On Monday, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass joined other Metro officials for the annual “State of the Agency” address at Union Station where she said her goal is for the city to be the former car capital of the nation.
“We need more Southern Californians to view and use Metro as their first choice for transportation,” she said.
In order to accomplish this, she says she plans to increase homeless outreach teams to improve safety on the Metro.
“Almost 50 people have died on the metro system just this year, so we are increasing our homeless outreach teams by 50%,” she said. “This year, we will have 24 teams to move people off the stations, trains, and buses and into stable housing.”
While Metro is currently contracting the Los Angeles Police Department and other law enforcement agencies to help at trains, buses, and subway stations, Bass said she plans to have an in-house Metro community safety department.
“We have an opportunity to create a department that from its inception is integrated with a holistic approach,” she said.
Bass replaces Glendale City Councilmember Ara Najarian as the Metro board chair.
Follow KNX News 97.1 FM
Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | TikTok
Related
Related
