Click here to watch our save the date video!
Summit Sponsorships Selling Quickly!
Sponsorships are selling quickly for the 22nd Annual Southern California Transportation Summit on Friday, Sept. 29 at the Disneyland Hotel in Anaheim!
Available sponsorships include:
- Titanium Sponsorship – $30,000 SOLD OUT!
- Platinum Sponsorships – $12,000
Closing Session (3 available)
VIP Reception (3 LEFT)
Photo Lounge (1 LEFT)
We Love Safety (2 LEFT) - Gold Sponsorships – $6,500
Breakout Session (6 LEFT)
Hospitality Suite (4 available)
Centerpieces (3 LEFT)
Conference Bag Promo Item (1 LEFT)
Umbrella Promo Item (4 available)
Tumbler Promo Item (1 LEFT)
Notebook Promo Item (1 LEFT)
Golf Towel (2 available)
Coaster Promo Item (2 available)
Travel Utensil Set (1 LEFT)
Backpack (3 LEFT) - Copper Sponsorships – $3,500
- Bronze Sponsorships – $1,500
(open to registered small businesses and nonprofits only)
Click here to view more information about the sponsorship packages or contact Kristin Slocum to sign up.
Mobility 21 Advisory Board Member Spotlight:
Art Hadnett
Senior Vice President, Regional Growth Officer
HNTB
Art Hadnett is a Senior Vice President serving HNTB’s Western Region. Hadnett brings more than 35 years of experience in the transportation industry. As HNTB’s Regional Growth Officer, Hadnett oversees vital and complex infrastructure programs in growth markets, including rail, transit, architecture, tolling and aviation. He partners with the corporate leadership team on strategic growth planning and initiatives for the development of new business for markets and services throughout the Western Region. He is based in HNTB’s Los Angeles office.
Prior to this role, Hadnett served as West Division President, leading the operations of the nine-state division, including 11 offices and more than 700 employees. Before joining HNTB, Hadnett served as vice president and practice leader for Stantec’s transportation division where he was responsible for managing major assignments with the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, Orange County Transportation Authority, Los Angeles World Airports and Southern California Regional Rail Authority. He is past president of the Los Angeles County Chapter of American Council of Engineering Companies and also a member of Women’s Transportation Seminar and Construction Management Association of America. Art is a long-standing member of the Mobility 21 Advisory Board.
HNTB Corporation
Founded in 1914, HNTB has built a reputation for excellence and innovation. HNTB has helped create infrastructure that best meets the unique demands of the environment. With client relationships spanning decades, we understand infrastructure life cycles and have the perspective to solve technical challenges with imagination. HNTB is a privately held, employee-owned firm, with nearly 4,000 employees in 70 locations nationwide and 500+ employees in the Western Division.
HNTB has played an important role in complex infrastructure projects in the United States for 100+ years, including highway and interchange design, bridge and tunnel design, tolling design, program management, rail transit design and planning, transit stations, urban corridor revitalization, airports, and stadium and convention center development.
HNTB Western Region clients include:
- Bay Area Rapid Transit
- California High Speed Rail Authority
- Caltrans
- City of Los Angeles
- Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority
- Los Angeles World Airports
- Metrolink
- Orange County Transportation Authority
- Port of Seattle
- Port of Oakland
- Salt Lake City International Airport
- San Bernardino County Transportation Authority
- San Diego Association of Governments
- San Francisco International Airport
- Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority
- Sound Transit
- Transportation Corridor Agencies
- Utah Department of Transportation
- Washington Department of Transportation
Mobility 21 Advisory Board Member Spotlight:
Tom Kim
Senior Vice President
HDR
Tom Kim is a Senior Vice President and Southern California Transportation Business Group Director for HDR. With over 33 years of industry experience (all with HDR!) Tom has proven to be a visionary leader who passionately engages many of our clients and business partners toward a common goal of delivering several major transportation infrastructure projects in Southern California.
