[0:00] All right, thank you, everybody, for being here today
[0:03] at the Metrolink board meeting.
[0:05] Let me call the meeting to order.
[0:07] Friday, July 24, 2026, 10:00 AM.
[0:11] And first order of business is the safety briefing.
[0:14] So, Hilary Konczal, Chief Safety, Security
[0:18] and Compliance Officer, please come to the podium
[0:21] and provide our safety briefing.
[0:22] Good morning, vice chair, board of directors.
[0:25] In the event of evacuation, we will collectively
[0:30] walk out the room.
[0:32] Just make sure there aren't any tripping hazards, chairs,
[0:35] book bags, that sort of thing.
[0:36] We'll walk out the entrance to the boardroom,
[0:38] down the escalators.
[0:40] The entrance to the building will turn right,
[0:42] and we'll meet in front of the Metro customer service area,
[0:46] where we'll take headcount and make
[0:49] sure everyone is accounted for.
[0:51] In the event of a medical emergency,
[0:52] we do have an AED located outside of the security desk.
[0:55] We have our LA County Sheriff's Department who will also
[0:58] render aid and dial 911.
[1:02] In the event of an earthquake, we'll
[1:03] take cover under the benches and where we can
[1:06] and wait for the rumbling to stop
[1:08] to see if further evacuation is necessary.
[1:10] And in the event of an active shooter, we'll deploy the run,
[1:14] hide, fight tactic.
[1:15] Thank you.
[1:15] Very good.
[1:16] Thank you very much.
[1:17] Next item is Pledge of Allegiance.
[1:20] We'll ask Director Michael Vargas to lead us today.
[1:26] Thank you.
[1:26] [INAUDIBLE]
[1:32] I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America,
[1:36] and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation under God,
[1:41] indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.
[1:50] All right, next, Madam Clerk, the roll call.
[1:58] Director Spiegel.
[1:59] I'm here.
[1:59] Just-- whoops.
[2:02] I'm taking my liberty.
[2:03] Everybody's asking about the flowers.
[2:05] It's not my birthday.
[2:07] Darren, you want to explain where they're from?
[2:10] Do I have to?
[2:11] So, yes, we're recognizing Director Spiegel
[2:15] for going above and beyond the call of duty.
[2:18] We had a budget, audit, and finance committee meeting
[2:20] a couple of weeks ago.
[2:22] And we learned through counsel that-- and we had several board
[2:27] members that were taking that meeting remotely outside
[2:31] of our region.
[2:33] So we were going to have difficulty getting
[2:35] to a quorum of actually having a people here within the service
[2:39] area of Metrolink.
[2:41] So I reached out to Director Spiegel the night before.
[2:46] And she was kind enough to change.
[2:51] We're recognizing Director Spiegel
[2:54] for going above and beyond the call of duty.
[2:57] We had a budget, audit, and finance committee meeting
[2:59] a couple of weeks ago.
[3:00] There's two of you.
[3:01] There's two of me.
[3:02] One of me is enough.
[3:05] It's coming from the control room.
[3:07] OK, I think they've corrected it.
[3:09] OK, so anyway, it's a thank you to Director Spiegel for joining
[3:13] us, a meeting that she had not planned
[3:15] on attending, to make sure that we could conduct the meeting.
[3:18] So that's what is.
[3:19] So thank you, director, in person.
[3:21] So yes, in the room, in the region and--
[3:28] whatever she would like, it's on us.
[3:31] OK, good enough.
[3:32] Very good.
[3:33] OK, continue, please.
[3:35] Director Vargas.
[3:37] Director Molina.
[3:39] Second Vice Chair Trembley.
[3:41] Director Engler.
[3:42] Here.
[3:43] Director Barger.
[3:44] Here.
[3:45] Director Najarian.
[3:46] Here.
[3:46] Director Sandoval.
[3:47] Here.
[3:48] Director Solis.
[3:50] Director Ohlsen.
[3:52] Director Allen.
[3:53] Director O'Connor.
[3:55] Director Camacho.
[3:57] Director McCallon.
[3:59] Director Wapner.
[4:00] Here.
[4:02] Director Dutrey.
[4:04] Director Marquez.
[4:06] Chair Chaffee.
[4:08] Director Nguyen.
[4:09] Director Go.
[4:10] Here.
[4:11] Director Tettemer.
[4:13] Vice Chair Berkson.
[4:14] Here.
[4:15] We do have a quorum present.
[4:17] Barely.
[4:21] All right, very good.
[4:22] Do we have any public comments for today's meeting
[4:24] of items not on the agenda?
[4:26] We do not have any requests to speak
[4:28] for items not on the agenda.
[4:30] We have a request to speak for four of our regular calendar
[4:33] items.
[4:34] And we have received a few written public comments
[4:37] requesting that we maintain funding and do not
[4:39] cut service that will be emailed to the Board after the meeting.
[4:43] Very good.
[4:43] So we'll go ahead and listen to the public comments related
[4:46] to those items when we get to them.
[4:49] And we will move to Item 6, Approval of the Consent Calendar
[4:52] Items 11A through 11F.
[4:55] Are there any items that need to be discussed?
[5:01] Can I get a motion to approve?
[5:03] Approve it.
[5:04] And a second.
[5:05] Second.
[5:07] Right, all in favor, aye.
[5:10] Opposed, abstentions.
[5:12] I know that's not the way we normally do it.
[5:13] But in my head, that's the way I like to do it.
[5:16] I like to be awake when I'm having meetings.
[5:19] So I make everybody do something and say something.
[5:21] Anyway, it was a unanimous yes.
[5:24] We will move to the regular calendar, Item 7A,
[5:26] fiscal year '27 budget development update presented
[5:30] by Tom Schamber, Chief Financial Officer.
[5:33] Good morning, Vice Chair Berkson, members of the board.
[5:37] On July 18, last Saturday, a proposed FY27 budget
[5:42] was provided to the member agencies.
[5:45] The budget, commonly referred to as scenario 4,
[5:48] was based on maintaining the current level of service
[5:50] for the duration of fiscal '27.
[5:54] Over this week and next, I will hold meetings with each member
[5:57] agency to review the budget and to answer their questions.
[6:01] It is then up to the member agencies
[6:03] to determine if there is consensus
[6:05] to advance this budget to their respective boards for approval.
[6:11] If consensus is not reached, the member agencies
[6:14] will need to convene a meeting to discuss
[6:16] an alternative scenario for development.
[6:19] Next slide.
[6:22] If consensus is reached to move the current budget forward,
[6:25] there are two alternatives toward reaching budget adoption.
[6:29] These alternatives were presented
[6:31] to the budget, audit, and finance committee
[6:33] earlier this month.
[6:34] The BAF Comm voted to follow alternative one.
[6:39] Alternative one would involve a special board meeting in August
[6:42] to formally transmit the budget to member agencies.
[6:46] In early September, another special board meeting
[6:49] would be held in lieu of the BAF Comm to hold a public hearing
[6:52] and adopt the budget.
[6:54] This budget would take effect on October 1.
[6:57] Under this alternative, no continuing resolution extension
[7:01] would be required.
[7:03] Next slide.
[7:06] Alternative two would involve a special BAF Comm
[7:09] meeting in August to review the budget transmittal.
[7:12] The full board would hold a special meeting
[7:14] in early September in lieu of the regularly scheduled BAF
[7:17] Comm meeting to approve the transmittal.
[7:20] This would be followed by a public hearing and adoption
[7:23] by the full board at its regularly scheduled meeting
[7:25] in late September.
[7:28] The budget would take effect on November 1.
[7:31] And in this case, a one-month extension
[7:33] of the continuing appropriations resolution would be required.
[7:37] The BAF Comm favored the alternative,
[7:40] which didn't involve an extension
[7:41] of the continuing appropriations resolution.
[7:45] Each of these alternatives assumes
[7:47] the current budget scenario is approved by consensus
[7:50] in a timely manner.
[7:51] Should there be a delay in the decision
[7:53] to move forward with this scenario,
[7:55] or if the budget does not have unanimous support,
[7:58] additional time would be required
[8:00] to identify a new scenario and develop another budget
[8:03] for consideration.
[8:05] This would require an extension of the continuing resolution,
[8:09] which is the subject of the next item on today's agenda.
[8:13] Next slide.
[8:15] That concludes my report.
[8:16] I'm happy to answer any questions.
[8:18] All right, Catherine.
[8:21] First of all, thank you for that.
[8:27] I looked at the list.
[8:28] What is the turnaround for the agencies
[8:30] to get the information back to me?
[8:32] And can it be extended?
[8:33] And if so, do you have enough adequate cash flow
[8:36] to cover any costs if we don't come up with finalization?
[8:41] Yeah, so we're hoping for a two-week review period
[8:44] before we hear back definitively from folks.
[8:48] We do get some feedback, but we're
[8:51] waiting for that official decision from each agency.
[8:54] We do have sufficient cash flow.
[8:58] We are finalizing MOUs with the member agencies
[9:05] to get their first quarter payment.
[9:06] So as yet, we haven't received first quarter money.
[9:10] But we do need it urgently to sustain operations.
[9:14] And then, Darren, is Metro working with you?
[9:19] I mean, I'll be very transparent.
[9:21] My goal is to make sure that we limit any cuts.
[9:25] And so I want to make sure that Metro is working with you
[9:28] and providing face time to go over scenarios.
[9:35] Yes, I would-- all the member agencies are working with us.
[9:37] We have different challenges in each of the counties
[9:41] that have given us targets.
[9:43] Tom will be meeting with LA Metro staff
[9:46] Monday of next week--
[9:47] Tuesday of next week.
[9:48] So we will have person to person conversations at that point.
[9:52] And I would ask then if there are any problems or concerns,
[9:59] you will alert us so that we can be on top of it with you.
[10:04] Sure.
[10:04] Absolutely.
[10:05] Thank you.
[10:05] Thank you.
[10:06] All right, Tim, did you have a comment?
[10:09] No.
[10:10] William, you?
[10:11] OK, anybody else?
[10:13] Go ahead.
[10:14] Yeah, thank you.
[10:15] Just a quick question.
[10:18] The continuing resolutions, if we
[10:20] engage in more continuing resolutions,
[10:22] is there a financial issue going forward?
[10:24] Is there a danger that we're going to run
[10:26] into spending more or less?
[10:28] We would get a second quarter payment along
[10:30] with that second continuing resolution.
