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Previous Action Alerts
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SANTA CLARITA TRANSIT CUTS CALPIRG reports transit funding creates 19%
more jobs than road building!
Metro is seeking input on two studies that explores rapid transit options for the notoriously congested Westside. One will focus on an area paralleling Wilshire Blvd., while the other will focus on the Crenshaw/Prairie corridor to Inglewood. Metro invites those concerned about transit to come to these scheduled meetings to learn about the studies and provide their input. In both studies, different technologies such as heavy rail, light rail, bus rapid transit and monorail, as well as different alignments, will be considered.
Westside Extension Transit Corridor Study All meetings start at 6 p.m.
Send written comments to:
David Mieger, AICP
Comments may also be submitted through the “Contact Us” page of the project web site at www.metro.net/westside, or by phone on the project information line at (213) 922-6932. Comments should be received no later than Thursday, November 1, 2007.
Crenshaw-Prairie Transit Corridor Study
Send written comments to: Alan Patashnick
Comments may also be submitted through e-mail at patashnickalan@metro.net or by phone on the project information line at (213) 922-2736. Comments should be received no later than Monday, November 5, 2007. September 2007 Campaign:
Los Angeles County continues to lag in making Metrolink more convenient to the passenger. To the south, Orange County will bring 30-minute Metrolink service to their area by the end of the decade. With some modest track improvements, the same kind of service can be brought to the San Fernando Valley, Downtown L.A., and southeast L.A. County.
The Transit Coalition aims to improve Metrolink service in the Southland through our Metrolink MAX campaign! It is important that you as a rail user write to elected officials and urge them to bring 30-minute service to the Ventura County and Antelope Valley Lines! There are some improvements that can be pursued:
Act today! Your letters can make a difference! Write to the Los Angeles mayor, county supervisors and Metro board members and ask that they fight to fund these vital improvements!
You can also view the information on this page in PDF format for 8 1/2 x 11 and 11 x 17 printers. Don't hesitate to print this flyer and hand them to Metrolink passengers. If you want a member of The Transit Coalition to come and brief you or your group on this exciting improvement, please call our office at (818) 362-7997 to schedule a meeting date. To learn about improvements needed on this corridor, including those related to Amtrak Pacific Surfliner service, visit the LOSSAN Corridor website.
July & August 2007 Campaign:
April 2007 Campaign:
Precious transit operations funds from the state continue to be threatened by proposals to shift "spillover" funds from excess gas tax revenues to the state general fund. Established in 1972, the Spillover is triggered when collections from the sales tax on gasoline increase at a faster rate than all other taxable items. It serves as the only source of state funds for transit operations. Recent increases in gas prices have raised the Spillover to $624 million in FY 07. The spillover is projected to reach $1.1 billion in FY 08. However, over $1.68 billion from the Spillover has been used for non-transit programs since 2001. This could severely undermine transit growth even as transit usage continues to outpace travel by other modes.
Join us in fighting these cuts by contacting key elected officials and voicing your concerns. For those unfamiliar with the fight, you can read an explanation and benefits of the Spillover account courtesy of Cal-PIRG.
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| February 2007 Campaign:
As a means of preserving existing service, Metro needs to make some tough choices. Fare increases are politically unpopular and additional federal and state funds for bus and rail operations are unattainable. This leaves Metro with the only other option: to cut transit service where it is on the increase.
Metro has not raised fares since 1995. Operations costs and fuel prices have predictably increased. Historically, its fare-box recovery ratio (the cost of operations costs covered by fares) has been on the decline. Today, Metro for its size accounts for one of the lowest fare-box recovery ratios in the nation.
Inform yourself! Take a look at the following presentation on the Metro structural deficit and learn about the gravity of the situation. (This problem is not news to Metro. Staff warned to the Board about the deficit using another presentation as early as April 2006.) Then, send one e-mail to all 13 Metro Board members and ask that they adjust fares according to current operational realities.
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| January 2007 Campaign:
Metro will soon roll out its "Metro Connections" program that intends to make bus service more efficient. In fact, it will cut service to various areas around Los Angeles, especially in the San Fernando Valley, where bus service must be improved due to population growth. Metro has a list of proposed cuts online.
 Please make your concerns known during these upcoming Sector Governance Council meetings:
SAN FERNANDO VALLEY SECTOR
GATEWAY CITIES SECTOR
SOUTH BAY SECTOR
SAN GABRIEL VALLEY SECTOR
WESTSIDE/CENTRAL SECTOR
Additionally, you can write to Metro at Metro Customer Relations, One Gateway Plaza, 99PL4, Los Angeles, CA 90012-2932, Attn: Service Changes June 2007 before February 14, send an email to customerrelations@mta.net, or fax your concerns to (213) 922-6988. You can also forward your concerns to The Hon. Antonio Villaraigosa, Mayor of Los Angeles, 200 North Spring St., Room 303, Los Angeles, CA 90012-3239. If you wish to view the information on this page in a compact fashion, view our PDF flyer. If you have an 11x17 printer, feel free to print this flyer and hand them to bus passengers.