Tom has extensive technical and management experience that led to the successful completion of the nationally award-winning Colton Crossing Rail-to-Rail Grade Separation Project. He is currently overseeing two critical projects in our region: LA Metro Link Union Station, which is considered one of the most important projects for the Southern California regional rail system, and Port of Long Beach’s Pier B On-Dock Rail Support Facility, which focuses on alleviating the supply chain crisis as of one of its essential goals. Tom is passionate about helping clients move their programs forward, pushing boundaries and upholding accountability in every endeavor. He received his BA in Civil Engineering from Cal Poly Pomona and MBA from UCLA. He was also a past president of ACEC Los Angeles Chapter, received the Outstanding Civil Engineer of The Year Awards from both American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) OC and LA Chapters.
Metro Board Approves Hiring of Transit Security Officers,
Law Enforcement Contract Negotiations and Policies to
Improve Safety for Bus and Rail Riders
Two weeks after the official launch of nearly 300 unarmed Metro Ambassadors aboard trains and buses, the Metro Board of Directors last Thursday approved the hiring of 48 new Transit Security Officers to keep bus operators and riders safe.
The Board also authorized the agency to re-negotiate and potentially extend its contracts with its law enforcement partners for up to three years to ensure a more visual presence on the system while staff evaluates the feasibility of creating its own in-house public safety department.
The Board’s actions advance the implementation of the agency’s public safety plan, which calls for a layered, human-centered approach that makes the system be – and feel – more safe. In addition to the new Metro personnel, Metro is working with the city and the county to add homeless outreach, drug addiction and crisis intervention teams, and is improving its use of security cameras and lighting and more frequent cleaning of stations and vehicles.
The Board also approved new Bias-Free Policing and Public Analytics policies and a revised Customer Code of Conduct to ensure consistency with the public safety mission and values that were adopted by the board in 2021. The mission and values statements specify that all transit riders are entitled to a safe, dignified and human experience on Metro.
“The Metro System is certainly not immune from the broader societal challenges we see throughout our county, but we are steadfast in our commitment to taking all steps necessary to promote a safe and pleasant transit experience for every one of our riders,” said Glendale City Council Member and Metro Board Chair Ara J. Najarian. “Safety is our No. 1 priority. Our Board’s actions today are a testament to the bold and strategic actions we are now taking to deliver a safe transit system.”
Law Enforcement Contract Extensions
The Board authorized Metro to negotiate extensions to the agency’s multi-agency transit law enforcement contracts with the Los Angeles Police Department, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and Long Beach Police Department.
Metro staff recommended that it was in the best interest of the agency, its employees and customers to extend law enforcement contracts with modified scopes of work that are consistent with the Board-approved public safety mission and values, rather than accept the responses it received to its Request for Proposals for new law enforcement services.
Four local police agencies bid on the new contract, but two of the four proposers asked for exceptions to the terms of the contract that would have resulted in inconsistent policing across the system and would have conflicted with the agency’s public safety mission and values. Metro staff recommended canceling the RFP and instead re-negotiating and extending the modified contracts for up to three years. Metro staff will return to the Board in May on the feasibility of establishing an in-house public safety department.
“Bringing additional layers of public safety in-house will give Metro a greater ability to reliably deploy personnel with the training and capabilities to respond to the variety of incidents that occur on our transit system,” said Hilda L. Solis, an L.A. County Supervisor and Metro Board Member. “I look forward to receiving a Metro staff’s report on the feasibility of a public safety department to inform our continuing efforts to deliver an enhanced customer experience and greater accountability for Metro transit riders.”
Additional Transit Security Officers
The Board’s approval of funding for Metro to hire 48 additional Metro Transit Security Officers, or TSOs, will create a Permanent Bus Riding Team that will be deployed to specific lines with high frequencies of public safety issues — with a primary objective of deterring bus operator assaults and Code of Conduct violations. TSOs are part of Metro’s own security team. The need for additional TSOs is significant, as there were 158 assaults on bus operators in 2022, an increase from 115 in 2021.
“It is important that we’re finally going to have a team of transit security officers who are dedicated to our buses and are actually riding them alongside our passengers,” said Janice Hahn, an L.A. County Supervisor and Metro Second Vice Chair. “Most of Metro’s consistent transit riders take the bus and they deserve a safe and comfortable ride.”