[10:32] So we would continue to operate at last year's funding levels
[10:36] and get a second support payment for that quarter.
[10:39] So no, there would not be any issue.
[10:42] With one proviso, and that is that the member
[10:46] agencies, when we build them, they pay us.
[10:50] So that is out there.
[10:53] And given the uncertainty of things,
[10:56] in interest of full transparency,
[10:59] there could be pushback.
[11:01] We do know in the case-- correct me if I'm wrong, Tom,
[11:05] that Orange County is giving us the number at which the target
[11:10] reduction is, which is lower than last year's.
[11:14] They're still paying.
[11:15] It's just at a lower rate than what
[11:17] would have been in the continuing resolution.
[11:19] Is that a correct statement, Tom?
[11:21] Correct.
[11:21] So that said, at least we're getting something coming
[11:25] through the door.
[11:27] Karen.
[11:28] And as I have said in past years that please notify us
[11:35] as directors that if our agency hasn't paid, that we are
[11:40] aware that we can help in getting that payment done
[11:44] because sometimes, we just don't know
[11:46] that the agency hasn't paid.
[11:48] So I would appreciate all of us if our agency
[11:51] hasn't paid that you notify us.
[11:53] Yes.
[11:54] Very good.
[11:55] Thank you.
[11:58] Warren.
[11:59] Thank you.
[12:03] So we told you very clearly that we
[12:05] don't want to study any other alternatives,
[12:08] that we wanted the current service level
[12:10] to be the focus of the studies and the budget development
[12:14] process.
[12:17] That being said, because we have such a short timeline,
[12:22] and in the event that there are some shortfalls in the revenue
[12:28] contribution side or perhaps on the cost-cutting side as well,
[12:34] I don't want to call it a secret plan,
[12:36] but do you have a concept of a alternative to--
[12:46] Coming out of my pocket.
[12:47] --I don't want to call it a plan B
[12:49] because that goes against what we asked you to do.
[12:51] We said there's only plan A. Are you ready, at that point,
[12:55] to move quickly to develop different suggestions
[13:01] to this board as to what we need to do to move forward?
[13:04] We are looking at other savings opportunities because we--
[13:10] we are looking at other savings opportunities
[13:13] that I will call also somewhat low-hanging fruit
[13:15] to find savings to address the two counties that have given us
[13:20] a target to try to aim for.
[13:22] And we're working closely with both counties
[13:25] on that to where we help sweeten the pot at Metrolink, where
[13:32] there might be a few dollars found someplace else
[13:34] where we find some other savings in our operations.
[13:37] So we do have that.
[13:38] The only question will be, does that get us far enough?
[13:41] And we are looking deeper into those
[13:45] because we do know we have to focus on particularly the two
[13:48] counties that gave us a target.
[13:50] So yes, we are working on stuff behind the scenes,
[13:54] given what we've heard at least as initial feedback.
[13:57] And obviously, the constraint is there
[14:00] isn't going to be much time to go through that.
[14:02] So you know that.
[14:04] I mean, I'm not telling you anything new,
[14:06] but I'm just raising that out so everyone
[14:08] is-- we are doing what we can to make
[14:11] sure we're as efficient as possible to the point
[14:14] where, again, we are doing our own revenue forecast.
[14:17] We're not going out to--
[14:18] we've modified that so that we can keep this streamlined.
[14:21] All right, thank you very much.
[14:24] All right, any other comments?
[14:25] I just want to--
[14:26] Go ahead.
[14:27] I just want to add to that that we voted for our budget CTA.
[14:32] So we're pretty adamant on those numbers.
[14:35] I don't know how much flexibility we'll have.
[14:38] So I think it's really important that we do meet those targets
[14:41] that we've been given.
[14:42] And if there is going to be a plan B, that it basically
[14:45] is plan A at this point, right?
[14:48] So I just want to make sure that that's understood.
[14:51] All right, very good.
[14:52] And if I can just ask, I believe the new budget
[14:54] was provided to the member agencies a week or last weekend.
[14:59] And I didn't study it myself.
[15:04] But I've relied on some others that are the professionals.
[15:08] And it appears to them that Orange County still
[15:12] has a higher than what their target was by some
[15:16] six or something million, which just sends a flag out
[15:22] to me saying, all right, well, if we're not
[15:24] at that level with this plan, option 4, what are we doing?
[15:28] A 4.1 and figure out if there's a way to somehow get them
[15:33] to where they need to be while not sacrificing service
[15:37] throughout the rest of the system?
[15:40] Vice Chair Berkson, I only say, give us a chance to work it out.
[15:44] I think we got some things happening.
[15:46] In fact, I presented to the CEOs a week ago an option
[15:53] where something we've never done before.
[15:55] We receive on an annual basis a funding source called state rail
[16:01] assistance.
[16:03] We normally use it because it's a volatile number.
[16:05] It's not much, usually $5 to $6 million.
[16:07] We usually use that to match capital
[16:09] grants and that kind of thing.
[16:10] It's just because it's not something
[16:12] that you could sustain through operations.
[16:15] But we did receive a bigger bump in FY25-26 of $9.3 million.
[16:21] And what I shared with the CEOs is
[16:23] that I would be prepared to recommend to this board
[16:26] that we would take that full amount of $9.3 million
[16:29] to offset some of those numbers.
[16:31] So the numbers that the staff has seen
[16:34] does not include what I shared with the CEO.
[16:38] So 9.3 in our challenge does not go very far,
[16:43] but it does hopefully soften the blow
[16:46] and show the commitment at Metrolink of what
[16:48] we're trying to make happen.
[16:50] All right, very good.
[16:51] Any public comments on this item?
[16:53] We do have one request to speak--
[16:55] All right.
[16:56] --from Adriana Rizzo.
[16:59] Welcome.
[17:02] Hello, everybody.
[17:04] My name is Adriana Rizzo, representing
[17:06] Californians for Electric Rail here from Riverside.
[17:09] Really happy to see that we're getting close to a budget.
[17:12] And happy to see that the more severe service cuts
[17:15] are mostly off the table.
[17:18] I just want to emphasize again the need
[17:19] to avoid all service cuts, including the temporary March
[17:23] cuts, which we have seen ridership growth stagnate.
[17:27] And I know several people who have stopped using Metrolink
[17:30] for certain things because of the last eastbound
[17:34] 91 train of the day has been eliminated, just as an example.
[17:39] One opportunity for additional revenue that I don't think
[17:41] has been explored yet is TDA funds, the Transportation
[17:44] Development Act.
[17:46] Metro yesterday voted to allocate $35 million
[17:49] in money intended for transit and cities
[17:53] in the Antelope Valley line.
[17:55] It isn't enough to fix Metrolink's operating deficit.
[17:58] I think this needs to be looked into further.
[18:00] And I would urge all of the member agencies, not just Metro,
[18:03] to avoid certifying unmet needs when
[18:06] that funding could potentially be used for Metrolink.
[18:10] I also want to emphasize the importance
[18:12] of continuing to adhere to Metrolink service development
[18:14] plan.
[18:15] Are we still on track for 30 minutes San Bernardino line
[18:17] service by 2029?
[18:20] As we think about the future, this board
[18:23] needs a plan for how can we continue to fulfill these plans,
[18:27] fulfill the service benefits promised by the score
[18:31] program, which we've invested hundreds of millions of dollars
[18:36] in state money for and ensure that those investments don't
[18:39] go to waste by continuing to plan for increased service
[18:43] and deliver a better experience for riders.
[18:46] Thank you.
[18:47] All right, very good.
[18:48] Thank you for that.
[18:48] And this item was received and filed.
[18:50] So unless there's objection.
[18:51] Mr. Chair.
[18:52] Yeah, Allen, go ahead.
[18:53] I just want to make sure--
[18:54] I know the focus right now is what Orange County and LA
[18:57] County want to do.
[18:58] But you can't forget about the other three counties.
[19:01] Our commitment may change depending
[19:02] on what everybody else does.
[19:04] So you have to make sure that you
[19:05] stay aware of what the other counties are deciding to do.
[19:08] Don't go in with assumptions that everyone's
[19:10] remained the same.
[19:11] We just have to worry about what the other counties are
[19:13] going to do because it may not be accurate.
[19:17] Well, I agree because Riverside County
[19:19] wanted more service this year, not less service.
[19:22] So, I mean, and willing to pay the price.
[19:26] But of course, our lines go through either Orange County
[19:29] or LA County.
[19:29] So we all have that challenge.
[19:32] And hopefully we can get to that point
[19:34] where everything works out.
[19:36] So we will receive and file that and move to Item 7B,
[19:40] approval of an extension for the continuing appropriations
[19:43] resolution for fiscal year '27, again,
[19:45] presented by Tom Schamber, Chief Financial Officer.
[19:48] Good morning again.
[19:49] I just went over the status of the FY27 budget.
[19:54] It was distributed to the member agencies on July 18.
[19:57] As I mentioned, there are two pathways
[19:59] towards adoption, which are dependent on the timing
[20:02] of key decisions and the direction of the board.
[20:05] I presented two alternatives, which
[20:07] both assume that the member agencies approve advancement
[20:10] of the currently proposed budget.
[20:13] One pathway avoids the need for an extension
[20:15] of the continuing appropriations resolution.
[20:18] The second pathway requires a one-month extension.
[20:22] The third pathway, which would arise if the member
[20:24] agencies determine that a new budget scenario should
[20:27] be developed, would require additional time for agency staff
[20:30] to complete their work.
[20:32] Exactly how much time cannot be determined at this time.
[20:35] It will depend on the timing of the decision
[20:38] to pursue another scenario, the time taken
[20:40] to finalize assumptions for that scenario,
[20:42] and the timing of future BAF Comm and board meetings.
[20:47] Next slide.
[20:49] We are recommending approval of a three-month extension
[20:52] of the continuing resolution until December 31
[20:56] for the Metrolink and Arrow operating and capital budgets.
[21:00] The budget will be developed as quickly as possible.
[21:03] And it is possible that a budget can be adopted before then.
[21:07] This extension is a precaution in light of uncertainty.
[21:10] And it also takes into consideration the board calendar
[21:12] for the remainder of the year.
[21:14] Next slide.
[21:16] That concludes my presentation.
[21:17] I'm happy to answer any questions.
[21:19] All right, very good.
[21:20] Comments, questions.
