Policy Corner: ATP Funding and Farewell to an Equity champ!
The Policy Team is back with our first round of monthly updates for 2019! Here’s some updates on a few things we’re working on:
State ATP Funding: Earlier this month, Caltrans announced their funding
recommendations for the state Active Transportation Program (ATP). More than $218 million in funding is recommended for 45 active transportation projects statewide, including $22.6 million for Blue Line First / Last Mile improvements to Compton and Artesia station areas.
In 2017, LACBC was deeply involved in the Blue Line First/Last Mile planning process, along with seven other community-based organizations: Asian Pacific Islanders Forward Movement (APIFM), East Side Riders (ESR), Healthy Active Streets (HAS), People for Mobility Justice (PMJ), Ride On Bike Coop, and T.R.U.S.T. South LA. Each organization led walk audits around all 22 stations of the Blue Line, and hosted community events at 11 of them. LACBC led walk audits and engagement efforts at Artesia, Compton, and Washington stations. We are thrilled that two of these stations were recommended for ATP funding, and are one step closer to receiving much-needed safety upgrades.
Metro’s Equity Platform: Metro’s experiences with the Blue Line First/Last Mile planning process helped inform the development of their Equity Platform, adopted by the Board last February. Unfortunately, the process to develop meaningful goals, actions, and metrics around equity has been slow. LACBC continues to participate in Metro Policy Advisory Committee (PAC) working groups to inform and push these efforts. Check out Investing In Place’s blog post to learn more about the interplay of equity and transit.
Fond Farewell to Therese McMillan: LACBC and fellow mobility advocates are sad to see Therese McMillan, Chief Planning Officer at Metro, departing Los Angeles. She’ll be returning to the Bay Area, where she’ll serve as Executive Director of the Metropolitan Transportation Commission’s (MTC). Therese championed the Equity Platform, and has been a key ally in pushing Metro’s culture shift forward. We will miss her energy in SoCal, but are excited for her new opportunity in the Bay Area.
As a member of the PAC, LACBC works to hold Metro accountable to making their platform a scalable and viable framework for future projects. We’re working to ensure that they are taking a hard look at displacement, questionable enforcement practices, funding, and disinvestment in communities that need change the most.As part of our mission, LACBC will continue to urge Metro to make its Equity Platform a reality.