As the May 26th (tomorrow!) deadline draws near for Measure M Guidelines comments, advocates, government agencies, and constituents alike are looking to collaboratively address all the new developments in Measure M. Last week, Investing in Place hosted our monthly #JustGrowth work group. What we heard in the room was very similar to concerns voiced by representatives on the Westside COG (that we had met with a few days earlier for a workshop on the draft guidelines).
A central concern and opportunity for many of our partners is regarding the need for clarity on the Measure M Subregional Programs. Measure M has created Los Angeles County’s first subregional funding program, with programs funds totaling over $10 billion. The Multiyear Subregional Programs were created out of the recognition that many needed investments fall somewhere in between major regional capital projects and purely local projects. These programs’ flexibility is a huge opportunity for innovation, but also a risk for accountability. They essentially have to be built from scratch in order to develop administrative processes that are transparent, performance-driven, community centered, accountable to stakeholders, and assign the appropriate level of authority to the appropriate decision-makers.
With such a large “TBD” next to how this money will be administered – this is a key issue we focused on in a recent blog post and our Measure M guidelines comment letter.
For a long time many viewed Metro as a bus and train agency. But more and more, Metro is now the key planner, operator, funder and more for transportation policies and programs in all Los Angeles County. And in a region that lacks a land use strategy, by default, Metro’s decisions are shaping our land use as well. With so many of our capital projects defining how we access and get around, it is critical we engage now. Groups like Bike SGV, American Heart Association, and Enterprise Community Partners, diverse in nature, shared similar concerns in creating a “a more transparent, community centered policy” around the subregional programs.
There are still a number of opportunities to engage after the May 26th deadline. The Metro Board of Directors will be addressing the Guidelines in two committees –
Wed June 14th – Planning and Programming, 2:00pm
Thu June 15th – Executive Management, 11:30am
Given that these hearings are during the work day, we hope that those that are able to organize their constituencies can bring the authentic community perspective. The process has been long, but we cannot lose steam. If you can join us at one of these committees to provide your perspective and testimony, we would love help facilitate that process. Please email me at amanda@investinginplace.org so we can coordinate.
Again, we encourage all that can, submit your comments to ThePlan@Metro.Net before this Friday, May 26th (tomorrow).
You can find our letter here and sign on as well. Thank you.