[21:21] Karen.
[21:21] That is with the caveat, as Mr. Head Honcho here said,
[21:29] that we would continue to make our payments, correct?
[21:32] Correct.
[21:33] So that has to be part of this, that we continue
[21:36] to make our payments of last year's amounts
[21:39] until the resolution of what we're going to end up doing.
[21:43] Correct.
[21:43] OK.
[21:46] Allen.
[21:47] Thank you, Mr. Chair.
[21:48] SPCT stands ready to support the continuing resolution.
[21:51] But we are asking-- we're ready to do
[21:53] the budget for the airlines.
[21:54] We'd like to see that come back to the board for approval.
[21:59] Understood.
[22:01] So in this case, that would be a modified--
[22:06] the recommendation would be an amendment
[22:08] to the staff recommendation that Arrow comes back at the earliest
[22:14] possible time, and that the continuing
[22:17] resolution for Metrolink proper would proceed as recommended.
[22:23] OK, any other comments?
[22:27] Do we have any public comments?
[22:30] We do have a request to speak from Adriana Rizzo.
[22:33] OK, welcome back.
[22:39] Hello, everybody.
[22:40] First, I want to say that I support extending the continuing
[22:45] resolution and urge the board to vote yes on this item.
[22:48] I think it's important insurance in case member agencies
[22:51] are uncooperative.
[22:53] But I think the fact that we're in this situation where
[22:56] we potentially won't have a budget until as late as
[22:59] December, halfway through the fiscal year,
[23:02] is a symptomatic of deep dysfunction within Metrolink
[23:07] governance.
[23:09] The JPA structure of Metrolink requires cooperation.
[23:12] But what we've seen this year is the opposite
[23:14] of that, where we can't even get agencies to agree on
[23:18] if we should follow our own service development plan,
[23:20] if we should have more or less service.
[23:23] And I think that this crisis highlights a need
[23:27] for deeper structural reform.
[23:29] In particular, most urgently, I would
[23:33] urge the Metrolink to explore a permanent, sustainable,
[23:39] additional source of operations funding,
[23:42] such as a new regional tax measure that
[23:46] is not dependent on the member agencies.
[23:51] Really, we need a source of--
[23:54] all of this complicated process of getting
[23:56] all these different actors to approve a budget
[24:00] is just really failing to deliver
[24:02] the service, a frequent, reliable service
[24:05] our region needs.
[24:07] And we need to think bigger, and particularly
[24:12] with the need for a funding source that
[24:14] is controlled by the Metrolink board
[24:16] and not reliant on so many different actors.
[24:21] I support Metrolink's move to find more state money.
[24:25] But for the last five years, we've
[24:27] really not seen interest from the state
[24:29] in sustained, reliable operational support.
[24:34] And I think that's going to continue
[24:36] to be a challenge until we have more statewide reforms that
[24:42] stabilize the state budget from year to year.
[24:45] And so I would really encourage the board
[24:46] to look regionally and think about what we can do here
[24:52] in Southern California to strengthen Metrolink
[24:57] as an agency and make it less a everybody's last priority.
[25:05] Thank you.
[25:06] Very good.
[25:07] Thank you.
[25:07] Appreciate your comment.
[25:09] Any other comments from the committee?
[25:13] Go ahead.
[25:16] We just want to make sure that even though it looks like we're
[25:19] going to try to get more time on this,
[25:22] we want to keep working towards the fact
[25:25] that it's a difficult problem to solve,
[25:28] but it's also just a math problem.
[25:31] So we have the variables defined.
[25:33] Where else can we pull levers from
[25:36] to get this to where we need to be?
[25:38] The issue for us is we've spoken our levels that we
[25:45] were able to fund to our tax dollars,
[25:48] M2 tax dollars allocated to this so
[25:50] that we can continue to service at the time we
[25:54] need it to keep going to.
[25:57] So I urge that we continue to keep working together
[26:00] and just do as much as we can to get there.
[26:04] The sooner, the better.
[26:05] I think delaying this further just puts us
[26:08] in a precarious situation towards--
[26:11] to what end?
[26:12] What if December 31, we still don't
[26:15] have all the full solution?
[26:16] So with that said, just want to keep that in mind
[26:21] that it's a everyday problem that we
[26:23] need to solve for the riders.
[26:27] Karen.
[26:28] I definitely agree that if we can't by December 31,
[26:34] there's just not going to be a solution.
[26:36] I'll be quite frank.
[26:37] I appreciate LA stepping up and reconsidering and working.
[26:40] I just hope Orange County, I know you're
[26:43] saying you're hard cut and dry.
[26:45] But if LA is stepping up, I hope that you can maybe reconsider.
[26:50] And we realize when it cuts.
[26:52] But you made a comment about constituents and ridership
[26:56] and wanting to help them.
[26:59] That's not going to happen in doing cuts.
[27:03] All right, Ara.
[27:04] And I do want to, from the LA Metro side,
[27:08] express our deep appreciation for our other counties,
[27:14] for San Bernardino, Riverside, Ventura.
[27:17] We hope that you remain firm in the commitments.
[27:20] We understand there's budgetary pressures, but we're all in this
[27:24] together.
[27:25] And we're only as strong as our weakest link.
[27:30] We're competitive.
[27:31] Good, no, I know.
[27:32] I mean, I appreciated it.
[27:34] [INAUDIBLE]
[27:39] We're all.
[27:40] I think we're all--
[27:41] And in that corner.
[27:43] So thank you for working with your boards
[27:47] and maintaining the level that you have.
[27:50] Others of us have some different issues
[27:52] that we have to work through.
[27:54] And everyone has a different row to hoe, I guess.
[28:00] We all have different things that are coming at us.
[28:03] Ours is a smaller amount, but we have less coming in.
[28:07] So [INAUDIBLE] just we all have that same commitment.
[28:11] I'm just using the word commitment
[28:12] now from a monetary amount because you can't compare.
[28:16] You guys are [INAUDIBLE].
[28:27] As we talk about this, I wanted to make sure
[28:31] that staff is engaging with the member agencies
[28:34] because we're going to get through this budget.
[28:37] And it's already going to be time to start the next one.
[28:40] And before we conclude, have we had discussions
[28:46] with other member agencies to determine whether or not
[28:49] they're going to be pulling any additional funding
[28:51] for next year's budget?
[28:53] I mean, these are things that are coming up quick.
[28:55] So we can't wait till the last minute.
[28:57] That's what got us in this position
[28:59] because we found out at the very end of the fiscal year
[29:05] that all of a sudden, not just one but two counties
[29:08] needed to pull back.
[29:09] And that created a major race to try to get a budget that worked.
[29:15] Well, what happens next year if we know ahead
[29:18] of time that we're going to have additional constraints?
[29:21] We need to start building that in.
[29:24] So, Vice Chair Berkson, I think one
[29:27] of the things we are learning from this year
[29:29] is we are in a sort of a reset of our budget process.
[29:32] We had a real whiff, to a certain degree,
[29:35] on the budget process last time because we anticipated more fare
[29:38] revenue.
[29:39] Again, this is not just a member agency challenge.
[29:41] We didn't get fare revenue that we were expecting.
[29:44] So that was 50% of our challenge.
[29:47] We now know where we stand as it relates
[29:49] to ridership and revenue.
[29:51] We're in a much better place.
[29:53] We know where our escalators are and our contracts.
[29:57] We also know, at least from the one letter from Los Angeles,
[30:01] from LA Metro, that the target was for next year
[30:04] and then flat for three years after that.
[30:11] Our delivery of our service, that
[30:13] is not going to go down over those period of years.
[30:19] We have various obligations to do that.
[30:22] So our next year will be as difficult, if not more,
[30:29] because, again, I mentioned the 9.3 that we're
[30:32] prepared to put on the table, that is not
[30:35] going to be a source that is going
[30:37] to be reliable or sustainable.
[30:39] So we are going to have to wrestle with that issue, which
[30:42] is why it has been so critically important for us to continue
[30:45] to lobby in Sacramento for state support.
[30:49] And I mean, I don't know how we get
[30:55] there absent the targets that have been presented
[31:01] to us from member agencies.
[31:03] So we should expect something as challenging next year
[31:10] as we are dealing with this.
[31:12] We will know it sooner, though, to answer your question.
[31:18] We will know it much sooner.
[31:20] All right, well, my goal, obviously, in my head
[31:22] is let's not have to have any continuing resolutions
[31:25] for next fiscal year.
[31:26] Let's get it done on time knowing
[31:29] where we're at this year.
[31:31] So all right, this is an action item.
[31:33] So the action item is asking for a three-month continuing
[31:37] appropriations.
[31:38] Do we have a motion for that?
[31:40] With the proviso on the Arrow, that would not require that.
[31:44] So just make sure that the recommendation is modified
[31:47] to that or it's an amendment.
[31:51] Second.
[31:52] I second.
[31:53] All in favor, aye.
[31:56] Opposed, abstention.
[31:57] Opposed.
[31:58] Opposed.
[31:59] So motion carries.
[32:00] All in favor minus one.
[32:04] All right, with that, we move to Item 7C, internal audit,
[32:09] proposed fiscal year 2027 annual audit plan presented
[32:12] by Elisabeth Lazuardi, Director of Audit.
[32:15] Good morning.
[32:17] I'm reporting on Item C. It is recommended
[32:20] that the board approve the proposed '27 audit plan.
[32:23] Next slide, please.
[32:25] The internal audit charter requires the internal audit
[32:28] department to submit an annual audit
[32:30] plan to the board each year for approval.
[32:33] The five-step process we used to develop the annual audit plan
[32:37] is summarized here.
[32:38] Next slide, please.
[32:40] This slide highlights our newly proposed audit.
[32:44] Next slide.
[32:46] And we carried forward a few audits.
[32:48] We started in fiscal '26, which we will complete in fiscal '27.
[32:53] Following board approval, we will provide the board
[32:56] with the status of the audit plan on a quarterly basis.
[32:59] At the budget audit finance committee meeting on July 10,
[33:03] in response to Director Tettemer's request for an update
[33:08] on process improvements related to past challenges
[33:11] and mechanical failures, management
[33:13] will provide the board with a quarterly report
[33:16] on these areas going forward.
[33:18] The first report will be in October.
[33:21] Next slide.
[33:23] And this concludes my item.
[33:24] Happy to answer if you have any questions.
[33:26] Very good.
