Brief

Councilmembers Padilla, Park, Rodriguez, and Yaroslavsky moved to direct staff to create a comprehensive first/last mile (FLM) eligible projects list, multiyear capital delivery framework, and staffing plan to maximize transit connections in Metro FLM plans. The motion also requests additional funding analysis using Measure M sales tax revenue and city contributions. Currently referred to Transportation Committee; no further action as of September 2026.

Full summary

When voters passed Measure M in 2016, local agencies building rail lines were required to contribute 3% of project costs back to Metro, proportional to track miles in their jurisdiction. For Los Angeles, that obligation totals $182.5 million across three projects: the East San Fernando Valley Light Rail, the Metro D Line Extension (Segments 2&3), and the LAX/Metro Transit Center. In 2022, Metro agreed to let the City satisfy that requirement through local investment in First/Last Mile (FLM) improvements — the sidewalks, crosswalks, street lights, tree planting, and traffic calming measures that connect neighborhoods to new rail stations — rather than through a direct cash payment. This motion argues that despite that agreement, the City has failed to make any meaningful accounting of progress toward meeting its $182.5 million obligation through FLM delivery. The motion, introduced by Councilmembers Imelda Padilla, Traci Park, Monica Rodriguez, and Katy Yaroslavsky and seconded by Bob Blumenfield, directs the Bureau of Street Services, Bureau of Street Lighting, Bureau of Engineering, and the Department of Transportation — in consultation with the City Administrative Officer — to jointly report back to Council within 30 days. That report must include: a multiyear capital delivery framework for FLM projects around eligible rail stations; a list of priority projects near those stations, developed with relevant Council Districts, that maximize delivery of the full scope of improvements identified in Metro's own FLM plans; a multi-year staffing plan that scales up with project implementation and extends beyond the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games; an analysis of funding needs beyond the 3% requirement, including a blended strategy drawing on grants, Measure M sub-region allocations, and the 3% local return; and an accounting of any completed or in-progress projects already counting toward the City's obligation. The motion explicitly frames this as a matter of equity and accountability to Angelenos, arguing the City's intent should be to maximize physical improvements in communities surrounding new stations rather than defaulting to a cash payment that bypasses those neighborhoods. It points to Metro's own Games Enhanced Transit Service and Games Mobility Concept Plan — developed to support a car-free LA28 Olympics — as a model for aligning policy, staffing, and funding around a concrete infrastructure goal. The motion was referred to the Transportation Committee on September 16, 2026, where it remains pending with no further action recorded.

Activity (1)

• 2026-09-16 Motion referred to Transportation Committee.

Documents (1)

• 2026-09-16 Motion · motion