Having had the pleasure of experiencing 2-star Michelin chef Josiah Citrin’s acclaimed fine dining restaurant Mélisse in Santa Monica, I (along with many Los Angelenos) salivated for the reopening of the new Mélisse and Citrin restaurants, showcasing two different culinary concepts beneath one roof. Closing the iconic Mélisse last March after two decades of service, Chef Citrin recently debuted the transformed Mélisse, now an intimate five-table restaurant that only serves a special tasting menu, and the brand new Citrin, a 99-seat casual bistro serving “progressive California cuisine”.
courtesy of Citrin
Chef Citrin’s culinary philosophy and cookbook, In Pursuit of Excellence, sets the standard for all his cuisine whether haute level fine dining or casual. Trained in France and of French heritage, Citrin describes his style as “Contemporary American with French influences”, pairing classical French techniques as the foundation from which he creates new flavours with carefully sourced farm-to-table produce. Although his cooking philosophy– “the best tasting food can always be traced to its roots”– may seem deceptively simple, the inspired creations that he shapes, seasons, prepares and plates as art to the eye and palate, are definitely not.
courtesy of Citrin
Reflecting the more casual approach of the Los Angeles fine dining scene, Chef Citrin and Chef/Partner Ken Takayama reimagined the Michelin two-starred Mélisse sans tablecloths, with a more personal, intimate approach to service. This décontracté experience begins as guests enter the dining room by ringing the doorbell and entering through the familiar Mélisse red door. Much like being invited to an intimate dinner party, the chefs and sommeliers, doubling as servers, lead diners through their culinary voyage.
courtesy of Citrin
Using flavours from around the world, each dish showcases contrasting textures and styles. The nine-course seasonal tasting menu ($295) may offer Wagyu Beef Tartare, Hokkaido Scallop with Tokyo Negi, King Crab Tartlets with Hazelnut, and Caviar served with Buttermilk Mousse, to name a few choices. Guests may opt for a wine-pairing or a non-alcoholic pairing that features kombucha and infusions.
courtesy of Citrin
Citrin, which occupies the majority of the transformed space, offers an upscale, inviting and more casual bistro experience. Soft lighting, muted tones, and a separate 22-seat well-appointed bar enhance the modern cool vibe.
Signature classic dishes of Mélisse such as Egg with Caviar and Lobster Bolognese remain. The à la carte menu offers starters such as Basil Brioche and the Salade Mélisse, a palate-pleasing mélange of bright and acidic flavours enhanced by a Truffle Vinaigrette. Seasonal ingredients shine in dishes such as the Truffle Pasta with housemade tagliatelle, truffle foam and white truffles or the Wild Japanese Yellowtail with radish, grapefruit and nori.
courtesy of Citrin
Ever “in pursuit of excellence”, the results of this passion are visible on every plate. With a focus on gaining more Michelin stars for Mélisse and Citrin, the journey continues.
Mélisse/Citrin, 1104 Wilshire Blvd., Santa Monica, California Tel: 310.395.0881
Mélisse is open Tuesday – Saturday Two seatings nightly at 5:30 and 8:30pm
Los Angeles city and county officials on Tuesday announced a new strategy to speed the process of getting homeless people into permanent housing that is modeled on the federal government’s response to natural disasters.
The creation of a “Housing Central Command” marks an overhaul of how agencies work together in addressing the growing number of people living on the street, according to the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority.
Previously the system was slowed by red tape and gaps in information showing what housing units were available and who is eligible to move into them, officials said.
In some cases there was a waiting period of 10 months from a person being matched to housing to signing a lease.
“Nobody was holding the full picture of resources,” said LAHSA interim executive director Heidi Marston. “Our systems weren’t talking to each other.”
The new initiative uses a “war room model” inspired by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s approach to finding homes for people suddenly displaced by hurricanes, Marston said.
Now officials will have access to real-time data showing housing availability as well as funding streams, according to LAHSA.
Since the launch in December, officials have identified some 3,000 potential housing units that were previously not part of the overall inventory, Marston said.