[33:28] Comments or questions about the audit report?
[33:32] So we did bring something up at our board briefing
[33:35] yesterday in regards to possibly talking
[33:39] about adding another item to this list,
[33:42] but wanted to just bring that to the board for consideration.
[33:47] With the number of issues that have been publicly
[33:53] blasted about Metrolink with trains
[33:56] and having the mechanical issues we had earlier this year
[33:58] to the one Saturday where, I don't know,
[34:01] between 150 and 500 stranded people
[34:04] in the blazing sun, fire department supplying them
[34:08] water and things like that.
[34:10] And some had heat stroke or whatnot.
[34:13] Obviously, the conversation basically
[34:18] is about whether or not we add an item to the audit plan
[34:22] to basically determine if our response teams are
[34:28] the ones driving the regular little Metrolink
[34:30] cars that might have water in the back or the backup trains.
[34:35] Are they doing what we need them to do?
[34:37] Do we have that plan in place?
[34:39] Is the checklist there, and they know what to do and when?
[34:43] I'm not sure what the feeling is here.
[34:45] But I think that, at least in discussion with our board
[34:51] briefing, it seems like that might be a good item
[34:55] to add so that we can at least make sure that the public is
[34:59] being treated as quickly as possible
[35:02] and the people that are representing
[35:04] Metrolink are getting out there as fast as they're supposed to.
[35:08] So I'm not sure if we've ever had an audit like that.
[35:13] Not that I recall myself, but I wanted just to bring it out
[35:18] and say that is something that I was thinking we might want
[35:21] to engage with if there's--
[35:24] Just a comment.
[35:25] I think that's something really important that we look into.
[35:27] I'm not sure it's quite an audit kind of function.
[35:29] Perhaps it's just something we have there and take a look at
[35:32] and bring it back.
[35:32] Mr. Vice Chair, I was going to suggest that this board has
[35:37] probably not been briefed in some time about how we handle
[35:39] those types of actions.
[35:42] Between our safety security and compliance team and our customer
[35:45] experience team, we can put together
[35:47] a presentation for a full board meeting that
[35:50] lays out because we have a long list of what's
[35:54] supposed to happen.
[35:54] Does it always work perfectly?
[35:58] But we do have a plan in place.
[36:01] So if we can do that and if we encounter a need potentially
[36:05] in the future, how it could be treated through Liz's team,
[36:09] that may be something.
[36:10] But maybe we get a bite at the apple
[36:12] from a management perspective on that one as well.
[36:14] I have no issue with that myself.
[36:17] Catherine.
[36:18] So is there a reason--
[36:21] and this may be what you're asking--
[36:22] why the materials and management maintenance of equipment unit
[36:27] was left out of the audit plan?
[36:30] As indicated in our report, we have a table
[36:33] identifying areas of high risk.
[36:36] Definitely, that's one of the high risks that were not
[36:39] selected for an audit for the fiscal
[36:42] '27, partly because as management is working on it,
[36:46] they also have their internal working group looking into this
[36:50] for process improvement.
[36:52] And again, as I already mentioned at the budget audit
[36:57] finance committee meeting, during the discussions,
[37:01] Director Najarian and Director Tettemer
[37:03] obviously raised that issues.
[37:05] And then you feel free to chime in.
[37:08] But it was agreed that an action item of management
[37:14] will provide quarterly report on those areas.
[37:17] OK, because given that that seems
[37:19] to be the equipment failures.
[37:27] So we have new leadership over the area that deals
[37:32] with our parts and operations.
[37:34] They're stepping up.
[37:35] We have this internal working group.
[37:37] To be real blunt, the locomotive that you see in front of you
[37:44] on these screens, the 40 of them,
[37:46] they have had a reliability.
[37:48] We are actually getting the parts we
[37:50] need when we do have failures.
[37:52] The situation that occurred on Saturday
[37:54] was something that we've become, unfortunately, accustomed to.
[37:57] They just happen to be a surprise every time
[37:59] it happens because you don't know
[38:00] when a fuel manifold is going to crack
[38:02] and renders the equipment completely unusable.
[38:07] We have fuel manifolds in inventory.
[38:10] We have spider shafts in inventory.
[38:12] So we know what our problem parts are.
[38:14] We just don't know when they're going to fail.
[38:16] And that is a problem with this particular locomotive
[38:20] that I have now determined to be a DeLorean as we
[38:26] struggle with some of the reliability challenges.
[38:29] But the team is working on the parts of material side.
[38:34] And we're trying to come up with ways
[38:37] to reduce even the part failure issue
[38:40] with the various manufacturers.
[38:42] Thank you.
[38:42] Thank you.
[38:43] All right, any other comments?
[38:47] All right, this is an action item to approve--
[38:50] oh, public comments.
[38:51] Do we have a public comment?
[38:52] OK, now it's an action item.
[38:54] Do we have a motion to approve the audit
[38:57] plan as is in the staff report?
[39:00] Second.
[39:01] All right, all in favor, aye.
[39:03] Opposed, abstentions.
[39:06] Not a lot of yeses, but no no's.
[39:10] Item 7D, contract number SP645-27,
[39:14] customer service center recommendation to award 22nd
[39:17] Century Technologies, presented by Rachel Chaires,
[39:22] Senior Manager, Customer Relations, and Tammi Phillips,
[39:24] Senior Contract and Compliance Administrator.
[39:28] Good morning, Vice Chair Berkson, member of the board.
[39:31] Next slide, please.
[39:33] Metrolink's customer service center handles over 500,000
[39:37] customer contacts each year, providing real time information
[39:40] on schedules, fares, connecting transit,
[39:43] and assistance during service disruptions.
[39:45] In addition to supporting marketing campaigns,
[39:47] special trains, and mobile app issues,
[39:50] live agents are available via phone and text
[39:52] during designated business hours, seven days a week.
[39:55] And recorded information is available 24 hours a day.
[39:58] Next slide, please.
[40:01] This procurement will ensure uninterrupted, high-quality
[40:04] customer support for riders when the current contract expires
[40:07] in November 2026.
[40:10] We began with a request for information
[40:11] in October that drew 33 responses--
[40:14] I'm sorry-- that drew responses from 33 firms,
[40:18] giving us strong insight into modern customer service
[40:20] tools and staffing models.
[40:22] The request for proposal was issued in March
[40:24] and generated strong industry interest.
[40:27] Of the 83 firms that downloaded the solicitation,
[40:30] 25 attended the pre-proposal conference.
[40:33] Staff answered 348 follow-up questions
[40:36] and ultimately received 11 proposals.
[40:38] Eight were responsive, and six advanced to interviews
[40:41] after meeting the technical threshold.
[40:44] Proposals were evaluated on capabilities, staffing,
[40:47] operations, and price.
[40:49] After combining technical and cost scores,
[40:51] 22nd Century Technologies Inc received the highest overall
[40:54] ranking.
[40:55] Their proposal demonstrated strong operational readiness,
[40:59] a modern technology platform, and a staffing approach
[41:02] that aligns with Metrolink's performance expectations.
[41:05] 22nd Century has been in business for 29 years as an IT
[41:08] services integrator and has 12 years of experience operating
[41:12] customer service centers.
[41:14] The company is headquartered in McLean, Virginia,
[41:17] with an existing customer service
[41:18] facility in Dallas and the capability
[41:20] to establish a local operation if needed.
[41:23] They currently employ more than 350 trained customer service
[41:27] agents supporting federal, state, and local government
[41:30] clients, including several public transportation agencies.
[41:35] To support a seamless transition,
[41:36] they also intend to recruit experienced staff
[41:39] from the incumbent contractor.
[41:41] Next slide, please.
[41:43] Staff recommends awarding a three-year contract to 22nd
[41:46] Century Technologies Inc with two one-year option periods
[41:50] for an amount not to exceed $8.5 million and authorizing the CEO
[41:54] to exercise the option periods at the authority's discretion.
[41:58] Next slide, please.
[42:00] This concludes my report.
[42:01] And I'm happy to take any questions.
[42:03] All right, very good.
[42:04] Karen.
[42:09] Is the current company OK with 22nd Century recruiting
[42:19] their folks?
[42:21] That is a standard.
[42:23] When there's a transition of customer service center
[42:27] contracts, the new contractor will reach out to the incumbent
[42:31] to determine if there is staff that
[42:33] is interested in transitioning over.
[42:35] And where is our incumbent based?
[42:38] In Brea, California.
[42:39] So the new one is in Virginia.
[42:44] Yes, they're headquartered in Virginia.
[42:47] And there doesn't seem to be a problem because it's straight
[42:50] over the phone customer service?
[42:52] No, we have several SOPs that we'll be sharing.
[42:57] We'll be working closely with them
[42:59] on developing their training curriculum.
[43:03] They also operate customer service centers
[43:07] for transportation agencies across the country.
[43:10] So we're really confident that they
[43:12] will be able to support us successfully.
[43:15] OK, thank you.
[43:17] Allen.
[43:18] Thank you.
[43:18] Did you have the opportunity to actually visit their customer
[43:20] service center to see how it operates?
[43:22] I have not.
[43:24] You think that that might be advisable?
[43:27] Is that something you would do normally or not?
[43:33] Historically, I mean, Director Wapner, that's not something
[43:37] where we've gone to those.
[43:39] Not to say it's not a reasonable idea.
[43:42] That's not been a practice of Metrolink's in the past
[43:44] to go and visit those centers.
[43:48] We generally take the references we have from those agencies
[43:53] that they recognize that they currently perform work
[43:55] for as sufficient for our ability
[44:00] for them to perform on our contracts.
[44:02] I'm just wondering if sometimes the flexibility of that customer
[44:05] service center, are they really using folks that are there
[44:08] or they're using the address and there's other folks working
[44:10] somewhere else in the world?
[44:11] How do we know that?
[44:12] I'm sorry.
[44:13] Can you repeat the question?
[44:14] How do we know that the folks that are working for them
[44:17] are actually working within the United States
[44:19] and they're not using folks in other countries
[44:21] to answer the phones?
[44:22] Thank you for the question.
[44:23] They have confirmed that their entire staff is located
[44:26] within the United States.
[44:30] OK, any other-- Tim.
[44:33] Yeah, thank you.
[44:35] You had mentioned that they're based in Virginia.
[44:38] They have a center in Dallas.
[44:41] And then you also said, if I understood correctly,
[44:43] that there is the possibility of a local option.
