Los Angeles Metro Approves $400 Billion Long-Range Plan, Service Cuts for 2021
Against the backdrop of plunging revenue due to the pandemic, the Los Angeles County Metro Board of Directors approved an updated 2020 Long Range Transportation Plan (2020 LRTP): a $400-billion, 30-year transportation blueprint for the county. The 2020 LRTP details plans to add more than 100 miles of rail over the next 30 years, the most aggressive transit expansion plan in the nation. Beyond transit, Metro will invest in arterial and freeway projects to reduce congestion, such as the I-5 North enhancements project and adding more Express Lanes. The plan calls for prioritizing bus travel on the county's busiest streets and implementing the recommendations of the NextGen Bus Plan to make bus service more frequent and faster. After implementation, Metro expects 21 percent of county residents and 36 percent of jobs will be within a 10-minute walk of high-quality rail or bus rapid transit options--up from only 8 percent and 16 percent, respectively. The comprehensive plan estimates an 81 percent increase in daily transit trips, a 31 percent decrease in transit delay and a 19 percent decrease in overall greenhouse gas emissions in the county. At the same time, Metro approved budget and service cuts for 2021. The budget will drop 20 percent, to $6 billion, and bus and rail service will drop by 1 million hours, to 5.6 million. 

Sacramento Plans for Downtown Public Transit Hub
The City of Sacramento revealed new plans for a downtown transit hub situated between the city's downtown and the railyard, which is being redeveloped as a massive mixed-use community. The vision for the 17-acre, city-owned site, which includes the historic Sacramento Valley Station depot, is centered around a new passenger station above existing Amtrak platforms, with adjacent plazas and bus hubs to be integrated into the station. This fall the city will update its planning guide for the area, which will open up state and federal grant opportunities to contribute to what is expected to be hundreds of millions of dollars in both public and private investment costs. Early designs suggest the hub will have a similar sleek and high-tech feel of nearby Downtown Commons, but with more recreational amenities like a community garden, a dog park, and a skate park along the river. Among the first steps are a plan to build a ramp into an existing train passenger tunnel to connect to planned developments including a medical center and a Major League Soccer stadium.

Coastal Commission Approves Makeover of Dana Point Harbor
The California Coastal Commission voted unanimously to approve a redevelopment plan for 49-year-old Dana Point Harbor in Orange County. The plan, which is expected to cost $330 million, is the result of more than 20 years of collaborative efforts with the county, the city of Dana Point, and community stakeholders. As part of the Coastal Commission's approval--which includes re-configuring the harbor and replacing 2,409 boat slips with fewer, larger boat slips--the developer must meet special conditions. Among these are creating a sea lion and seal monitoring program, planning for post-construction water quality protection and enhancement, and maximizing public access and recreation so environmental justice considerations, such as educational access for youth, are addressed. For the latter, the developer said it is developing a program that would bring at least 1,000 low-income and disadvantaged youths to the harbor every year. The program will include a variety of water education programs including sailing and surfing.

CP&DR Coverage: Infamous Apartment Proposed Approved in Lafayette 
The Lafayette City Council voted to approve the Terraces at Lafayette, an apartment complex planned for 22 acres in the upscale Bay Area suburb. The Terraces saga gained widespread attention early this year when it was recounted in Conor Dougherty’s recently published book Golden Gates. Over the years, the project’s size has wavered between 44 units and 315 units. Some local residents at one point favored the diminutive version, while housing advocates insisted that the project accommodate as many residents as possible – and famously sued the city, unsuccessfully, to force the larger project. Even so, the controversy is far from over. Opponents, led by the citizens’ group Save Lafayette, filed a lawsuit suit against the project in late September – the second suit brought by the group under the California Environmental Quality

Quick Hits & Updates 
City officials have delayed the release of a crucial report about a transit village proposed by Google for downtown San Jose, saying the game-changing project is so complex that more time is needed to fashion the study. The next major step in the city planning process was an initial environmental impact report that had been slated for release by the end of August. The report is now slated to be released in October. (See prior CP&DR coverage.)

Following newly released details of the Burbank to Los Angeles leg of California High-Speed Rail, officials will now study how to extend service into Orange County. Under the proposed plan, the roughly 30-mile corridor would feature an electrified track for high-speed trains and other passenger rail services. The environmental study will also evaluate the construction of two new satellite rail facilities in the San Bernardino County communities of Lenwood and Colton.

Gov. Gavin Newsom and state lawmakers have unveiled a plan to protect California from a looming wave of evictions caused by economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic. The proposed deal has some eviction protection provisions for tenants, but no rent forgiveness. Proponents of the bill say it's a stopgap measure meant to help Californians in need until federal aid comes through.

Los Angeles plans to spend nearly $10 million on a new program to help tenants threatened with eviction defend themselves in court, along with an additional $40 million to help low income residents. The "emergency eviction defense" program will be funded with up to $8 million from federal block grants and nearly $2 million previously set aside for a renters relief program.

The board of Los Angeles commuter rail system Metrolink has greenlit the planning of two extensions for a $5 billion high-speed train to Las Vegas that would tie it into existing Los Angeles-area commuter rail lines and California's high-speed rail project. Each of the extensions would be about 50 miles from Victorville, California, and add about $2 billion of additional construction costs.

Hundreds of thousands of dollars in severance payments flowed improperly to former employees, an audit of the San Diego Association of Governments found. Hasan Ikhrata, who took over as SANDAG's top executive in 2018, approved more than $227,000 in payments without telling the board of directors. The actions were not isolated cases, the audit said: Ikhrata regularly operated outside of existing procedures and established his own policy objectives.

A proposed development in Upland is now in jeopardy due to a conflict regarding whether the project can bypass environmental review pursuant to SB 35. Due to initial backlash from the city of Upland, the developer has said that it will either go through a ministerial approval process or not build at all. The case is complicated by the fact that part of the project straddles two jurisdictions. The city of Claremont disputes Upland's claim that the environmental report does not qualify for construction through SB 35.

San Francisco's Muni Metro light-rail system, which shut down abruptly after a short reopening, is expected to remain closed through the end of the year as extensive repairs are made. Muni shut down the light-rail system after equipment malfunctions and reports of employees infected with the coronavirus. Officials said after worrying back-to-back breakdowns it makes sense to do the repairs now while ridership is low.

Details are emerging for a proposed gondola line that could take one of four routes from the San Fernando Valley to a viewing platform below the Hollywood Sign in Los Angeles. The proposed tram would require the construction of a series of tower structures which would be used to support cable-driven gondolas. Ridership forecasts anticipate as many 13,000 passengers per day with ample parking and inexpensive fares.