The central command is a major step toward restructuring a response system overseen by LAHSA that also includes housing and development authorities, the mayor’s office and health departments.
“We have a high number of people who need to be rehoused rapidly,” Marson said of the situation in greater Los Angeles, where officials have declared homelessness a state of emergency. Including crisis-response experts on a day-to-day basis shows that officials are treating the problem with the urgency it deserves, she said.
In its 2019 count, the authority reported that there were close to 60,000 homeless people living in LA County, with more than 36,000 of them in the city. All but about 25% live on the streets.
Freeway overpasses are lined with tents, and it’s a common sight to see someone pushing a shopping cart filled with belongings through downtown.
According to LAHSA and Mayor Eric Garcetti’s office, an average of 130 homeless people in Los Angeles move into housing daily. However, an average of 150 people become homeless every day.
“The homelessness crisis demands an emergency response, and moving the needle means being nimble, flexible and creative with our resources,” Garcetti said in a statement praising the new strategy.
Through the new process, officials also discovered $30 million of a $107 million grant from HUD to Los Angeles in 2017 had gone unspent within a calendar-year deadline, LAHSA said.
That happened because of low vacancy rates and higher market rates than public housing authorities could pay, LAHSA officials said, along with “landlord bias” against tenants with mental disorders or a history of homelessness.
“It is completely unacceptable that housing funds were left unspent when our unsheltered neighbors continue to languish out on the street,” said LA County Supervisor Hilda Solis. The new efforts will leave behind a “disjointed” system and “maximize all of the region’s resources,” she said.
Solis represents East Los Angeles, one of two neighborhoods including downtown where the new command structure is being tested starting this week. LAHSA staff will set up shop at local housing authorities, where they can shepherd and troubleshoot applications.
Tuesday’s announcement comes a week after Garcetti and HUD Secretary Ben Carson met in Los Angeles to announce the formation of a joint working group to address homelessness. Garcetti and Carson told the Los Angeles Times that they were close to a deal to use federal and state funds to open more homeless shelters in the city.
Earlier this month, the county Board of Supervisors called for a re-evaluation of the structure of LAHSA’s operation following an audit last August that found the authority failed to meet goals for placing people into permanent housing.
Los Angeles city and county officials on Tuesday announced a new strategy to speed the process of getting homeless people into permanent housing that is modeled on the federal government’s response to natural disasters.
The creation of a “Housing Central Command” marks an overhaul of how agencies work together in addressing the growing number of people living on the street, according to the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority.
Previously the system was slowed by red tape and gaps in information showing what housing units were available and who is eligible to move into them, officials said.
In some cases there was a waiting period of 10 months from a person being matched to housing to signing a lease.
“Nobody was holding the full picture of resources,” said LAHSA interim executive director Heidi Marston. “Our systems weren’t talking to each other.”
The new initiative uses a “war room model” inspired by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s approach to finding homes for people suddenly displaced by hurricanes, Marston said.
Now officials will have access to real-time data showing housing availability as well as funding streams, according to LAHSA.
Since the launch in December, officials have identified some 3,000 potential housing units that were previously not part of the overall inventory, Marston said.
The central command is a major step toward restructuring a response system overseen by LAHSA that also includes housing and development authorities, the mayor’s office and health departments.
“We have a high number of people who need to be rehoused rapidly,” Marson said of the situation in greater Los Angeles, where officials have declared homelessness a state of emergency. Including crisis-response experts on a day-to-day basis shows that officials are treating the problem with the urgency it deserves, she said.
In its 2019 count, the authority reported that there were close to 60,000 homeless people living in LA County, with more than 36,000 of them in the city. All but about 25% live on the streets.
Freeway overpasses are lined with tents, and it’s a common sight to see someone pushing a shopping cart filled with belongings through downtown.
According to LAHSA and Mayor Eric Garcetti’s office, an average of 130 homeless people in Los Angeles move into housing daily. However, an average of 150 people become homeless every day.
“The homelessness crisis demands an emergency response, and moving the needle means being nimble, flexible and creative with our resources,” Garcetti said in a statement praising the new strategy.