[44:47] Maybe you didn't phrase it that way.
[44:49] What triggers that?
[44:50] Because what I assume to be a local option
[44:52] is California or somewhere in Southern California.
[44:56] Can you explain that?
[44:57] Yes, they indicated that if we require them to be local,
[45:02] that they can secure a facility here and set up operations
[45:06] locally.
[45:07] Just out of curiosity, is there a reason
[45:09] why we wouldn't do that, given proximity?
[45:13] Is there additional cost?
[45:17] It's close by.
[45:18] We can go see it.
[45:20] Just any thoughts on that insight would be appreciated.
[45:23] Yeah, Director Sandoval, and I don't know, Tammi or Rachel,
[45:26] if there's an added cost for them to tool
[45:30] up a facility in Southern California
[45:32] that we would then be on the hook for.
[45:34] So much of what customer service does
[45:36] happen is almost by its very nature is kind of remote.
[45:40] But it is nice to be able to go kick the tires locally
[45:44] if we can.
[45:45] Can you answer that question, Rachel or Tammi?
[45:47] Is there additional cost to have it or Sabrina who's stepped up
[45:49] behind you, just so you know.
[45:52] They did not indicate an additional cost.
[45:55] But I can certainly find out and get back to you.
[45:57] And maybe one of the questions is
[45:59] this is a three-year contract, two additional years.
[46:05] Maybe through our process of just monitoring,
[46:11] perhaps we go back to them and say, listen, we really
[46:13] would like for you to bring a local component here.
[46:16] Certainly, it could mean some jobs,
[46:17] albeit probably not a lot of positions, but just something
[46:21] to be aware of.
[46:23] Good point.
[46:23] All right, any other comments, questions?
[46:26] Any public comments?
[46:29] All right, this is an action item asking for the contract.
[46:33] Do I have a motion to approve?
[46:35] And do I have a second?
[46:36] All right, all in favor, aye.
[46:38] Opposed, abstention.
[46:40] Motion carries unanimous.
[46:42] Onto 7E, contract number C3167-26 SCORE Marengo
[46:50] and Rancho siding extension projects,
[46:53] construction recommendation to award Granite Construction
[46:55] Company, presented by Katy Thorpe,
[46:58] Principal Engineer Capital and Third Party Construction.
[47:01] Director Berkson, before Katie starts,
[47:04] this is a really big deal.
[47:06] Go ahead, Katy.
[47:08] No pressure.
[47:09] Good morning, vice chair and members of the board.
[47:11] Next slide, please.
[47:13] Authority proposes to extend both the existing Marengo
[47:17] and Rancho siding tracks on SCRRA's San Bernardino line
[47:21] to improve frequency and flexibility of future service.
[47:24] Next slide, please.
[47:26] Invitation for bid was released on February 6, 2026.
[47:30] We received four bids.
[47:31] And the lowest was 39% over the designer's independent cost
[47:34] estimate.
[47:36] Authority staff analyzed the bids alongside the designer
[47:39] and determined a few key factors in the bid.
[47:42] And independent cost estimate discrepancy were as follows.
[47:46] The designer's escalation factors were too low.
[47:49] Material cost escalations have been particularly volatile
[47:52] in recent years, with some track and signal components doubling
[47:56] in cost.
[47:58] Lastly, due to the number of current and pending construction
[48:00] contracts in the Southern California area--
[48:03] sorry here echo-- there is a concern amongst contractors
[48:06] regarding labor availability and potential labor shortages, which
[48:10] may lead to premium pay in order to obtain qualified workers.
[48:15] After review, Granite Construction
[48:17] was determined to be the lowest responsive and responsible
[48:20] bidder.
[48:20] Next slide, please.
[48:23] It is recommended that the board authorize the CEO to award
[48:26] contract number C3167-26 for the SCORE Marengo and Rancho
[48:31] Cucamonga siding projects to Granite Construction
[48:35] in the amount of $51,502,175, plus a 5% contingency,
[48:41] bringing the total not to exceed amount to $54,077,283.75.
[48:49] Next slide.
[48:50] Thank you.
[48:51] All right, very good.
[48:53] Comments or questions.
[48:55] That $0.75 is important.
[48:59] It just sounds like a 5% contingency
[49:01] is kind of low when it comes to a construction project.
[49:05] Yeah, 10% is typical, but, I mean--
[49:08] I just don't look for it a lot of change orders, that's all.
[49:12] I hope so too.
[49:14] Any public comments on this?
[49:17] We do have a request to speak from Adriana Rizzo on this item.
[49:24] Hey, everybody.
[49:25] This is really exciting.
[49:27] I'm very happy to see that these projects are
[49:30] moving forward and getting close to the construction phase.
[49:32] It's going to be a game changer to have 30-minute service
[49:36] on the whole San Bernardino line and hopefully have that be
[49:39] a little more reliable than we've been seeing with
[49:42] the attempts to do 30 minutes for part of it.
[49:45] So this is really great.
[49:47] I have a concern, though, that this
[49:49] is one of the only SCORE program projects that
[49:53] seems to be moving forward in anywhere near on time.
[49:57] I mean, we were supposed to have SCORE phase 1 done by 2028
[50:01] now, right?
[50:02] And some of these projects have been indefinitely canceled.
[50:07] They're indefinitely delayed like the Serra Siding.
[50:10] Others of these projects like the Balboa Double
[50:14] Track, some other projects in LA County
[50:16] have been delayed like 10 years.
[50:19] I think some of the AVL projects are not supposed to be complete
[50:23] until the late 2030s, based on the latest update I saw.
[50:27] And this is really concerning for riders
[50:30] and for people who want to see a better, more
[50:36] serviceable Metrolink system.
[50:40] I'm wondering, has the--
[50:42] first off, it's quite difficult to actually find information
[50:47] about the status of these projects.
[50:49] I'm wondering if the SCORE website
[50:52] page could be updated more frequently
[50:54] to provide more information about these projects.
[50:58] And secondly, I'm wondering, has Metrolink
[51:00] done any kind of comprehensive audit
[51:02] to study the reason for why there's so many delays?
[51:07] This would be helpful for us as advocates to identify ways
[51:11] where we can push for legislation or other changes
[51:16] that could help us deliver some of these projects faster.
[51:20] So we want to see these projects on time, on budget.
[51:23] But that's not really what's happening right now.
[51:25] So thank you.
[51:27] All right, thank you very much.
[51:28] Comments from the board.
[51:31] Yeah, what were you so excited about this item?
[51:36] Because this is one of-- as actually the speaker just
[51:40] mentioned, we have not had many SCORE projects
[51:43] get out of the gate.
[51:44] And this project on the San Bernardino line, our most used
[51:49] line will give us--
[51:52] awarding this contract today, having the funding in place
[51:55] means that this project will be done in advance of 2028
[51:58] in the Olympics, which will give us the ability to run 30-minute
[52:02] bidirectional frequencies on that San Bernardino line.
[52:06] So it is setting us up for success.
[52:09] And it's just great to finally get that project out the gate.
[52:14] You look like a little kid looking at the candy bar.
[52:16] You were just-- did I miss something?
[52:19] You can turn to Katy and Justin and the team on this.
[52:23] These are long processes to make happen.
[52:27] And I will say that the fact that we had the budget
[52:33] bust on the independent cost estimate was like, OK,
[52:35] how are we going to track down the money?
[52:36] And we now have two different sources
[52:38] to cover that, the delta.
[52:39] So we're just excited about getting shovels in the ground.
[52:44] So, Darren, can you--
[52:46] so going back in my dusty memory bank here,
[52:50] SCORE program, if I'm not mistaken,
[52:52] was supposed to be a $10 billion--
[52:56] it was set up to be $10 billion of funding coming in
[53:00] and doing all these programs.
[53:02] So the speaker that mentioned so many have been canceled
[53:06] or postponed, is that because--
[53:09] I don't know what the exact amount we brought in.
[53:11] But I know it's nowhere close to the total that we were seeking.
[53:15] So is that the reason for the delays and the cancelations?
[53:22] And where are we with the total score of the 10 billion?
[53:28] Where do we get to?
[53:30] Where we are is in phase 1.
[53:32] And I want to say the original cost estimate was
[53:35] 2.3 or $2.5 billion.
[53:39] But that number was developed seven years ago.
[53:43] And as Katie indicated, some of these factors
[53:46] that are hitting us are blowing cost estimates
[53:51] right through the roof.
[53:54] So we can certainly provide more information.
[53:57] There are various reasons why we've been challenged.
[53:59] We were delayed for some time on our Simi Valley Double Track
[54:02] Project because we had a dispute with the Union Pacific Railroad.
[54:06] That's been resolved.
[54:07] But in the meantime, construction costs
[54:09] have escalated.
[54:10] So that project isn't fully funded.
[54:12] So there's a variety-- that's just one example.
[54:15] We've found other ways to try to get some benefits that
[54:19] deliver without the Serra siding being one of those projects
[54:22] where we have some other bets.
[54:23] We have a project in downtown Riverside
[54:25] that was going to be funded.
[54:26] And we've been able to find a more efficient way
[54:28] to get benefit from it that's going to be less expensive.
[54:31] So we're always trying to be creative
[54:34] that, again, that plan was developed seven years ago.
[54:36] So as we have to bob and weave to a certain degree,
[54:40] and this is why this project we're excited about it
[54:44] is because we're going to make this one happen.
[54:47] Good.
[54:48] All right, any other comments, questions?
[54:51] OK, this one is an action item.
[54:54] So moved.
[54:55] Do I have a second?
[54:59] All in favor, aye.
[55:01] Opposed, abstentions.
[55:03] Motion carries.
[55:05] Item 7F, system safety, security and compliance,
[55:12] SSSC Department activities update quarter three fiscal year
[55:16] 2026, presented by Hillary Konczal,
[55:20] Chief Safety Security and Compliance Officer.
[55:23] Good morning.
[55:24] Again, today, I'm here to present our third quarter safety
[55:29] security and compliance stance.
[55:30] Next slide, please.
[55:33] So total train strikes for quarter three
[55:38] were flat compared to quarter two.
[55:40] If you look at the bottom there, those
[55:42] are the number of train strikes by type.
[55:46] Nothing alarming, but we are trending downward
[55:48] for the year, which is very, very positive.
[55:51] Next slide, please.
[55:54] So here, you'll see the train strikes by county.
