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Go to RosemeadReader.com for Rosemead Specific News M O N D AY, D E C E M B E R 06- D E C E M B E R 12, 2021
V O L U M E 10,
N O. 47
Metro Board increases police contracts, funding for public safety alternatives MARGARET SHUTTLEWORTH CITY NEWS SERVICE
T
he Metro Board of Directors voted Thursday to increase the transit agency’s current contracts with law enforcement agencies, while approving a motion aimed at pursuing alternatives to police through recommendations from the Public Safety Advisory Committee. The first approved motion added $75 million to its current contracts with law enforcement agencies and extended the contracts an additional six months, through Dec. 2022, with the option to extend an additional six months after that. The increase was to account for the departments overspending their contracts. The board also voted on March 25 to increase the contracts by $36 million due to over-spending. According to the motion, during the currently authorized up-to-18 months that the contracts are extended, the Public Safety Advisory Committee would have time to bring forward alternative procurement recommendations. PSAC was created by Metro in the aftermath of George
The Los Angeles Metro Purple Line at Union Station. | Photo courtesy of Visitor7/ Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 3.0)
Floyd’s murder by a Minneapolis officer in May 2020. Its mission is to help Metro create a community-based approach to public safety. The Board on Thursday also approved a motion to
commit $40 million in the fiscal 2023 budget, which begins in July 2022, for public safety alternatives and direct Metro to develop a strategy that identifies certain stations for reimag-
ined public safety pilot programs and consult with PSAC on the design, implementation and evaluation of the pilots. The Board of Directors previously voted in March 2021 to commit
$40 million to public safety alternatives in the 2022 fiscal year, which runs through June 30, 2022. Metro’s Judy Gerhardt told the Board on Thursday that none of the $40 million
allocation has been spent yet and staff is working on the details with PSAC. That $40 million in the current fiscal year was designated for efforts such as transit ambassadors, elevator attendants and a flexible dispatch system to enable a response by homeless outreach workers, mental health specialists and unarmed security ambassadors. Transit ambassadors would be trained in de-escalation and customer service to support transit workers and riders. Under the motion approved Thursday, Metro will report to the Board in February on the status of initiatives funded by the first $40 million. Councilman Mike Bonin, who introduced the motion, focused on alternatives to policing, said his motion would “build on the work that this board has already done, starting with the forming of the (Public Safety Advisory Committee) in June of last year, and then investing over $40 million as a down payment for standing up alterna-
See Metro Board Page 5
SoCal Edison: Qualified residents can receive $4K to lease/buy electric car BY CITY NEWS SERVICE
S
outhern California Edison announced Thursday that it is offering a $4,000 rebate to income-qualified customers who buy or lease pre-owned electric vehicles. SoCal Edison has been offering a $1,000 rebate through its Pre-Owned EV Rebate program to residential customers who
purchase or lease a used EV. But the electric company has now quadrupled the rebate amount for those who either live in a statedesignated, income-qualified household or who are enrolled in certain state or federal income assistance programs. “We want the benefits of clean transportation to be available to all our
customers, including those who are buying pre-owned EVs,” said Carter Prescott, SoCal Edison’s director of Electrification. “And now we’re happy that we can provide additional help to customers who may need it.” The utility has been offering rebates to its customers for new and used EVs since 2017.
Earlier this year, the utility extended its program for used EVs to lend a hand to more cost-conscious customers seeking to go electric. Federal and state government programs also offer rebates and other incentives to lower the cost of buying new electric cars. People can apply for the rebate at evrebates.sce. com.
| Photo courtesy of Pixabay