Through the new process, officials also discovered $30 million of a $107 million grant from HUD to Los Angeles in 2017 had gone unspent within a calendar-year deadline, LAHSA said.
That happened because of low vacancy rates and higher market rates than public housing authorities could pay, LAHSA officials said, along with “landlord bias” against tenants with mental disorders or a history of homelessness.
“It is completely unacceptable that housing funds were left unspent when our unsheltered neighbors continue to languish out on the street,” said LA County Supervisor Hilda Solis. The new efforts will leave behind a “disjointed” system and “maximize all of the region’s resources,” she said.
Solis represents East Los Angeles, one of two neighborhoods including downtown where the new command structure is being tested starting this week. LAHSA staff will set up shop at local housing authorities, where they can shepherd and troubleshoot applications.
Tuesday’s announcement comes a week after Garcetti and HUD Secretary Ben Carson met in Los Angeles to announce the formation of a joint working group to address homelessness. Garcetti and Carson told the Los Angeles Times that they were close to a deal to use federal and state funds to open more homeless shelters in the city.
Earlier this month, the county Board of Supervisors called for a re-evaluation of the structure of LAHSA’s operation following an audit last August that found the authority failed to meet goals for placing people into permanent housing.
President Trump is kicking off a three-day, four-state trip to the West Coast with a brief stop in the Los Angeles area Tuesday afternoon.
The president will be raising money for his campaign and attending a meeting on the upcoming 2028 Summer Olympics.
Trump is expected to arrive at Los Angeles International Airport shortly before 3:30 p.m., according to a White House news release.
The president will then fly to Santa Monica before eventually making his way to the Montage Beverly Hills.
A briefing with the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee, and with L.A. 2028 Organizers is scheduled to take place at the hotel a little after 4 p.m.
Commuters can expect the streets surrounding the upscale hotel to be closed to traffic for several hours due to the visit.
The president will also participate in a roundtable with supporters before delivering remarks at a fundraising committee dinner.
He will then leave Beverly Hills and return to LAX for a flight to Las Vegas at 7:45 p.m.
Trump returns to California on Wednesday, with stops scheduled for Bakersfield and Rancho Mirage.
In Bakersfield, the president will meet with House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy, where the two will discuss the state’s water supply and delivery issues.
Trump will then head to Rancho Mirage in Riverside County for a fundraising golf tournament.
The president also has stops planned for Phoenix, Arizona, and Colorado Springs, Colorado, before he flies back to Washington.
Economic development officials are seeking the return of daily flights between Santa Fe and Los Angeles to support the ongoing growth of film production in New Mexico’s capital city.
The Albuquerque Journal reported that the officials said such flights would have a significant impact on the economy of northern New Mexico.
American Airlines is set to temporarily restore weekly direct flights to Santa Fe Regional Airport. The flights beginning April 11 are currently scheduled on Saturdays only, meaning round-trip passengers would have to stay a week if they wanted a nonstop flight.
The airline plans to maintain the Saturday schedule through Oct. 24.
HOLLYWOOD — Amoeba Music, which is losing its famed home on Sunset Boulevard to make way for a housing development project, has announced it will move to a new location on Hollywood Boulevard.
The store’s new home will be at 6200 Hollywood Blvd., at Argyle Avenue, in the El Centro retail/residential complex. Amoeba officials posted a YouTube video featuring Tyler, The Creator, to make the official announcement.
“We have been blown away by the massive outpouring of support from our customers and the L.A. community throughout our search for a new home and are excited for the next chapter in the Amoeba story,” Amoeba Music co-owner Jim Henderson said in a statement. “It has been a long search, but we’re pleased to announce we found the right new home and are able to stay in the music and movie-loving heart of Hollywood.”
The store’s new location is expected to be open this fall, although an exact date was not announced. According to the store’s website, the new location will be slightly smaller, “but not a whole lot.”
City Councilman Mitch O’Farrell, who represents the Hollywood area, hailed the announcement that the store will be remaining in Tinseltown.
