Friday, May 29, 2026

LA Metro Board Approves $9.7B Budget for 2027

CITY NEWS SERVICE

The Metro Board of Directors Thursday approved a $9.7 billion budget for fiscal year 2026-27, representing a $223 million, or 2.4% increase, over the prior year’s spending plan.

Michelle Navarro, Metro’s interim chief financial officer, described the budget as balanced though it was difficult to do so because of uncertainty related to federal transit funding, inflation and other economic challenges. Nevertheless, they were able to implement a 3% reduction in spending and prioritize funding in the most efficient way, according to Navarro.

“We took what we heard through our outreach efforts and prioritized bus service, safety and cleanliness,” Navarro said. “With our limited operating eligible dollars available, we developed a budget that provides the best possible service to our riders and the public.”

The board voted 9-0 to approve the budget with Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, L.A. City Councilwoman Katy Yaroslavsky, Inglewood Mayor James Butts and Glendale City Councilman Ara Najarian absent during the vote.

L.A. County Supervisor Janice Hahn said she appreciated the amount of outreach Metro staff conducted throughout the budget process.

“One of the most notable takeaways from this year’s engagement is that most respondents left the budget priority categories unchanged, which signals that Metro is listening to rider feedback and people are seeing their priorities reflected in the budget decisions,” Hahn said.

These categories are safety, cleanliness and frequency and reliability of service, Hahn added. She also touted that there was a significant increase in youth participation in the budget process.

In the budget, Metro has allocated $2 billion, a 7.7% decrease compared to fiscal year 2025-26, for Transit Infrastructure Development, which supports the expansion of rapid bus routes. The decrease is attributed to a wind-down of construction after Metro opened its LAX/Metro Transit Center and the A Line extension to Pomona.

Future projects the allocation will support are the Vermont Bus Rapid Transit, North Hollywood to Pasadena Bus Rapid Transit and G (Orange) Line Improvements project.

Another $1.8 billion will go toward regional allocations and pass- through funding, which are dollars distributed to cities across the region to support their local transportation needs. These dollars come from local sales taxes, as well as local, state and federal pass-through grants.

Nearly $3 billion will support the operation of bus and rail lines, with an additional $23.8 million for the agency’s Metro Micro ride-share program. Overall, operations will receive a $83.3 million or 2.9% increase in funding compared to fiscal year 2025-26.

Approximately $310 million will support cleaning efforts of buses, trains, facilities, stations and stops. This represents about a $6.7 million or 2.2% increase in cleaning compared to last fiscal year.

Metro is expected to dedicate daily cleaning for four terminals: Terminal 17 (Maple Lot), Terminal 19 (El Monte), Terminal 26 (Washington/Fairfax) and Terminal 28 (18th Street).

End-of-line cleaning will continue seven days a week in three-shifts for the following nine rail terminals: B/North Hollywood, D/Wilshire and La Cienega, E/Downtown Santa Monica, E/Atlantic, K/Westchester and Veteran, C/Redondo Beach, C/Norwalk, A/Downtown Long Beach, and A/Pomona.

Additionally, Metro will continue so-called “Hot Spot” cleaning at 17 transit centers and rail stations. This service began fiscal year 2025-26.

Metro will provide $29.6 million for improving station experiences. This consists of repairing or improving lighting, ADA-accessible restrooms, elevators and escalators. The goal is to reduce crime and loitering at stations through this initiative.

The agency will provide $430 million for public safety, which represents an $8 million, or 1.9% increase, over the prior fiscal year. Metro will fund the following:

• $87.6 million for care-based services, which covers ambassadors, community intervention specialists, homeless outreach and management engagement teams, and crisis response teams;
• $5.8 million for its in-house department of public safety;
• $209.5 million for outside law enforcement agencies such as the Los Angeles Police Department and L.A. County Sheriff’s Department, which represents a decrease of about $3 million compared to the prior year;
• $80 million for Metro transit security. These officers enforce fare and code of conduct compliance on the rail and bus system, as well as keep operators and riders safe from crime, according to Metro; and
• $47.1 million for private security, who are contracted to protect Metro-owned properties.