Bias-Free Policing and Public Safety Data Analytics Policies
The Board also approved Metro’s new Bias-Free Policing and Public Safety Analytics policies. These policies are meant to set clear expectations and standards to help Metro eliminate potential bias in the way the transit system is patrolled. Previously, Metro found evidence that suggested racial bias might have been a factor in citations given to riders. Metro’s goal is to eliminate any form of bias against its riders.
“I authored a motion last year that called for Metro to pursue its Bias-Free Policing and Public Safety Data Analytics policies because we must eradicate acting on harmful stereotypes from our system,” said Holly J. Mitchell, an L.A. County Supervisor and Metro Board Member. “I’m pleased that both policies will be prerequisites in our contract negotiations with law enforcement moving forward.”
“The Board’s approval of these new policies will help ensure that Metro avoids racial profiling and bias when deploying its security and law enforcement services,” said Jacquelyn Dupont-Walker, the Metro Board’s First Vice Chair. “These policies establish clear expectations and standards for fair and unbiased policing and reinforce the importance of treating all individuals with respect and dignity.”
Revised Code of Conduct
Lastly, the Board approved a revised Metro Code of Conduct that uses clearer, more user-friendly language and is more consistent with the agency’s public safety mission and values.
Metro removed language that could be construed as targeting specific communities. The code is now easier to understand and clearly describes what conduct Metro expects from customers. The agency also removed items that are already fully covered under the existing penal code.
“All of these initiatives build upon work we have been doing over the last year to put our public safety plan into action,” said Metro CEO Stephanie Wiggins. “This plan utilizes proactive response, strategic enforcement and equitable rule compliance, and is key to maintaining public safety for our customers. We know we have a lot of work to do, but we are clearly making progress in the right direction.”
For more information, please visit metro.net/safety.
The Orange County Transportation Authority is finishing emergency work in San Clemente to stabilize the rail line connection Orange and San Diego counties and, at the same time, beginning work with local, state and federal partners to find longer term solutions. Photo courtesy of OCTA.
OCTA Sets Wheels in Motion on
Longer-Term Rail Stabilization Efforts
The Orange County Transportation Authority recently took an important step toward finding solutions to protect the vital coastal rail line through south Orange County.
The OCTA Board of Directors in March approved releasing a request for proposals for the South Coast Rail Infrastructure Feasibility Study and Alternative Concepts Analysis, which will work with partners to analyze the issues threatening track stability and guide future planning efforts to find effective solutions.
That action came just two weeks after the OCTA Board approved a framework for addressing the rail issues in Orange County to help ensure uninterrupted rail service for passenger and goods movement along the second busiest rail line in the nation.
“While the priority has been to complete the emergency work as soon as possible, we are also moving forward quickly with our partners to find longer-term solutions,” said OCTA Chairman Gene Hernandez, also the Mayor of Yorba Linda. “This is just the beginning of an effort that will help us ensure that rail traffic can continue moving safely and efficiently through this corridor for passengers, commerce and our military interests.”
This planning study is expected to take approximately two years, assessing existing and future risks and identifying challenges to the maintenance and operations of rail service along the coastal rail line through Orange County.
The study will involve key stakeholders and technical experts. Collaboration with local, state and federal partners will be more firmly established throughout this planning process. The study is estimated to cost $2 million, with grant funding already identified. It will provide the framework for future efforts to mitigate the risk to track stability.
This study is the first step of a phased approach to examine short- to medium-term solutions that would protect the existing rail line. A separate second-phase study would look at longer-term options including potential relocation of the rail line.
The second-phase study is estimated to cost $5 million, and OCTA is currently seeking external funding. If this funding is secured, the studies would move forward concurrently.
Emergency Work Continues
The emergency work along 700 feet of rail line in south San Clemente continues. Following heavy rains recently that delayed construction, crews resumed weekday work to install ground anchors and tie-backs to secure the hillside next to the tracks.
Since the first row of ground anchors was completed in late January, the track has stopped shifting, which allowed weekend passenger rail service to safely resume. On Feb. 4, the LOSSAN Rail Authority, which operates Amtrak’s popular Pacific Surfliner, restarted weekend passenger service.
OCTA continues to work with its contractor on weekdays to install a second row of ground anchors and tie-backs to further secure the hillside next to the track. That work is scheduled to continue into mid-April, when regular weekday passenger service could resume.