“I think I speak for most Angelenos when I say that we are thrilled that our beloved Amoeba Music is staying in Hollywood,” O-Farrell said. “My office worked to keep Amoeba in the neighborhood, and we are even more delighted to welcome the store to the Walk of Fame, which we are actively trying to enhance with my HEART of Hollywood initiative.”
The new location is both easily accessible and highly visible in neighborhood that boasts historic venues such as the Fonda Theatre and Pantages Theatre as well as excellent eateries, cafes, retail shops and nightlife spots. It is just four blocks from Amoeba’s current store.
“Los Angeles is a creative capital — a place filled with dreamers who move and inspire us every day,” Mayor Eric Garcetti said. “Amoeba Music reflects the best of this creative spirit, and Angelenos are fortunate this beloved cultural treasure has found a new home guaranteeing its place in our city for years to come.”
Amoeba was forced out of its previous location at 6255 Sunset Blvd. to make way for a planned housing development. According to the developer, the project will include 200 housing units in a 26-story, 7,000-square-foot building. Ten of the units, or 5%, are slated for affordable or “very low-income” households.
LOS ANGELES — Actor Danny Trejo, known for his roles in the “Machete” film series and real-life heroics in helping people find sobriety, was honored Jan. 31 by the Los Angeles City Council.
“Today, Danny has become one of the best-known actors working in film and has continued to give back to the community, still working as a drug counselor for at-risk youth while headlining countless Hollywood films,” said Councilman Gilbert Cedillo, who proposed that the City Council declare Jan. 31 as Danny Trejo Day in Los Angeles. “[He] demonstrates what a commitment to sobriety does and brings to your life.”
Trejo said a commitment to altruism may have kept him on the straight and narrow path toward sobriety while he was incarcerated.
“I love this city. I adore this city,” he said. “In 1968, in Soledad (prison), I promised our lord, `Let me die with dignity. I will say your name every day, and I will do whatever I can for my fellow man.’”
The 75-year-old Echo Park native said giving to others was his promise in return for salvation.
“Just giving. Giving to the city, give to everybody in it,” Trejo said.
During the presentation, Cedillo showed a video narrated by Trejo in which he spoke about confronting drugs and how he redeemed himself after stints in prison, including at San Quentin.
City Councilman Mike Bonin spoke about his own struggles with drug abuse decades ago and said that shortly after becoming sober, he saw Trejo at a recovery meeting and was inspired by his words.
“I’ve seen you speak a few other times since then, and I have heard so many talk about the power of your bearing witness and how important you have been as a mentor and as a guide and as an example,” Bonin said. “On behalf of everyone who’s been touched by your voice or inspired by your example, thank you for walking ahead of us and blazing the trail and clearing the brush on the road that we trudge to happy destiny.”
Trejo’s son Gilbert, one of the actor’s five children, said they witnessed the generosity of their father firsthand when growing up.
“We’ve experienced my father helping people … for most of our lives, at this point,” he said. “Long before he started acting, he was active in the community, and I always saw my dad as a celebrity long before anybody else.”
Adding to his list of good deeds, Trejo helped rescue a baby who was strapped into the child seat of an SUV that collided with another vehicle and overturned last Aug. 7 in the area of Hubbard Street and Jackman Avenue in Sylmar.
Trejo’s film career began when he trained actor Eric Roberts to box in the film “Runaway Train” in 1985, during which time he was given an acting role.
In the 1990s, Trejo started working with director Robert Rodriguez. Their collaborations include “Desperado,” “From Dusk Till Dawn” and “Spy Kids.”
More recently, the actor became a local employer. He started a local taco chain, Trejo’s Tacos, which has seven Los Angeles area locations, and Trejo’s Coffee & Donuts, which is located in Hollywood.
“This city, it’s like alive,” Trejo said. “This city is still beautiful, everything about it.”
LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti announced new programs Feb. 6 intended to help homeless and low-income people start their own businesses, become self-sustaining and develop a strategy to try to keep people from ending up on the streets.
