Meeting_Body
EXECUTIVE MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE
NOVEMBER 21, 2024
Subject
SUBJECT: COMMUNITY ADVISORY COUNCIL (CAC) UPDATE
Action
ACTION: APPROVE RECOMMENDATION
Heading
RECOMMENDATION
Title
CONSIDER:
A. RECEIVING AND FILING the Community Advisory Council update; and
B. APPROVING CAC’s revisions to their Bylaws (Attachment A).
Issue
ISSUE
The Community Advisory Council (CAC) provides regular updates on its activities to the Board. This receive and file report serves as an update on CAC activities for the period April 19, 2024 - October 11, 2024. Typically, reporting on CAC activities is done quarterly; however, during this period the CAC needed two-thirds approval to forward their proposed Bylaws changes to the Board. Achieving this approval took longer than anticipated, which is why the report spans two quarters.
Per the CAC’s bylaws Article VII, any revisions to the bylaws "are subject to Board approval” for implementing changes. Given that the CAC proposes various revisions to the current bylaws and proposes activation of two new Standing Committees, approval is required by the Metro Board. The new Standing Committees would parallel the Board’s Planning and Programming Standing Committee and Operations, Safety and Customer Experience Standing Committee.
Background
BACKGROUND
Per state statute, Metro must appoint a Citizens’ Advisory Committee (CAC) whose membership “shall reflect a broad spectrum of interests and all geographic areas of the county.” The CAC prefers to be referred to as the Community Advisory Council because it better reflects its constituency.
Per the bylaws adopted by the CAC, the group is to consult, obtain, and collect public input on matters of interest and concern to the community. It will communicate the CAC’s recommendations concerning such issues to Metro. Issues may also be assigned to the CAC by Metro for its review, comment, and recommendation.
The CAC is currently comprised of 24 members. CAC Members are directly appointed by the Metro Board of Directors and serve at the pleasure of their appointing Director. Each voting Metro Board Director can appoint up to four appointees to serve on the CAC.
Discussion
DISCUSSION
During this period, items that the CAC addressed include:
1. Support of Metro’s Board motion to make the GoPass Program permanent.
2. Election of a new Executive Committee to serve for FY24/25 which began on July 1, 2024.
3. The CAC’s desire to pursue changes to the language in the bylaws that address when the CAC shall hold meetings as noted in “Section VI: Meetings” (page 4 of Bylaws) and seeks to change the reference to “Board Clerk” from “Board Secretary” in “Article III: Officers, 3. Duties of Secretary.”
4. Appointments of new members to the CAC by Chair Janice Hahn, 2nd Vice Chair Fernando Dutra, Director Karen Bass, Director Kathryn Barger, and Director Paul Krekorian.
5. Development of two new CAC Standing Committees, one focused on Planning and Programming and another on Operations, Safety, and Customer Experience (per CAC’s bylaws guidance under Article V: Subcommittees, Item 2).
Please refer to Attachment B for a full summary of the CAC meetings held April 19, 2024 - October 11, 2024.
Determination_Of_Safety_Impact
DETERMINATION OF SAFETY IMPACT
This Board action will not have an impact on safety standards for Metro.
Financial_Impact
FINANCIAL IMPACT
The FY25 Budget includes $88,800 in cost center number 7160, Community Relations, under project number 100035, Advisory Body Compensation, for the CAC member compensations.
Activation of two additional subcommittees could result in an increase cost of approximately $28,800 that would be covered by the reallocation of funds in FY25. Since this is a multi-year activity, the cost center manager and Chief Customer Experience Officer will be accountable for budgeting the cost in future years.
Impact to Budget
The sources of funding are Measure R 1.5% Administration and Measure M 1.5% Administration, which are not eligible for bus and rail operating and capital expense.
Equity_Platform
EQUITY PLATFORM
CAC Members represent diverse ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds, viewpoints, perspectives, and priorities. Over recent years, the CAC has become increasingly diverse in terms of race/ethnicity, gender, and age. It comprises several members who utilize Metro and partially Metro-funded services (such as Access Services, local municipal operators’ services, Metrolink, etc.) and regularly ride the Metro system. Additionally, some CAC members have disabilities, further increasing equitable representation among LA County’s diverse population.
Of the 24-member advisory council, 73% identify as Black, Indigenous, or People of Color (BIPOC). In addition, there are seven women, representing 30%, and one member identifies as a transgender individual.
Continuing this trend, one of the new members appointed during this reporting period is a youth and a regular transit rider, while another new member appointed during this reporting period is an Asian-American.
Equity was at the forefront of the CAC’s policy recommendations during this reporting period, as clearly demonstrated by the council’s vote to support the GoPass Program, which provides free fares for K-12 and community college students, who tend to be low-income and from BIPOC communities.
Additionally, the CAC’s recently proposed bylaws changes aim to increase accessibility and flexibility for CAC members regarding when they can convene their monthly CAC Meetings, as well as the opportunity for more CAC members to consider future service through leadership roles on the CAC’s Executive Committee.
Lastly, the CAC’s most recent discussions and expressed interest in forming additional CAC Committees (pending Metro Board approvals) reflect their latest efforts to provide more avenues and opportunities for their general membership and for the public to engage more deeply with the CAC in specific Metro matters, as well as more leadership development opportunities for the general membership within the CAC.
Implementation_of_Strategic_Plan_Goals
IMPLEMENTATION OF STRATEGIC PLAN GOALS
Goal 1 - Provide high-quality mobility options that enable people to spend less time traveling
Goal 2 - Deliver outstanding trip experiences for all users of the transportation system
Goal 3 - Enhance community and lives through mobility and access to opportunity
Goal 4 - Transform LA County through regional collaboration and national leadership
Goal 5 - Provide responsive, accountable, and trustworthy governance within the Metro organization
The advisory input of the CAC to Metro supports Metro’s Strategic Vision Goals, as outlined above, as per State statute that created the CAC and per their bylaws, the CAC’s purview may be broad, and it is not required, nor has it been assigned a focus that is specific to one issue area or one concern for the agency.
Next_Steps
NEXT STEPS
Revise the CAC Bylaws per the Board's approval or direction.
Attachments
ATTACHMENTS
Attachment A - Proposed CAC Bylaws Changes
Attachment B - CAC’s April through October Recap
Prepared_by
Prepared by: Danielle Valentino, Manager, Community Relations, (213) 922-1249
Patricia Soto, Director, Community Relations, (213) 922Lilian De Loza-Gutierrez, Executive Officer, Communications,
(213) 922-7479
Yvette Rapose, Deputy Chief, Customer Experience, (213) 418-3154
Reviewed_By
Reviewed by: Jennifer Vides, Chief Customer Experience Officer, (213) 922-4060
