Meeting_Body
EXECUTIVE MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE
FEBRUARY 19, 2026
Subject
SUBJECT: COMMUNITY ADVISORY COUNCIL (CAC) QUARTERLY UPDATE
Action
ACTION: RECEIVE AND FILE
Heading
RECOMMENDATION
Title
RECEIVE AND FILE the Community Advisory Council (CAC) Quarterly Update.
Issue
ISSUE
This report is a quarterly update on the activities of the Community Advisory Council (CAC) for November 2025 through January 2026.
Background
BACKGROUND
Per state statute (AB152), when the Los Angeles County Transportation Commission (LACTC) and Southern California Rapid Transit District (SCRTD) merged to become Metro, a requirement was embedded in the legislation to establish a Citizens’ Advisory Committee. In 2022, the CAC rebranded to refer to itself as the Community Advisory Council to better reflect its values and to convey a more inclusive tone.
Per the CAC's Bylaws, the council consults, obtains, and collects public input on matters of interest and concern to the community, as well as those assigned by the Board of Directors or Metro staff. The CAC communicates advisory input, feedback, and/or recommendations concerning key issues to Metro.
The CAC is currently made up of 23 voting members, directly appointed by the Metro Board of Directors. The CAC General Assembly typically meets monthly on the Wednesday evening before the Metro Board of Directors meeting. The CAC’s elected officers usually meet as an Executive Committee on the first Thursday of each month.
Discussion
DISCUSSION
Meetings
During this reporting period, the CAC met in November, and December to discuss various Metro projects, programs, and agency initiatives. They also hosted their annual holiday meeting with Deputy CEO Sharon Gookin.
November 2025 Meeting
Customer Code of Conduct Educational Campaign
During the November 25 General Assembly meeting, Jeff Zimm, Deputy Executive Officer of Creative & Brand, presented an update on Metro’s Code of Conduct educational campaign. He outlined how the campaign aims to boost awareness and encourage safe, respectful behavior across the transit system. Zimm previewed a range of humorous, creative, and promotional materials designed to make the messaging more relatable. He also emphasized that serious violations-such as carrying weapons-would not be treated humorously but communicated clearly and directly to underscore their importance. He noted that campaign materials will roll out in phases across stations, with potential plans for limited-edition merchandise and opportunities for the public to provide feedback to measure impact.
While the response from members was overwhelmingly positive, they offered several recommendations for strengthening youth engagement, including consulting adolescent-behavior experts, partnering with local influencers, and tailoring visuals to Los Angeles by incorporating familiar cultural references and landmarks. Additional suggestions included increasing social media frequency, using explicit calls to action like “Send this to your friend,” placing signage at eye level for effectiveness, and adding graphics that address issues such as riders occupying excessive space.
Staff from Department of Public Safety were also present to answer questions related to fare enforcement and code of conduct violations.
December 2025 Meeting
Holiday/End of Year Meeting
At its December 2025 meeting, the CAC hosted a holiday meeting with Metro’s Deputy CEO Gookin. The CAC received an end-of-year recap of the agency’s key successes, challenges, priorities, and opportunities for the New Year. CAC Members shared their observations, provided feedback, and asked questions on various projects, programs, and initiatives, and reflected on this past year. The Deputy CEO expressed appreciation for CAC’s service, engagement, and key advisory inputs shared by the group.
January 2026 Meeting
Even though the CAC Executive Committee met in January, there was no General Assembly meeting due to technical difficulties.
Metro K Line Extension to Torrance Hybrid Alternative
While the CAC did not receive a briefing during this period, they had previously received several updates. During those updates, the CAC agreed to submit a letter of support to the board. That letter was submitted following their Executive Committee meeting in January.
Membership Update
Staff will continue to work with the CAC Chair to inform all Board deputies of opportunities to assess current appointees and fill vacancies.
Equity_Platform
EQUITY PLATFORM
The CAC’s ethnic and geographic diversity strengthen Metro’s equity outcomes by ensuring the committee reflects the communities most impacted by transit service. Of the members who self-identified, 71% identify as BIPOC, bringing forward perspectives that help Metro better understand access, safety, affordability, and reliability challenges in historically underserved areas. Geographic diversity further ensures that issues across different parts of the county are represented.
Several CAC members are regular transit riders, including the two new members appointed in April and June, and one long-time member who relies on Access services, providing essential firsthand insight into how Metro’s decisions affect riders with disabilities and those who depend most on public transit.
Female representation on the CAC remains low at 29%, which is a concern. This reflects historical appointment patterns and differences in how appointing authorities identify candidates. To address this, Metro staff and the CAC Chair are working more closely with Board deputies to encourage the appointment of qualified women and to prioritize gender and other demographic gaps when filling vacancies. This coordinated approach supports a CAC that more fully reflects Metro’s ridership and strengthens equity-centered decision-making.
Vehicle_Miles_Traveled _Outcome
VEHICLE MILES TRAVELED OUTCOME
VMT and VMT per capita in Los Angeles County are lower than national averages, the lowest in the SCAG region, and on the lower end of VMT per capita statewide, with these declining VMT trends due in part to Metro’s significant investment in rail and bus transit.* Metro’s Board adopted VMT reduction targets align with California’s statewide climate goals, including achieving carbon neutrality by 2045. To ensure continued progress, all Board items are assessed for their potential impact on VMT.
As part of these ongoing efforts, this item is expected to contribute to further reductions in VMT. While this item does not directly encourage taking transit, sharing a ride, or using active transportation, it is a vital part of Metro operations, as it is a formal advisory body that provides community input on key agency priorities, projects, and programs, which can lead to enhanced customer experience. Because the Metro Board has adopted an agency-wide VMT Reduction Target, and this item supports the overall function of the agency and is consistent with the goals of reducing VMT.
*Based on population estimates from the United States Census and VMT estimates from Caltrans’ Highway Performance Monitoring System (HPMS) data between 2001-2019.
Implementation_of_Strategic_Plan_Goals
IMPLEMENTATION OF STRATEGIC PLAN GOALS
The recommendation supports the following 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 CAC’s advisory input to Metro supports Metro’s Strategic Vision Goals, as outlined above. Per statute and the CAC’s Bylaws, its purview may be broad and need not be specific to one agency issue area or concern.
Next_Steps
NEXT STEPS
A follow-up report on CAC activities between February - April will be presented at the May Board meeting.
Prepared_by
Prepared by: Danielle Valentino, Manager, Customer Engagement Integration, (213) 949-1297
Patricia Soto, Director, Customer Engagement Integration, (213) 922-7273
Lilian De Loza-Gutierrez, Executive Officer, Community Relations, (213) 922-7479
Yvette Rapose, Deputy Chief Customer Experience Officer, (213) 418- 3154
Reviewed_By
Reviewed by: Jennifer Vides, Chief Customer Experience Officer, (213) 922-4060
