The vote came as a response to recent concerns expressed by Long Beach council members and residents, who have described an influx of homeless people who are forced to exit Metro A (formerly Blue) Line trains in the Downtown area.
Earlier this month Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva threatened to pull deputies off of Metro lines if his department didn’t get the full contract that currently includes Los Angeles and Long Beach police officers providing services along Metro routes.
Under a contract originally approved in 2017, policing duties on the Metro system are shared by the sheriff’s department and the Los Angeles and Long Beach police departments.
The West Santa Ana Branch light rail line was supposed to be completed by 2028 but now Metro says it could take until 2043 to connect Artesia to Downtown Los Angeles.
The shooting was reported at about 7:40 p.m. Friday. An argument broke out as the eastbound C (Green) Line train left the Avalon Station in South Los Angeles, a passenger told ABC7, and the shooting occurred before the train reached the Willowbrook/Rosa Parks Station.
In a statement, Garcia said he would not seek reelection to pursue other opportunities.
While overall ridership and revenue have dropped dramatically, the cost of providing essential transportation services hasn’t decreased.
