CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE STATE CAPITOL SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA iste April 15, 2016 Honorable Mark Ridley-Thomas, Chair Mr. Phil Washington, Chief Executive Officer Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transit Autherity 1 Gateway Plaza Los Angeles CA 90012 Re: Long Range Transportation Plan—Draft Potential Ballot Measure Expenditure Plan Dear Chairman Ridley-Thomas and Mr. Washington: We write to provide feedback on the Draft Potential Ballot Expenditure Plan. First, we would like to share our appreciation for the bottoms-up approach process the Los Angeles Metropolitan Transit Authority (Metro) underwent to identify transportation needs across the county and develop the Long Range Transportation Plan. However, we would like to express our serious concerns with the proposed timeline for the West Santa Ana Transit Corridor/Eco-Rapid Transit Line, which pegs completion 20 years later than previously anticipated. This project, as several others in the latest version of the Draft Expenditure Plain, received funding from Measure R and were due to be prioritized for new funding made available to Metro under the 2009 Long Range Transportation Plan. The Eco-Rapid Transit project was allocated $240 million from Measure P. and the Expenditure Plan identified a service revenue date of 2027. Unfortunately, under the new proposed plan, this much-needed project will be postponed 20 years, delaying a viable transportation alternative for a high-density area that currently has limited access to transit. To that end, we would like to work with you to see what can be done to complete the Eco-Rapid Transit project within the timeline that was pledged to the voters who supported Measure R. All of the projects under the Draft Expenditure Plan are certainly worthy of funding, but it is important to note that the West Santa Ana Transit Corridor/Eco-Rapid Transit project scored extremely high under Metro’s project evaluation modeling, with a perfect score on mobility. PastChairman Ridley-Thomas and Mr. Washington Page 2 of 2 April 15, 2016 studies on this project have demonstrated high ridership forecasts of more than 75,000 daily passengers. Southeast Los Angeles County would greatly benefit from this significant rail project, potentially increasing transit’s mode share in the area and bringing environmental benefits to residents. According to the CalEnviroScreen, many areas in the Southeast are amongst the 10% highest scoring environmentally at-risk census tracts in California. The residents in the Southeast have waited a very long time for rail to reach their communities and expect the commitments made under Measure R to be honored. As strong supporters of the proposed ballot measure, we respectfully request that you consider bringing this project to fruition on a fair timeframe by accelerating its schedule. ‘Thank you for your time and consideration. We know that you are working diligently to improve the transportation experiences of all of our constituents. Please contact us should you have any questions on this matter. Sincerely, evin de Leén Senator, 24” District President Pro Tempore, California State Senate |e ‘Tony Mendoza jcardo Lara Senator, 32™ District Senator, 33% District ce: Los Angeles Metro Board of Directors