[55:58] LA Riverside Ventura counties recorded one less train strike
[56:02] in Q3 than Q2.
[56:03] Orange County is flat.
[56:05] And San Bernardino county recorded three more train
[56:08] strikes in the third quarter than they
[56:11] did the second quarter.
[56:12] So we are watching those closely.
[56:15] And again, as I said, we have a total
[56:17] of 15 train strikes for the year.
[56:21] Next slide, please.
[56:22] These are the same numbers broken down
[56:24] by line, just to give you a different visual perspective.
[56:28] Ventura line is flat.
[56:30] Antelope Valley, 91/Perris Valley,
[56:33] Orange and the IEOC lines all recorded one less train strike.
[56:39] San Bernardino recorded five more train strikes
[56:42] than they did in Q3 than Q2.
[56:45] In Q2, they had zero train strikes.
[56:48] Riverside recorded two less train strikes,
[56:50] and then Airline recorded one more train strike.
[56:54] And as a reminder, a lot of these lines
[56:57] go through more than one county.
[56:59] So that's why we do it both ways.
[57:02] Next slide, please.
[57:04] So here we have our fare evaders unruly passengers.
[57:06] They're up quite a bit.
[57:08] Don't want to alarm you.
[57:10] The reason why they are up quite a bit
[57:12] is because we have increased our fare collection
[57:17] strategy, so to speak.
[57:19] Alstom obviously increased their requirement to 50%.
[57:24] And we also increased the amount of streetcaring
[57:27] we're doing at Union Station.
[57:29] So what we do is we'll hold our customers at the ramp
[57:35] to make sure they have a valid fare to get onto the platform.
[57:38] And that's helped immensely.
[57:40] That's a lot of the reasons why the fare evasion is up.
[57:43] And then the unruly passengers is tied very closely
[57:46] to fare evaders because once you tell somebody
[57:50] that they can't take the train, then it gets confrontational.
[57:53] So then we have them ticketed or arrested.
[57:55] And that's when they become an unruly passenger.
[58:00] Next slide.
[58:04] These are basically conductor assaults or assaults
[58:07] on trains that are recorded through the National
[58:11] Transportation database.
[58:13] We've recorded six for the month of February and eight for March.
[58:20] Even though it says nonmajor physical,
[58:22] the nonmajor physical ones are if somebody's pushed
[58:25] or there may be a nudge or something.
[58:28] So we do watch those.
[58:30] And our law enforcement is always close by
[58:34] to handle any of those assaults.
[58:36] Next slide, please.
[58:38] So these are law enforcement activities by county.
[58:44] These are conducted by the LA County Sheriff's Department.
[58:46] I just want to specify that.
[58:49] And for the three months for quarter three,
[58:53] there were a total of 6,821 law enforcement details that were
[58:57] conducted by the LA County Sheriff's Department.
[59:00] The next slide, please.
[59:02] So this is the same information just again broken down by line
[59:07] by the LA County Sheriff's Department again for a total
[59:11] of 6,821 law enforcement details that were conducted.
[59:18] And I just want to remind you, these are in addition
[59:23] to all of their other duties.
[59:24] A lot of times, there's a call for service.
[59:26] We have to handle a fare evasion,
[59:31] dealing with right of way inspections.
[59:34] So there's a lot of things that go on in addition to this right
[59:38] here.
[59:40] Next slide, please.
[59:42] So these are the same law enforcement activities
[59:45] by the San Bernardino Sheriff's Department.
[59:48] They monitor or patrol the San Bernardino County line
[59:53] or the San Bernardino line, I apologize, from Montclair
[59:57] through Redlands University station.
[59:59] So they had a total of 3,027 law enforcement activities.
[1:00:05] Next slide, please.
[1:00:06] So the rule violations, I'm happy to report,
[1:00:09] are trending downward, even though it increased by three
[1:00:14] in the third quarter.
[1:00:16] Last year, if you remember, we had a spike in rule violations.
[1:00:19] We created an action plan.
[1:00:21] And I'm happy to report that our rule violations are
[1:00:25] down for the year 78%.
[1:00:28] So this is a positive story, even
[1:00:30] though there's a little spike in rule violations there.
[1:00:34] And we do continually watch them and work with our operations
[1:00:37] team.
[1:00:38] Next slide, please.
[1:00:40] So FRA reported injuries.
[1:00:42] We recorded two less injuries in Q3 than we had in Q2.
[1:00:50] Injuries are down 18% compared to the previous year.
[1:00:53] A lot of them were like-- we had two pinch points,
[1:00:57] I think one slip and fall, but nothing major to report.
[1:01:02] Next slide.
[1:01:04] So training, we continue to train our employees
[1:01:07] in numerous safety and operational practices.
[1:01:10] Safety is the most important thing
[1:01:12] here at Metrolink in addition to a lot of other operational
[1:01:18] [AUDIO OUT].
[1:02:01] And we did a phenomenal job.
[1:02:04] And when I say we, I say Metrolink as a whole.
[1:02:07] There were no safety issues.
[1:02:08] No incidents, security incidents whatsoever.
[1:02:12] We did have increase in ridership.
[1:02:14] I believe the 15% increase in ridership
[1:02:16] that I put up there may be low, but those were initial numbers
[1:02:19] that I got when I was putting together the presentation.
[1:02:22] So I just wanted to point that out that even us as an agency,
[1:02:25] we should be extremely proud.
[1:02:29] I've worked on NATO, the Obama campaign, his inauguration.
[1:02:34] These national events are huge.
[1:02:36] They take a lot of coordination with Secret Service, FBI, DHS,
[1:02:42] TSA.
[1:02:43] And with the limited number of resources that we had,
[1:02:46] our team did a phenomenal job and at Darren's leadership,
[1:02:51] I should say.
[1:02:52] So I just want to point that out there.
[1:02:54] Next slide.
[1:02:56] So these are just a few.
[1:02:57] I can't go over everything we did because a lot of it,
[1:02:59] we don't want to give our secrets away
[1:03:02] because we're going to start preparing for the Olympics next.
[1:03:05] But we've held two active shooter drills before the event.
[1:03:10] They were simulated.
[1:03:12] We had law enforcement on the train.
[1:03:15] We had actors that acted as an active shooter.
[1:03:20] So we did a lot of preparation.
[1:03:23] LASD, we had a workshop with them
[1:03:26] or drill with them and then San Bernardino County.
[1:03:31] And we also included local law enforcement.
[1:03:34] All forward-facing employees were trained in bomb detection
[1:03:38] to know what to look for if they seen a suspicious package
[1:03:40] or bomb along the railroad right of way or what have you.
[1:03:45] And we had limited resources.
[1:03:48] But we were lucky through LA County and the County Sheriff's
[1:03:52] Department to be able to obtain 22 additional officers, two
[1:03:58] sergeants and a lieutenant for match days
[1:04:01] at no cost to Metrolink.
[1:04:03] So that was a plus.
[1:04:04] And they helped us out with Allied Universal.
[1:04:07] We had 15 additional armed.
[1:04:08] We were able to obtain 15 additional armed security
[1:04:11] guards.
[1:04:12] So they were strategically placed throughout the system.
[1:04:15] And then our LA County Sheriff's Department
[1:04:17] and our San Bernardino Sheriff's,
[1:04:19] they did over 200 I say facility inspections.
[1:04:23] But those are everything along our 564 miles of track
[1:04:27] that they were patrolling.
[1:04:31] Next slide.
[1:04:34] The other thing we did was before the beginning
[1:04:38] of the matches, we did high rail trips
[1:04:40] with an officer in the high rail to make sure
[1:04:42] that there's nothing along the railroad right of way,
[1:04:45] no sabotage, suspicious people.
[1:04:49] We increased our street coloring, our fare enforcement.
[1:04:53] And then we worked weekly with LA Metro.
[1:04:57] And we had one of our employees, a security employee, safety
[1:05:02] employee, and then an LASD Sheriff deputy
[1:05:06] in Metro's ESOC, which helped us coordinate
[1:05:10] the busing to our trains at Union Station and vice versa.
[1:05:13] So there was a lot of coordination.
[1:05:15] It all worked well.
[1:05:16] I'd be remiss if I didn't thank Michael Litschi and the customer
[1:05:19] service team as well and the operations team.
[1:05:22] But that will conclude my-- oh, I'm sorry.
[1:05:24] Hold on.
[1:05:25] One more slide.
[1:05:26] This is what I really wanted to thank.
[1:05:28] So I just want to recognize a few people.
[1:05:31] And if you're in the room, please stand up.
[1:05:33] I know that two of them are on vacation.
[1:05:36] Captain Abi Ben-Sahile from the LASD Metrolink Bureau,
[1:05:41] Lieutenant Nick Aguirre from the LASD Metrolink Bureau,
[1:05:48] Sergeant Ryan Bressler, he's on vacation.
[1:05:51] He worked too much.
[1:05:52] He said he needed time off, so.
[1:05:54] And Nicole Adams, our security manager for Allied Security,
[1:05:57] who's in the back.
[1:06:00] And Tinh Quach, manager of security and law enforcement
[1:06:03] who works for me.
[1:06:04] He is actually on vacation.
[1:06:05] And then Eric Smith, who's to my left, our manager, emergency
[1:06:08] preparedness and operations trainer.
[1:06:10] This guy, I call him professor.
[1:06:13] He's phenomenal.
[1:06:14] But I just want to thank everybody.
[1:06:15] Thank you.
[1:06:16] [APPLAUSE]
[1:06:20] And that will conclude my report.
[1:06:22] Very good with applause at the end.
[1:06:23] That's amazing.
[1:06:25] Comments from the board?
[1:06:27] Just a question.
[1:06:27] Thank you.
[1:06:28] A quick question.
[1:06:28] We get reports of trains versus unoccupied vehicle.
[1:06:31] What is normally the cause of having an unoccupied vehicle
[1:06:34] on the track?
[1:06:35] Usually, the vehicle will stall, and the person
[1:06:38] will get out of the vehicle.
[1:06:41] There's been a few instances where a vehicle was stolen
[1:06:43] and they parked it on the track.
[1:06:45] But most of the time, it's somebody that gets
[1:06:47] stuck on the track.
[1:06:48] The car might die, and they just out of panic, they
[1:06:52] get out and trying to call 911 and stuff like that.
[1:06:55] Any investigations if any of these are intentional?
