Advertising Supplement to the Los Angeles Times I Civic Publications, Inc. I 27
26 I Community Profiles 2024
an in-house public safety department. “If you are on transit, you deserve to be safe. You deserve to feel safe and you deserve a peaceful and clean station, bus, or train.” The transition to the TCPSD will take about five years, so in the meantime, Metro is working with contracted law enforcement agencies, homeless and mental health outreach groups and has made the Ambassador Program permanent with an additional 300-plus Ambassadors. Trained in the administration of Narcan, the Ambassadors have saved nearly 200 lives from drug overdoses.
By Elizabeth Smilor Special Sections Writer Metro Keeps Moving Forward as the 2028 Games Come into View
etro is forging ahead with optimism and significant progress on major projects, safety and outreach initiatives, and equity programs as the region moves closer to hosting the 2026 World Cup, 2027 Super Bowl and the 2028 Summer Olympics and Paralympic games. “We know that when L.A. hosts the Olympics in 2028, Metro will show the world how we can move millions of fans and local residents alike in a clean, convenient and truly exemplary fashion,” said L.A. Mayor and outgoing Metro Board Chair Karen Bass at the State of the Agency event. “That’s what Metro does every day, powering our economy, putting people to work in good infrastructure jobs, and cleaning our air.” At the annual gathering in Union Station in July, Bass ceremoniously passed the gavel to the new Metro Board Chair, L.A. County Supervisor Janice Hahn. Bass and Metro CEO Stephanie Wiggins noted Metro has experienced 18 consecutive months of ridership growth, bringing ridership to nearly 1 million boardings a day and making Metro the second-busiest transportation system in the country. “This is an exciting and consequential time for Metro. In the last three years, we’ve made incredible progress in advancing our ambitious transportation plans,” Wiggins said. “Our accomplishments over the last three years are a tribute to the passion and dedication of our more than 11,800 Metro employees and the growth in Metro ridership tells me we are on the right track.” Metro leaders highlighted accomplishments over the past fiscal year, including a Board vote to establish a Transit Community Public Safety Department (TCPSD), the opening of housing for the homeless on Metro land, expansion of the GoPass and LIFE discount fare programs, and infrastructure milestones on multiple train lines and Bus Priority lanes. “After ridership has been steadily increasing to almost pre-pandemic levels, we have sadly experienced a spike in violent crime; and hard-working Metro employees and riders alike feeling unsafe on the system. So, we took action,” said Bass in describing a surge in law enforcement on the system, the establishment of a unified command center, and the Metro Board decision to create
From left, Metro Board Chair Janice Hahn, Metro CEO Stephanie Wiggins, past Board Chair Karen Bass, and Board Vice Chair Fernando Dutra at the State of the Agency event.
Incoming Board Chair Hahn said her top priority will be safety for riders and employees, followed by an emphasis on rider experience that will include compassionately addressing homelessness. In June, the La Veranda affordable housing development opened on Metro-owned land in Boyle Heights, and the L.A. Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA) unveiled its Welcome Navigation Center in South L.A. “For the first time, when unhoused people have to leave our trains at the end of the line, in the middle of the night, our homeless outreach teams have a place to take them where they can have a meal and a warm bed and the help they need, so they don’t have to get on a train the next morning just to be off the streets,” Hahn said. She emphasized the importance of partnerships between agencies and cities to address these larger societal issues. “Public transit is core to civil rights and advancement of equity across America, so as L.A., Long Beach, and the region look to challenges from homelessness, the rising cost of housing, economic inclusion and more, we have to look to transit as the vehicle to really bring our communities together,” said Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson following the event. “Long Beach is a big venue for L.A. 2028 so we need to make sure we’re connected.” New connections are being made regularly as progress continues on infrastructure projects. Significant milestones in the past year include: the completion of tunneling for all three sections of the Purple (D Line) Extension for a subway that will connect downtown L.A. to the Westside; establishing new Bus Priority Lanes to
improve transit efficiency; progress on the renamed Southeast Gateway Line, Eastside Transit Corridor, and C Line Extension to Torrance; and the construction of the Airport Metro Connector (AMC). Located on the Metro K Line, the future AMC includes a light rail station, bus plaza, bicycle parking, customer service center, passenger pick-up and drop-off area, and direct connection to the future LAX Automated People Mover to provide more options for travelers and employees to get to the airport. “This is a massive opportunity for our region to show the world that L.A. isn’t just a car city: it’s a transit city,” Wiggins said. “We’re leveraging the Games to build a massive transit legacy for L.A. County, so we can put our best foot forward for the world, and help our region thrive in the decades to come.” m
Metro CEO Stephanie Wiggins speaks with Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson.
Made with FlippingBook Digital Proposal Creator