Today Metro came out strongly against Metro projects complying with Measure HLA, the recently voter-approved law which now requires L.A. City projects to gradually upgrade streets to be safer and multi-modal.
Earlier today, the L.A. City Council approved modifications to the city's draft Measure HLA implementation ordinance [Council file 24-0173, draft ordinance], though with some questionable last minute changes. The council approved an amendment by Councilmember Traci Park that makes a time-consuming internal appeal process mandatory. This appears to conflict with voter-approved Measure HLA language establishing that L.A. residents can sue to compel the city to improve streets.
The council instructions (in draft form since last summer) include having city departments "report back... on recommendations and steps needed to require Metro and any other third parties to comply with Measure HLA without any additional cost to the City."
This provision quickly prompted a four-page letter from Metro lawyers asserting various reasons that Measure HLA does not apply to Metro, concluding that "any attempt to enforce [Measure HLA] against Metro is beyond the City's legal authority, and Metro will challenge any such attempt."
So, Metro will fight the city in order not to install bus lanes, bike lanes, crosswalks, curb ramps, all approved a decade ago.
Metro is blocking routine upgrades to all the ways their riders get to bus stops and rail stations, plus blocking bus lane facilities that would improve Metro bus speeds.
Really.
It's not clear where all this ends up. Metro is giving the city - facing a billion-dollar budget crisis - a couple of expensive alternatives. Potentially get into a legal fight with Metro, or potentially spend extra money by letting Metro projects stripe streets out of compliance with city plans and Measure HLA, then the city goes back later to re-stripe streets to comply.
Three other Measure HLA actions are also anticipated soon:
Today's council approval sends the modified ordinance back to the City Attorney, who will draft a new, presumably final, ordinance that will comes back to the council for approval.
On April 3, the city's little known Street Standards Committee is anticipated to approve a final version of minimum street features that would comply with HLA (called the HLA Standard Elements Table). The city received public input on its initial draft (see for example, critiques from Streets for All and from SBLA Editor Joe Linton). A revised Standard Elements Table will be released later this month.
Under Measure HLA language, the city is required to implement a public-facing website tracking Measure HLA facility progress. The deadline for the website is one year of when HLA took effect, so expect a city portal available on or before April 9, 2025.