[1:07:00] There are a couple that are intentional.
[1:07:02] And we get that determination from the coroner.
[1:07:05] A lot of times, when the police department,
[1:07:07] when they're doing their investigation,
[1:07:09] they'll suspect it's intentional.
[1:07:12] But we really go off of the coroner's manner of death,
[1:07:16] but yeah.
[1:07:17] I guess I'm talking about unoccupied vehicles.
[1:07:18] Anybody parked their car and leave just to cause a collision?
[1:07:22] Oh, no.
[1:07:23] No, we haven't had that since way back.
[1:07:26] I don't want to mention it.
[1:07:29] But no.
[1:07:31] All right, any other comments or questions?
[1:07:34] Well, very good.
[1:07:35] I guess that was a good test run for what's coming up in 2028.
[1:07:40] And it was nice to see.
[1:07:43] And you say a 15% increase in ridership during that period?
[1:07:47] Roughly, yeah.
[1:07:48] That's good.
[1:07:51] All right, and with that--
[1:07:53] Those were preliminary numbers.
[1:07:55] Perfect.
[1:07:56] Do we have any public comments?
[1:07:59] That's receive and file.
[1:08:00] That'll be the order of business for that.
[1:08:03] And we will move to Item 7G, July legislative update,
[1:08:09] being presented by Jeff Dunn.
[1:08:10] Good morning, Vice Chair Chaffee, members of the board.
[1:08:13] Next slide, please.
[1:08:14] The California legislature is presently in its summer recess,
[1:08:16] will return on August 3 to begin the final stretch
[1:08:19] of the legislative session.
[1:08:21] At that time, lawmakers will take up legislative fixes
[1:08:23] to the Budget Act passed in mid-June,
[1:08:25] including various trailer bills to amend, clarify and amend,
[1:08:29] or implement specific provisions of the budget.
[1:08:32] It is within this budget trailer bill activity
[1:08:35] that Metrolink is seeking state assistance
[1:08:36] to appropriate $35 million of operations
[1:08:39] funding to the railroad to avert or relieve
[1:08:43] the budgetary challenges that we are tasked
[1:08:45] with addressing to allow Metrolink
[1:08:46] to operate at full service.
[1:08:49] We are circulating a joint legislator sign on letter
[1:08:52] to be delivered to the governor and legislative leaders
[1:08:54] in early August.
[1:08:55] And our CEO, Mr. Kettle, will be traveling to Sacramento August 5
[1:08:59] to pursue in-person this advocacy with lawmakers
[1:09:02] and administration officials.
[1:09:04] We will keep you apprised as these efforts continue.
[1:09:06] Next slide, please.
[1:09:09] On the federal side, yesterday, the house
[1:09:10] departed for summer recess after narrowly passing a continuing
[1:09:15] resolution to keep the government funded
[1:09:16] until December 4.
[1:09:18] It will return to session on August 30.
[1:09:21] The Senate remains in session until August 7
[1:09:23] before it takes its recess.
[1:09:25] Regarding the FY 2017 bill, the House Bill
[1:09:28] cuts passenger rail by an estimated $17.2 billion,
[1:09:32] which includes expiration of advance appropriations
[1:09:34] under the IIJA cuts to Amtrak intercity rail and the Sea Grant
[1:09:39] program.
[1:09:39] The bill passed the Appropriations Committee
[1:09:41] on June 3 by a party line vote.
[1:09:43] In the Senate, the Appropriations Committee
[1:09:45] has yet to release its bill or set a date for markup.
[1:09:48] Current level funding expires on September 30,
[1:09:50] unless a CR or successor THUD appropriations bill
[1:09:53] passes by or before that date.
[1:09:55] In Olympics funding, as reported to you last month,
[1:09:58] Metrolink has held a senior level meeting
[1:10:01] with FEMA officials to share its recommendations for funding
[1:10:04] allocation best practices in the soon to be released notice
[1:10:07] of funding opportunity to guide allocation of the $1 billion
[1:10:11] of Olympics security funding provided by the Big Beautiful
[1:10:14] Bill.
[1:10:15] Metrolink will continue meetings with FEMA district staff
[1:10:18] and state officials at Cal OES to ensure
[1:10:21] these processes are implemented as efficiently as possible
[1:10:24] once the NOFO is released and will keep the board apprised.
[1:10:27] This concludes my presentation.
[1:10:28] I'm happy to take any questions.
[1:10:30] All right, very good.
[1:10:31] Comments, questions, Karen.
[1:10:34] That word, "continuing resolution," I know we just--
[1:10:39] I believe that's the first time we've done that.
[1:10:41] We've had to do it in the past.
[1:10:42] But it's been a number of years.
[1:10:44] Number of years.
[1:10:47] In the opposite, has there ever been
[1:10:52] our legislature that didn't have a continuing resolution?
[1:10:58] It seems in Washington, DC, not in recent memory, of course.
[1:11:01] I think it's reflective of the budgetary divide
[1:11:05] in both chambers.
[1:11:07] Well, your comments were very much
[1:11:11] appreciated when you said we'll start working on earlier.
[1:11:13] So we don't have this again because you do it
[1:11:16] the second time, it's going to become a habit.
[1:11:20] So I just want to make sure that we work
[1:11:22] really hard not to do that.
[1:11:24] I certainly, I have ill feelings towards our legislature
[1:11:28] that continually do that.
[1:11:30] Now they're on break because they
[1:11:31] did the continuing resolution.
[1:11:33] It's disingenuous to us.
[1:11:37] So thank you for your sharing of wonderful words.
[1:11:42] Well, I would say, at least in the federal side,
[1:11:45] if a continuing resolution passes and funds the government
[1:11:49] through December 4, that means status quo funding, which
[1:11:53] is actually good because the House Bill cuts passenger
[1:11:56] rail significantly.
[1:11:57] The Senate likely will not do a bill.
[1:12:00] If they don't, they'll have to go by CR,
[1:12:02] and it's level funded through December 4, which
[1:12:04] is better than cuts.
[1:12:06] OK, thank you.
[1:12:08] All right, yeah, Catherine.
[1:12:09] So-- and thank you for that.
[1:12:11] On the federal side, on the Olympic security funding,
[1:12:14] I'm assuming that you are coordinating with LA28,
[1:12:17] so that when we're asking for the security funding,
[1:12:20] it's a holistic approach to--
[1:12:22] It is a holistic approach absolutely with actors.
[1:12:25] Now, in terms of our meeting with FEMA,
[1:12:27] we were focused on our recommendations
[1:12:30] for Metrolink and for passenger rail procedurally when
[1:12:34] the NOFO is released so that it is efficient as possible.
[1:12:38] But of course, the security funding
[1:12:41] is very much holistic from all the agencies.
[1:12:44] Are you meeting with LA28 or do you
[1:12:46] have a relationship with LA28?
[1:12:48] We do have a relationship with LA28
[1:12:50] where I'm not meeting with them specifically
[1:12:52] on security funding.
[1:12:53] I don't know if we are there.
[1:12:54] Yes, we are, Director Barger.
[1:12:57] Both myself and then Hilary Konczal is coordinating.
[1:13:01] We regularly coordinate with LA28
[1:13:03] on the security side as well as Metro.
[1:13:05] Because I would just think if we apply supporting one another,
[1:13:13] I don't know.
[1:13:13] What amount are you requesting?
[1:13:17] Do you know?
[1:13:21] I'd have to--
[1:13:22] Yeah, I'd like to find out more about this
[1:13:24] because what I'm finding is happening
[1:13:25] is that many agencies are kind of working on their own
[1:13:28] without coming together.
[1:13:30] And I think it's important as we move forward,
[1:13:33] we move forward with one voice so that we have coordinated
[1:13:35] effort because while you're doing security on Metrolink--
[1:13:38] and by the way, I'm really proud of--
[1:13:41] and we all talked about the fact that we had no incidents
[1:13:44] with the World Cup.
[1:13:47] And I want to carry that over to the Olympics.
[1:13:49] But I think it works when you are coordinating
[1:13:51] across all regions to make sure that we
[1:13:56] are coordinating our efforts and not duplicating.
[1:14:00] And Jeff, correct me if I'm wrong.
[1:14:01] So we know FEMA has already been given it
[1:14:04] was I thought a billion, right?
[1:14:06] Yes, sir.
[1:14:06] And so what we have tried to do is for the Olympics.
[1:14:11] And so what we're trying to do is as FEMA develops
[1:14:15] its notice of funding availability,
[1:14:17] that there is a recognition of the role that commuter rail,
[1:14:21] we would play in that larger situation
[1:14:23] so that we are able to access those dollars directly.
[1:14:27] But we're doing it in collaboration
[1:14:29] with all of the law enforcement that's involved.
[1:14:32] Yeah, and I would agree that you all play an important role,
[1:14:36] especially in bringing people into the region for the games.
[1:14:40] And so, I mean, I'll advocate that you all
[1:14:43] are an equal member at the table because when it comes
[1:14:48] to transportation, we're looking at across the board
[1:14:51] accessibility and giving people options to get to the venues.
[1:14:56] Thank you, supervisor.
[1:14:57] I would say one of the things that we're
[1:14:58] going to be focusing on and that we communicated
[1:15:00] with FEMA is that there be flexibility, once the NOFO is
[1:15:04] released, to have funding move as expeditiously
[1:15:07] as possible to agencies that need it in order
[1:15:10] to allow enough time to implement
[1:15:12] the requested funds for.
[1:15:15] For example, we need to install camera systems
[1:15:18] on our entire fleet across the entire network.
[1:15:21] And that takes time.
[1:15:22] And so if the NOFO and the process
[1:15:24] goes too far into abutting the actual Olympics themselves,
[1:15:29] even if the money were to be appropriated
[1:15:32] beyond a certain period of time, we
[1:15:33] would not have enough time to make those types of investments.
[1:15:37] So that's one of the messages that we're
[1:15:40] communicating that there's flexibility in the process,
[1:15:42] that we not only get the funding that we're asking for,
[1:15:44] but we get it timely.
[1:15:47] Very good.
[1:15:48] Any other comments?
[1:15:49] Thank you very much.
[1:15:50] Oh, public comments.
[1:15:52] We do have a request to speak from Adriana Rizzo on this item.
[1:15:55] OK.
[1:16:00] Hello, there is a line in the agenda packet for this item that
[1:16:06] was not in the report but I thought
[1:16:08] was really important about the need for sustainable funding
[1:16:12] sources that are not one-time.
