted from a narrow progressive majority to a narrow conservative majority. (This month it shifted back, but that's another story.)
In April 2023, the council voted to remove the project's protected bike lanes, having cyclists instead share lanes with buses. Advocates sued to preserve the bike improvements, but lost. In September, city construction crews began removing the bikeway. That work is nearly finished, and will wrap up in December.
After the lawsuit was resolved, Metro and Culver City began discussions regarding the city returning the bike portion of the grant money. The funding de-obligation item had been scheduled to be heard last month, but was postponed until today.
At today's committee meeting, staff noted that the grant funding agreement specifies if that funded facilities cease to be used for the original purpose specified, then funding must be returned.
Metro boardmember Ara Najarian questioned if Metro revoking the funds was excessive and punitive. Najarian stated that the city acted in good faith, asking, "Doesn't the city have the right to change its mind?" Metro CEO Stephanie Wiggins responded by noting that the grant was discretionary and competitive, so she did not see today's action as punitive at all.
The committee unanimously approved the item, but the action is not final until the full board votes on December 5.
