With our free press under threat and federal funding for public media gone, your support matters more than ever. Help keep the LAist newsroom strong, become a monthly member or increase your support today .
Want to make LA Metro safer? Here’s your chance to have a say
Passengers wait for Metro Rail subway trains during rush hour in Los Angeles, California.
(
David McNew
/
Getty Images North America
)
If you’re concerned about safety on L.A. Metro, the agency is inviting people to help shape the system over a two-year term.
Applications are now open for Metro’s Public Safety Advisory Committee, but they’re looking for a specific set of skills, including those who ride regularly, have experience in homelessness or social services, victims’ rights, and mental health — to name a few.
The seven new members must also be committed to safeguarding “the transit community by taking a holistic, equitable and welcoming approach to public safety, in recognition that each individual is entitled to a safe, dignified and human experience,” according to L.A. Metro.
If accepted, you’ll start serving on the committee’s monthly meetings next February, the agency confirmed to LAist.
Support for LAist comes from
About the committee
The L.A. Metro Board of Directors voted to “reimagine public safety” on the transit system a little more than four years ago.
It was a “response to demonstrations for racial justice and national conversation about the appropriate role of police in our society,” after the murder of George Floyd and killing of Breonna Taylor, according to Metro motions from 2020 and 2021.
Several of the directors, including Hilda Solis and Janice Hahn, wrote that it was prudent for the agency to reevaluate its safety strategies given those events.
The Public Safety Advisory Committee was initially created to include additional perspectives, and was immediately directed to come up with a community-based approach to public safety on the transit system along with other committees and offices.
More recently, the committee helped launch the ambassadors program. It also reviewed and held a listening session to get rider feedback about the agency’s own police force earlier this year.
Support for LAist comes from
Who they're looking for
To serve on the Public Safety Advisory Committee, you're not required to be a U.S. citizen, but you must live in Los Angeles County.
The application includes questions about your ethnicity, age, annual income, gender, housing status, sexual orientation, and disability.
It’ll also ask how often you ride L.A. Metro’s buses or trains, and which lines you use most.
The agency is seeking people who have an interest or experience in law enforcement, equitable transit, racial justice, seniors, youth, women and girls, as well as disability rights. You’ll be asked to explain your lived experience or knowledge in any of those areas.
You’ll also be required to explain your reasoning for wanting to join the committee, and share your top goals for your tenure.
Applications need to be submitted by Sept. 6, and you can do it online by filling out this form.
Support for LAist comes from
You can also download a PDF version and submit it via email to psac@metro.net with the subject line "PSAC Application.”
Or you can drop it off at the agency’s customer centers in Baldwin Hills, East L.A., and Wilshire / Vermont during regular office hours, or mail it to: Los Angeles Metro, ATTN: Public Safety Advisory Committee, One Gateway Plaza, Mail Stop 99-13-1, Los Angeles, CA 90012.
If you have any questions about the application, you can call (213) 922-4866 or email the address above.
At LAist, we believe in journalism without censorship and the right of a free press to speak truth to those in power. Our hard-hitting watchdog reporting on local government, climate, and the ongoing housing and homelessness crisis is trustworthy, independent and freely accessible to everyone thanks to the support of readers like you.
But the game has changed: Congress voted to eliminate funding for public media across the country. Here at LAist that means a loss of $1.7 million in our budget every year. We want to assure you that despite growing threats to free press and free speech, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust. Speaking frankly, the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news in our community.
We’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission.
Thank you for your generous support and belief in the value of independent news.
Chip in now to fund your local journalism
(
LAist
)
Trending on LAist
-
The historic properties have been sitting vacant for decades and were put on the market as-is, with prices ranging from $750,000 to $1.75 million. -
Users of the century old Long Beach wooden boardwalk give these suggestions to safely enjoy it. -
The Newport Beach City Council approved a new artificial surf park that will replace part of an aging golf course. -
The utility, whose equipment is believed to have sparked the Eaton Fire, says payouts could come as quickly as four months after people submit a claim. But accepting the money means you'll have to forego any lawsuits. -
The City Council will vote Tuesday on a proposal to study raising the pay for construction workers on apartments with at least 10 units and up to 85 feet high. -
The study found recipients spent nearly all the money on basic needs like food and transportation, not drugs or alcohol.
Best of LAist