“This area through San Clemente is a critical part of our corridor, connecting Los Angeles and San Diego and contributing to over 60% of our overall ridership,” said Jason Jewell, Managing Director of the LOSSAN Agency. “We’re happy to see that OCTA has started the process to ensure long-term corridor resiliency and fully support them through this journey. We are also looking forward to completion of construction and resuming full Pacific Surfliner service.”
As of late March, Metrolink continued to operate weekend passenger rail service only as far south as the San Clemente Pier Station. Metrolink and Amtrak passengers are asked to keep checking pacificsurfliner.com/alerts and metrolinktrains.com for updates on rail service and schedules.
For more information on the current emergency work, visit www.octa.net/railimprovements.
Registration Now Open for SCAG’s Regional Conference & General Assembly
Join Southern California’s most influential leaders on May 4–5, at the JW Marriott Desert Springs Resort & Spa for SCAG’s 58th annual Regional Conference & General Assembly.
This two-day event brings together elected officials, policymakers, business and civic leaders, transportation and environmental stakeholders, government staff and others for solution-oriented discussions on crucial challenges facing communities across the SCAG region.
Don’t wait to make your plans – register today! The event is free for elected officials and city managers in the region.
For more information about the event, visit scag.ca.gov/ga2023. Interested in becoming a sponsor? Click here.
RCTC is seeking federal funds for several rail and highway projects, including improvements to the Perris-South Metrolink Station and layover facility and the Mid County Parkway Ramona Expressway Project, to help improve mobility across Riverside County and the region.
RCTC Seeks $24 Million in Federal Funds to Advance Riverside County Rail and Highway Projects
The Riverside County Transportation Commission submitted applications in March to request $24 million from federal funding sources for a collection of passenger rail and highway projects. The projects are designed to help improve mobility for residents in Riverside County and the region.
Three funding requests are for Coachella Valley Rail, the proposed 144-mile passenger rail corridor between Los Angeles and the Coachella Valley, with stops in Los Angeles, Orange, San Bernardino, and Riverside counties. This once-in-a-generation project is critically important for the Inland Southern California region, which is the only region of its size and population in the state without daily intercity rail service.
RCTC is requesting Congressionally Directed Spending funding totaling $5 million each from U.S. Senators Dianne Feinstein and Alex Padilla and a Community Project Funding request for $5 million from U.S. Representative Ken Calvert, for a total of $15 million. This will help fund in-depth engineering and environmental studies that must be completed to advance the project.
Once operational, the rail service will add a new car-free, stress-free option for travel, expand the regional economy with new connections to entertainment venues and commercial/retail centers, combat climate change with fewer emissions from single-passenger vehicles, and promote equity by offering new access to employment and education.
To learn more about Coachella Valley Rail, visit rctc.org/cvr.
RCTC also has applied for Community Project Funding for three additional projects through the following Congressional members:
- From Representative Mark Takano, a $3 million request toward construction of the Metrolink Double Track: Moreno Valley to Perris Project. The project will add a second set of tracks between the Moreno Valley/March Field Station and the Perris-South Station. Once completed, the extended tracks will facilitate Metrolink operations, offer an alternative to driving, and help relieve traffic congestion on Interstate 215. The project also will increase access to jobs and education in this traditionally underserved area, reduce air pollution, and help Metrolink achieve its goal of providing bidirectional service every 30 minutes in time for the 2028 Olympics and Paralympics.
- From Representative Raul Ruiz, a $3 million request toward construction of the Mid County Parkway Ramona Expressway Project. RCTC is partnering with the County of Riverside for this 8.6-mile segment of roadway between Perris and San Jacinto that experiences a high rate of vehicular accidents. If funding is secured, construction could start in 2025 and take about two years to complete.
- From Representative Young Kim, a $3 million request for construction funds for the Route 91 Eastbound Corridor Operations Project. This project would add a lane to eastbound 91 from the southbound 241 Toll Road connector to Route 71 in Corona to help improve traffic flow in this heavily traveled area, especially during peak afternoon and evening commute hours. Engineering and environmental studies are expected to begin in mid-2023, with construction dates based on available funding.