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Thursday, Mar 28, 2024

The Valley’s Critical Summer

Summer is typically a slow time for policy decisions, as the state, local and federal elected officials take their recesses to spend time with their families and constituents. But plenty of decision-making is going on in the summer months when it comes to transit priorities for Metro. The Business Perspective on Valley Issues The San Fernando Valley Council of Governments is about to make a final decision regarding its “Wish List” for Valley transit projects that will be included in Metro’s long-range plan of projects that would be funded with a new countywide sales tax. This potential tax – called Measure R2 – would be an extension of the currently approved and running Measure R half-cent sales tax. The Valley on Track Coalition has spent more than a year advocating for the inclusion of funding of three bang-for-your-buck projects: Building the Metro-approved East San Fernando Valley Transit Corridor along Van Nuys Boulevard as light rail; expediting the construction of a Sepulveda Pass rail from the Valley to the Westside, as it is currently slated for construction under Measure R funding for 2039; and finally, converting the Orange Line bus line to light rail, so that the East-West bus line across the Valley can increase its speed by 20 percent and – most importantly – increase capacity by 750 percent. Luckily, these three projects were included in the first round of priorities voted on by the Council of Governments’ Transportation Ad Hoc Committee. On June 22, the Committee (with representatives from the city and county of L.A., City of Burbank and City of Santa Clarita) voted unanimously to push forward the three Valley on Track priorities, as well as $65 million in funding for bike lanes, and funding to connect the North Hollywood Metro Station to the Pasadena Metro Station by light rail or bus. This priority list came with a few asterisks in favor of Valley on Track. First, Valley Councilmember Felipe Fuentes recommended that the Council of Governments mark the Sepulveda Pass as a regionally significant project – which means its $6 billion-plus price tag would be shared by all of the seven councils of governments across the county, leaving more of our share to other Valley projects. Second, Valley Councilmember Bob Blumenfield requested that the wording for the Orange Line be expanded beyond “enhancements” to include “enhancements to increase capacity.” That way, the project’s final form can include a full conversion, since that is the only true way to increase capacity. We appreciate all the residents, commuters and Valley on Track coalition members that attended. The message was loud and clear. The only true fix for the Valley’s globally recognized congestion is to bring light rail to the heaviest corridors: the Sepulveda Pass, the Van Nuys Boulevard corridor, and the Orange Line route. The full Council of Governments board meets on July 16 at 2 p.m. at Van Nuys City Hall. Its membership includes the Transportation Committee as well as Los Angeles city and county representatives and officials from the cities of Glendale and San Fernando. A final vote on the wish list will decide what to send to Metro for its consideration in the coming months. Metro will make an initial decision on priorities for Measure R2 in the late fall or winter this year. It is important that Valley residents, employers and commuters fill the room on July 16 and continue to push the importance of these three projects. Transit is crucial for local businesses, as a strong transit system increases the commute radius for potential employees. Valley employers are missing out on potentially fantastic employees that are unable to reliably or efficiently commute across the Valley or into the Valley. Transit advocates at the Transportation Committee spoke of restaurant workers that travel two-plus hours via unreliable bus lines to get to their place of work. This is unacceptable in the second-largest city in the country, and particularly in the Valley, which would be the fifth-largest city on its own if the region were its own city. What other large Metro area has no reliable transit through its busiest corridors? Visit ValleyOnTrack.org to get involved in the coming steps of this process. It is important that Valley residents and employees make it clear: If Metro builds it, we will come. Stuart Waldman is president of the Valley Industry and Commerce Association, a Sherman Oaks-based business advocacy organization that represents L.A. County employers at the local, state and federal levels of government.

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