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| November 2006 Campaign:
Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) welcomes the public to attend the next meetings in the community-based planning process for the modernization of LAX. The focus of these meetings will be to discuss the North Airfield Preliminary Concepts. The concepts are now available for review at the LAWA website. Don't miss this chance to voice airport officials on the importance and necessity of bringing Green Line service to Lincoln/Sepulveda with access to LAX! The next set of meetings to be held as follows: For public convenience, two meetings have been scheduled. Attendance is not necessary at both meetings as the same material will be presented.
Flight Path Learning Center The location is accessible by Beach Cities Transit Line 109, and is a short walk away from Metro Line 232 and Torrance Transit Line 8, just west of Sepulveda and Imperial. Free parking is available. To view the LAX Specific Plan and learn about the Amendment Study, please visit the LAWA page dedicated to the study. For more information on the outreach meetings, please contact Los Angeles World Airports at (800) 919-3766.
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| October 2006
Campaign:
Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) welcomes the public to attend the next meetings in the community-based planning process for the modernization of LAX. The focus of these meetings will be to discuss the North Airfield Preliminary Concepts. The concepts will be accessible on the LAX Master Plan website on October 17, 2006. This is your chance to voice airport officials on the importance and necessity of bringing Green Line service to Lincoln/Sepulveda with access to LAX! The next set of meetings to be held as follows: For public convenience, two meetings have been scheduled. Attendance is not necessary at both meetings as the same material will be presented.
Proud Bird Restaurant The restaurant is accessible by Metro Line 439, Santa Monica Bus Line 3 and Culver City Bus Line 6 (Weekday and Weekend schedules available). Free parking is available. To view the LAX Specific Plan and learn about the Amendment Study, please visit the LAWA page dedicated to the study. For more information on the outreach meetings, please contact Los Angeles World Airports at (800) 919-3766.
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| October 2006
Campaign:
Councilmember Alex Padilla will dedicate the San Fernando Road Bicycle Path on Thursday, November 2, 10 a.m. The new bike path parallels San Fernando Rd. from Hubbard St. to Roxford St. Families are invited to bring their bicycles and ride the path to celebrate its grand opening. The event will be held at the San Fernando/Sylmar Metrolink Station on Hubbard St. and First St. and will serve refreshments at 9:30 a.m. For more information, call (818) 756-8409.
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| September 2006
Campaign:
Amtrak has been without authorization legislation since 2002. Senators Trent Lott (R-MS) and Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) introduced the "Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act of 2005" (PRIIA) on July 27, 2005. The bill provides for "Amtrak reform and operational improvements," authorizes Amtrak for the six years Fiscal 2006-2011, provides for capital assistance for states, and development of state rail plans. Debate and a vote in the full Senate on S.1516 are very likely to occur during the last half of September. Go to the Senate website, contact your two senators and ask them to approve S. 1516 but also to vote "no" for three bad amendments:
A summary of S. 1516 and further descriptions of the three amendments are provided courtesy of the National Association of Rail Passengers (NARP).
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| August 2006
Campaign:
The Metro [MTA] Board will finally adopt the official color for the Expo Line this month. The Friends 4 Expo Transit steering committee enthusiastically endorses the staff recommendation for the "Metro Aqua Line" to join the network of Blue, Red, Green, Gold, and Orange Lines. During the planning process for this line, where aqua was often used in Metro's public presentations, many of us discussed possible colors. We concluded (along with other transit organizations) that aqua is a great color for a branch of the Blue Line that goes to the ocean in Santa Monica, passing several aqua-colored landmarks along the way. You may have heard about L.A. Councilman Bernard Parks' original alternative, "Gray Line," and his current motion to color it "Rose" but call it the "Expo Line." We respectfully disagree. Our additional reasons are below. We invite all grass-roots supporters of the Expo Line to make their voices heard. Let's show the Metro Board members this color choice is important to all of us who look forward to riding the line! Click here to send one e-mail to all 13 Metro Board members before the Metro Board considers it on Thursday, August 24 (Board schedule). Why Aqua is a fitting color for the Expo Line: To learn more about the Expo Line, visit the following websites:
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July 2006 Campaign:
In response to the tragic Metrolink January 2005 accident in Glendale, Assemblymember Dario Frommer (D-Glendale) is pushing forward with his bill to prohibit "push-pull" operations on California commuter rail services.
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