[1:16:14] Just want to highlight that.
[1:16:18] I think there's a couple of opportunities for Metrolink
[1:16:21] to advance that goal.
[1:16:24] But the current lobbying efforts are really important.
[1:16:28] But I think there's a couple of opportunities looking
[1:16:31] a little bit farther in the future for Metrolink
[1:16:33] to advance that goal.
[1:16:36] One of them is there's a proposition
[1:16:38] on the ballot this year, I believe it's prop 2,
[1:16:41] to increase the state's rainy day fund.
[1:16:43] I think this is really important for the state
[1:16:46] to be able to find more sustainable, less
[1:16:50] intermittent funding for transit because we
[1:16:54] have a feast or famine budget situation at the state.
[1:16:57] And more stable year to year funding
[1:16:59] will make it easier to provide stable funding for transit.
[1:17:04] Secondly, another opportunity is reforming the transit
[1:17:09] development act.
[1:17:10] As I mentioned in a previous comment,
[1:17:13] the unmet needs process allows millions
[1:17:17] of dollars in transit formula funding that
[1:17:19] can go to operations to be spent on other things every year.
[1:17:24] This is a big priority for transit advocates.
[1:17:28] And I love for Metrolink and member agencies
[1:17:33] to get involved in that process next year as well.
[1:17:37] And then finally, just again, I think
[1:17:42] Metrolink needs its own income, so to speak,
[1:17:48] needs the ability to find new revenue that is not
[1:17:52] controlled by member agencies.
[1:17:54] And this is something that will require state authorization.
[1:17:58] So just flagging that for the board as well.
[1:18:01] Thank you for all your efforts.
[1:18:04] All right, very good.
[1:18:05] Thank you.
[1:18:05] Any last comments on this from the board?
[1:18:08] All right, good.
[1:18:09] We will move to Item 8, our chief executive officer's
[1:18:13] report.
[1:18:13] Darren.
[1:18:14] Yes, thank you, Mr. Chair.
[1:18:15] Next slide.
[1:18:16] So we touched on the mechanical challenge we had over last week.
[1:18:21] And I've used the term that it was a bit
[1:18:22] of a perfect storm of factors.
[1:18:26] And again, a fundamental part of this
[1:18:30] is the challenge we're wrestling with with the F125 locomotive,
[1:18:35] the only 40 in operation anywhere in the world.
[1:18:39] So we wrestle with those challenges
[1:18:41] with the manufacturer.
[1:18:43] And again, I think we're going to see some progress in some
[1:18:46] of these areas.
[1:18:46] But it is just one of the challenges of that locomotive.
[1:18:50] So it was not lost on Metrolink staff by any means
[1:18:54] that there's room for improvement.
[1:18:57] And under Rod Bailey's leadership
[1:18:59] as the interim chief operating officer,
[1:19:02] there's already lessons learned effort in some of these things.
[1:19:06] And as usual, sometimes communication breakdowns
[1:19:10] are the biggest challenge that we experience.
[1:19:12] And that was one of the cases that happened here.
[1:19:15] But nonetheless, it's got our full attention.
[1:19:18] Next slide.
[1:19:20] Some really good news.
[1:19:22] We're really pleased to be able to share that our finance
[1:19:27] team once again received the GFOA certificate of achievement
[1:19:32] 10 years running.
[1:19:35] So that's a decade of success in this area.
[1:19:38] And some of you have been around for an extended period of time
[1:19:41] and will remember the times when we were not getting this award.
[1:19:44] So I think it's a testament to our finance team
[1:19:49] that we were recognized again this year.
[1:19:52] Next slide.
[1:19:54] All right, so we're all just reveling in the glow
[1:20:00] that came out of the World Cup.
[1:20:02] So we have a video here.
[1:20:04] And I'd just like to share with board members what
[1:20:08] our customers shared with us during World Cup.
[1:20:12] Go ahead and roll the tape.
[1:20:14] [VIDEO PLAYBACK]
[1:20:17] - I'm really excited because I love soccer,
[1:20:19] and especially because my brother loves soccer.
[1:20:22] That's why I do.
[1:20:24] And right now, we're on the train.
[1:20:27] It's my first train in the US.
[1:20:29] And it's been a pleasant experience so far.
[1:20:34] - Once I realized it was at Union Station, once I
[1:20:36] googled it, I said, oh my gosh, I have to go.
[1:20:41] I don't have to drive.
[1:20:42] I can take the Metrolink all the way up
[1:20:44] and not worry about parking, get there safe and sound
[1:20:47] and enjoy my time.
[1:20:49] - I was telling my family that this
[1:20:51] is a really nice, very clean station, very clean train.
[1:20:55] And it branches out all over the place now, so.
[1:20:59] - So it's just a lot more affordable.
[1:21:04] And also sometimes, it's just more convenient.
[1:21:06] If it's rush hour, it's so much easier to just get on a train
[1:21:10] somewhere than sit in the car and inch forward
[1:21:13] every few seconds.
[1:21:14] - [NON-ENGLISH SPEECH]
[1:21:33] [END PLAYBACK]
[1:21:36] So thanks to our comms team for going out and convincing people
[1:21:40] to share a few words on their experience with World Cup,
[1:21:45] whether it was going to a match or going to the fan zones.
[1:21:49] Next slide.
[1:21:51] All right, so a couple things.
[1:21:55] Picture to the left, you'll recognize the guy.
[1:21:59] The lovely lady to his left is my wife, Carrie.
[1:22:03] We did have a chance to go to the Spain Austria game,
[1:22:06] one of the knockout stage matches.
[1:22:08] And we experienced what our customers experienced.
[1:22:11] We caught the train at the Moorpark Station,
[1:22:15] made our way to Union Station.
[1:22:17] And then from LA Union Station, we got on a Metro bus.
[1:22:23] My compliments to Metro, the full Metro team.
[1:22:27] I had a chance to see Conan Cheung the other day
[1:22:30] and complimented him.
[1:22:32] We got on a bus that was clean, smooth.
[1:22:35] My wife was a little nervous of a neighborhood bus
[1:22:38] doing 65 miles an hour on the flyover between the 110
[1:22:42] and the 105 as we got there because I felt
[1:22:47] a little bit like Scotty from Star Trek
[1:22:51] that it's like, we're going to break up,
[1:22:53] we're going to break up.
[1:22:54] Because it was shaken a little bit,
[1:22:56] but it was a great experience, other than the portion of just
[1:23:00] being in LA traffic that, unfortunately,
[1:23:02] we found ourselves in.
[1:23:04] The bus was well air conditioned.
[1:23:06] The staff was great.
[1:23:08] We had a great experience.
[1:23:11] Along with that, though, I had the chance
[1:23:12] to volunteer with a number of our Metrolink staff
[1:23:16] in the tunnel.
[1:23:17] And so this was after our board meeting last Friday.
[1:23:20] I Friday of last month changed into a different suit
[1:23:26] and joined our team volunteering and helping guide customers.
[1:23:31] That was obviously on a game day.
[1:23:34] So had a great experience with helping our staff.
[1:23:38] We had something on the order of 60-odd of our staff volunteered,
[1:23:42] number of people volunteered on multiple occasions.
[1:23:45] So it was just a really good feel good moment
[1:23:47] to be a part of the Metrolink team.
[1:23:48] And we got a jersey out of it, a Metrolink jersey out of it.
[1:23:52] Just let us know if you'd like one.
[1:23:54] They run big though.
[1:23:57] But going back to one of the other questions,
[1:24:00] how we saw success out of it.
[1:24:02] We had a weekend boardings increase of 26%
[1:24:07] compared to the prior six weekends prior to the World Cup.
[1:24:12] So weekend boardings, 26% increase over the prior six
[1:24:16] weeks.
[1:24:17] We had a system-wide ridership growth of 12% year over year.
[1:24:21] This is the statistic I'm most pleased with, though.
[1:24:24] Nearly 25,000 new Metrolink mobile accounts were created,
[1:24:30] representing a 22% increase of new riders introduced
[1:24:34] to our system over that six-week period.
[1:24:37] So that is directly attributable.
[1:24:40] They're going to matches.
[1:24:42] They're going to fan zones.
[1:24:43] They downloaded our app, and they signed up for it.
[1:24:46] So I think that's a real positive story.
[1:24:48] And just what a great experience across Southern California
[1:24:53] to be a part of it.
[1:24:54] And yeah, it was a great experience.
[1:24:57] Next slide.
[1:24:59] And that's it, Mr. Chair.
[1:25:00] Thank you.
[1:25:00] Very good.
[1:25:01] Thank you.
[1:25:02] All right, board member comments.
[1:25:04] Anybody have anything to talk about?
[1:25:07] Lunch.
[1:25:08] Chair's comments.
[1:25:11] I just wanted to mention a couple things.
[1:25:13] One, I went over after that last BAF Comm meeting
[1:25:17] with Director Dutrey and Marquez,
[1:25:20] and we went to the fan zone.
[1:25:23] I thought kind of a precursor to what I expect,
[1:25:26] the Olympics will be something similar.
[1:25:28] And LA Metro, I have to complement their staff
[1:25:32] and the way they set it up.
[1:25:35] It was neat.
[1:25:36] You felt like you were really involved
[1:25:38] in the game that was on and just the fans and the support.
[1:25:42] It made sense.
[1:25:44] And I hope that they take that forward to 2028.
[1:25:50] And the other thing, I guess that is going to be it.
[1:25:55] If I can, I think thank you, Metrolink, for this.
[1:26:02] My mom passed just a week or so ago.
[1:26:06] And thank you, Karen.
[1:26:07] I was in Vegas where she lived during that meeting.
[1:26:11] And Karen stepped up.
[1:26:12] And appreciate that so that I could tend to that.
[1:26:18] But I would like, if possible, to just conclude today's meeting
[1:26:23] in the memory of my mother, Audrey Phyllis Reitman
[1:26:25] Berkson, who was born in December 15 of 1936
[1:26:31] and passed July 1 of this year.
[1:26:34] So 89 and 1/2 wonderful years with myself and my two sisters
[1:26:39] and her three grandchildren.
[1:26:42] All going to miss her.
[1:26:43] But with that, we will close in memory of my mother.
[1:26:48] And this meeting is adjourned.
[1:26:50] Thank you.
[1:26:56]