The Solid Ground program will allow people to access the city’s Family Resource Centers to receive financial assistance to pay for rent, bills, food and other necessities to help reduce their costs.
“We talk a lot about homelessness prevention, now we’re going to do something about it,” Garcetti said during a meeting at the Unified Homelessness Response Center in downtown Los Angeles.
The mayor added that the program would provide people with up to three months of support.
Councilman Curren Price said the program could be launched as soon as mid-March, and is also supported by Los Angeles County Supervisor Sheila Kuehl.
“We can’t build our way out of this disaster,” Price said. “Individuals … are falling into homelessness faster than our services can help them out. We’ve seen the positive effects of these programs in Chicago and New York, and I firmly believe that it can be part of the solution in Los Angeles.”
Garcetti said an average of 150 people become homeless each day in Los Angeles County, but 133 are housed at the same rate, and if the city and county could find a way to close that gap, it could be the beginning of ending homelessness.
Another program that’s coming online is LA: EnterPRISE, which is intended to give people who are living on the street or nearly homeless a chance to get job training and assistance in finding a career path. About 200 people will be entered into the program.
“Every Angeleno should have a chance to nurture their talents, pursue their dreams and earn an income,” Garcetti said. “The goal of LA: EnterpRISE is to empower people in need, to give them the support, training and encouragement they need to start a new chapter.”
Ana Zimmerman, who said she was living in a shelter before she started working with a similar program, FreeFrom, said she was able to move into her own apartment within 19 months by selling inspirational cards.
The mayor said he was scheduled to speak with Gov. Gavin Newsom on homeless issues later in the day, particularly regarding federal and state funding that could be coming to Los Angeles in the near future.
Five shelters through the A Bridge Home program are slated to open throughout the city in the next two months, Garcetti said, and 50 permanent supportive housing facilities will be open by the end of the year through multiple funding sources, including the $1.2 billion Proposition HHH. About 13,000 units will be ready within the next few years, he said.
LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles County has submitted a bid to purchase St. Vincent Medical Center in Westlake to be used for homeless housing and assistance, it was announced Feb. 7.
“Los Angeles County is best suited to take the lead in turning St. Vincent Medical Center into a facility that could help address our need for more affordable housing, interim housing and wraparound mental and medical health services,” said County Supervisor Hilda Solis, who made the proposal to purchase it to the Board of Supervisors. “Part of my strategy has been to repurpose underutilized or unused county assets to offset our lack of affordable housing. If we are to effectively combat our homelessness crisis, we must be innovative and creative in our approach.”
Details of how much the county is bidding and the proposed purchase were not immediately available. It was also unknown if anyone else has bid on the hospital.
“This is not business as usual,” Solis said. “This is boldly placing the community’s needs first.”
Los Angeles City Council’s Homelessness and Poverty Committee advanced a proposal to the full council to try to acquire St. Vincent Feb. 5.
Councilman Mitch O’Farrell emphasized his support for the city’s effort to try to acquire the St. Vincent Medical Center, and he also praised the county’s action to bid on it.
“I wholeheartedly support the county’s bid to acquire St. Vincent Medical Center,” O’Farrell said. “The city will continue to engage with any and all parties in the goal of repurposing the (medical) center to help address our homelessness crisis. Angelenos are aligned in this once-in-a-generation opportunity. There remain many unknown variables in this matter, and I will continue to lead the charge to explore all options.”
Nonprofit Verity Health System announced in January that a proposed sale of the hospital in the Westlake District had fallen through, and the facility would be closing.
According to Verity, the system filed court papers seeking authority to close the medical center at 2131 W. Third St. Verity Health has been working through Chapter 11 bankruptcy and had hoped to transfer ownership of the hospital and three other medical centers.
“We know that it will no longer operate as a hospital. We know it can be repurposed as an acute care center, and there are facilities [that can be] repurposed for permanent homes as well,” O’Farrell said during the committee meeting. “It has it all.”
O’Farrell said acquiring the 366-bed hospital is going to be costly, but it has not yet been appraised. However, he said it could cost less than what it would to build the same number of beds for the homeless.
“What I hope is that, as we move forward with the appraisals … some good Samaritan will go to auction and … buy it and turn it over so that we can utilize it,” O’Farrell said. “But it will take all of us.”
O’Farrell said during his recent trips to the state capital that he discussed the idea of purchasing St. Vincent with state legislators.
“I don’t really see any significant obstacle of opposition (from) folks who just don’t like the idea of it because the need is so great and everyone realizes that,” O’Farrell said.
Councilman David Ryu said he was supportive of the project but that there may be ways to cut expenses, such as using another building on the campus for housing and to build on the vacant spaces.
“That might actually be cheaper than refurbishing the existing building and might be cheaper to keep the hospital in a medical setting,” Ryu said.
LOS ANGELES — A majority of Los Angeles homeless women interviewed in a recent survey reported being victims of some type of violence over the past year, according to a report released Jan. 30.
According to “The Los Angeles Women’s Needs Assessment” survey of 305 homeless women, released by the Downtown Women’s Center, 60.2% of respondents said they had been victimized in the past year. More than half of the women surveyed, 53.2%, said they have experienced domestic or interpersonal violence in their lifetime.
According to the report, women’s homelessness has reached “crisis conditions,” with the most recent homeless count tallying nearly 11,000 women experiencing homelessness in the city of Los Angeles, a 13% increase from 2018 to 2019. More than 18,000 women are homeless in Los Angeles County.
The reports cited a “critical shortage” of services and housing available to homeless women, noting there was a 41% increase in homeless women living in the county from 2013 to 2019.
“We must address this shameful crisis within a crisis of women experiencing homelessness across Los Angeles,” said Amy Turk, the incoming CEO of the Downtown Women’s Center. “These new data show that women continue to endure the harsh indignities of homelessness while remaining invisible and often forgotten on the streets. It’s time we provide housing and services that directly meet their needs. These women deserve to be seen and to be heard.”
According to the report, women of color are disproportionately affected by homelessness. While black women make up 10% of the population of the city, they accounted for nearly one-third, 28.7%, of women surveyed, according to the report. A majority of newly homeless women were women of color — 24.1% were black and 35.4% were Latina.
LGBTQ homeless women are more likely to have experienced sexual assault or sexual violence, according to the report. More than one-third, 35.7%, of LGBTQ women surveyed reported experiencing sexual assault in the last year, compared to 27% of all women surveyed.
Also according to the report:
• Housing continues to be the most critically needed resource yet also the most difficult to access. The majority of women, 82%, indicated they have struggled to access permanent housing.
• Homeless women are more likely to be older than the general population of women in Los Angeles. Nearly half of women surveyed, 48.9%, were age 51 and older. However, the survey found the median age of respondents in 2019 had decreased for the first time since 2001.
• Accessing necessary medical services remains a challenge. Although 84.2% of women indicated they had some form of health insurance, 63.2% reported visiting the emergency room within the last year, “suggesting they are not accessing primary or preventative care.”
“If we truly want to confront the homelessness and housing crisis in our city, we must ensure women receive the services and support they need to stay safe and secure,” Mayor Eric Garcetti said. “The Downtown Women’s Center is at the heart of our work to lift up homeless women and put them on a path to healing, housing and hope, and this landmark report will help us understand the magnitude of this challenge and ultimately solve it.”
The Downtown Women’s Center led the project and developed survey questions with input from partner organizations, other service providers and women who have experienced homelessness. The USC Sol Price Center for Social Innovation conducted the data analysis for the report.
“Women living in poverty are stigmatized,” state Sen. Holly Mitchell, D-Los Angeles said. “It is imperative that we invest in collecting the right data to develop sound policy to derail the cycle of homelessness for women.”
LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s Board of Directors agreed last week to move forward with a series of public meetings on a proposed overhaul of the agency’s vast bus system in hopes of attracting more riders.
The NextGen Bus Plan is intended to increase ridership primarily by slashing wait and travel times on the MTA’s most-used lines.
Twelve public workshops are scheduled to take place in February and March, followed by meetings with stakeholders this spring.
The first public meeting will be held from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Feb. 1 at Los Angeles Trade Tech, 2215 S. Grand Ave., Los Angeles. Other meetings will be held from 4 to 7 p.m. Feb. 12 at Plummer Park, 7377 Santa Monica Blvd., West Hollywood; 4 to 7 p.m. Feb. 13 at the Clearwater Building, 16401 Paramount Blvd., Paramount; 4 to 7 p.m. Feb. 19 at East Los Angeles College’s Ingalls Auditorium, 1301 Avenida Cesar Chavez, Monterey Park; 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Feb. 22 at MTA Headquarters, One Gateway Plaza, Los Angeles; 4 to 7 p.m. Feb. 25 at the Bell Community Center, 6250 Pine Ave., and from 4 to 7 p.m. Feb. 26 at the Foundation Center, 11633 S. Western Ave., South Los Angeles.
Public hearings will take place in June, and the input from residents will be reviewed by MTA Service Councils in August and by the Board of Directors in September.
Under key elements of the plan:
• Buses would arrive every five to 10 minutes for 83% of current riders, compared to the current 49%.
• The number of bus lines running every five to 10 minutes on weekdays would jump from 16 to 29 and from two to 14 on weekends,
• And the number of Los Angeles County residents who could walk to a bus line that runs every five to 10 minutes would more than double from 900,000 to nearly 2.2 million.
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, who is the vice chair of the MTA Board, issued a statement, praising the board’s action.
Garcetti said the plan will help get more cars off city streets and help reduce overall carbon emissions from vehicles.
“We won’t be satisfied until all Angelenos see [public transportation] as a convenient way to move around the city,” Garcetti said. “The NextGen Bus Plan steers us in the right direction, toward dedicated bus lanes, higher ridership and faster, more reliable service.”
MTA Board member and Los Angeles City Councilman Mike Bonin said the MTA will “undoubtedly” get feedback from residents whose bus lines are cut, but the underperforming lines represent a minor portion of the hundreds of thousand of annual riders.
Bonin also said he wants to make sure the MTA has enough to pay for the infrastructure and rerouting, which could cost more than $1 billion over the next several years.
The plan seeks to consolidate routes on some streets. It would also combine some local and rapid lines by reducing the overall number of stops — meaning buses would stop less frequently than existing local lines but slightly more than rapid lines. MTA officials said the move would result in faster trips for all riders.
Some bus service in low-ridership areas would be shifted to other transit agencies, particularly in areas where existing MTA bus service overlaps with other providers, officials said.
In areas with bus service that is perpetually under-used, officials said they will explore other transit methods.
In the last two years, as part of its NextGen Bus Study, the MTA has been conducting market research and analyzing local travel data. The agency has hosted stakeholder and community meetings, conducted on-board surveys of bus riders and hosted 20 interactive public workshops.
MTA officials said in that time, the transportation agency has learned:
• The public wants more frequent service to reduce often long and unpredictable wait times at bus stops.
• There is significant unmet demand for short rides of one to five miles from midday through the evening hours and on weekends.
• And bus routes on the 44 busiest corridors in Los Angeles County carry more than 80% of the MTA bus system’s riders.
Officials said one of the biggest criticisms of the current bus system is that it relies too much on “legacy lines” and that the agency has not cut routes to bulk up service where it is needed the most.
The MTA has seen a decline in bus ridership from 1.14 million average weekday bus boardings in 2013 to 878,862 in 2019.
Later this month, the MTA will also release proposed route-by-route changes and online tools that will visualize what bus rides would be like under the draft plan.
The rollout of the new bus system would take place in three phases.
The first wave of changes would begin in December, continue in June 2021 and be completed in December 2021.
The board also approved to move the bus system toward a “Transit First” approach that includes capital projects to speed up buses, make bus stops more comfortable, expand all-door boarding and add more frequent service, among other improvements.
“We won’t be satisfied until all Angelenos see [public transportation] as a convenientway to move around the city.”
