Bass, Rodriguez break ground on $4 billion Valley light rail
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, chair of the Metro Board of Directors, broke ground yesterday on the nearly $4 billion East San Fernando Valley Light Rail Transit Project, which will bring the first light rail service to Van Nuys Boulevard in more than 70 years.
The 6.7-mile line will have 11 stations serving Van Nuys, Panorama City, Arleta and Pacoima, with connections to Metrolink, Amtrak and the Metro G Line busway.
“The East San Fernando Valley deserves an affordable and safe transit system that provides reliable access to jobs, healthcare, schools and local businesses – I’m proud that Metro’s Light Rail Transit Project will deliver just that. Under my leadership as Chair of the Metro Board, we’re bringing Metro services to our Van Nuys, Panorama City, Arleta and Pacoima neighborhoods where nearly 19% of residents rely on public transit. By creating 18,000 good-paying jobs through this project, we’re demonstrating the benefits of investing locally and building the infrastructure that Angelenos deserve,” said Bass.
“This marks a historic milestone for the East San Fernando Valley and the working-class communities that have waited generations for this kind of investment. As someone who grew up in the Valley, I know how much reliable public transportation means to our families. Bringing rail back to Van Nuys Boulevard after more than 70 years is about more than connecting people to jobs, schools, and essential services. It is about creating new opportunities for our residents, supporting our local businesses, and making sure the communities that have called this corridor home for generations are part of its future,” said LA City Councilmember Imelda Padilla (D-Van Nuys, Arleta, Lake Balboa, Panorama City, Sun Valley, North Hills), who also sits on the Metro board.
“For too long, the San Fernando Valley has been asked to wait its turn for real transit investment. When I served in the State Legislature, I fought for dedicated SB 1 funding for rail infrastructure because I knew projects like this would never get built without the state stepping up, and I’m thrilled to see that investment pay off. Soon, Valley residents will be able to get where they need to go in a region starved for mobility and connectivity,” said LA City Councilmember Adrin Nazarian (D-North Hollywood).
“For decades, the Northeast San Fernando Valley has carried heavy environmental and infrastructure burdens, despite having some of the highest transit dependency in the region. The East San Fernando Valley Light Rail Transit Project is a once-in-a-generation, long-overdue investment that will deliver cleaner air by cutting vehicle emissions and directly confront historical environmental inequities. By creating direct lifelines to regional job hubs from the Valley to Downtown LA, this project bridges a decades-long divide and will truly be life-changing for our City’s working families,” said LA City Councilmember Monica Rodriguez (D-Sylmar).
For Business owners along the route: Metro’s Business Interruption Fund offers direct grants to small, locally owned businesses affected by construction, and its Eat, Shop, Play program provides marketing support. Details and applications are at metro.net/projects/business-interruption-fund-bif.
Barger, Hahn seek audit and overhaul of youth placement programs
Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger (R-Palmdale, Lancaster, Santa Clarita, Pasadena, La Cañada Flintridge) and Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn (D-Long Beach, San Pedro, Torrance, Redondo Beach, Whittier, Diamond Bar) will ask the Board of Supervisors today to overhaul how the county oversees “less restrictive programs,” the community-based residential placements used for youth on probation instead of juvenile halls.
Their motion directs the Probation Department, working with the District Attorney, the Public Defender, the Department of Youth Development and others, to report back in 90 days on how youth are assessed for these placements, a full list of the programs being used, what each costs per youth per month, and how each handles staffing, supervision, safety and services. Probation would also report on the county’s authority to inspect and oversee the programs.
The county’s auditor-controller would audit all such contracts within 120 days and recommend ways to set more consistent rates for comparable services. Probation would pause contract renewals until the audit is done. The pause would not cut off payments to programs currently serving youth, and it would not stop new placements or referrals.
The motion would also convene a working group within 30 days to review the programs and recommend improvements, gather feedback from youth and families through a town hall or survey, study a tiered placement system based on each young person’s needs, and analyze shifting administration of the programs from Probation to the county’s Department of Justice, Care and Opportunities. Probation would keep its legal authority to supervise the youth.
The Board is also scheduled to hear a Probation Department status report today, including the department’s efforts to bring Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall into compliance.
Kamlager-Dove to mark year since journalist Richard LA was shot
U.S. Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-Culver City, Crenshaw, Leimert Park, Baldwin Hills, West Adams, Mid-City) will join the family and attorneys of community journalist Carlitos Ricardo Parias, known as “Richard LA,” tomorrow to mark one year since federal agents shot him during an immigration arrest in South Los Angeles.
Parias’ attorneys will also announce a claim against the Department of Homeland Security and ICE under the Federal Tort Claims Act, the step federal law requires before someone injured by federal officers can sue. The agencies will have six months to respond. The press conference is set for 10 a.m. Wednesday in downtown Los Angeles.
Parias was shot in the left elbow Oct. 21, 2025, after unmarked federal vehicles boxed in his car, according to his attorneys, who say body camera footage shows him raising his hands before an officer fired. DHS said at the time that Parias used his vehicle against agents, an account his attorneys dispute.
A federal judge dismissed the government’s prosecution of Parias with prejudice in December 2025, finding that ICE’s obstruction at Adelanto made it nearly impossible for him to meet with his lawyers. The government has appealed.
Parias has been held at the Adelanto ICE Processing Center since December 2025, and his attorneys say his arm has never been properly treated. Kamlager-Dove, who visited him there in May, said his arm looked close to needing amputation.
The Committee to Protect Journalists says he has been held longer than any journalist in U.S. custody. No federal officer has been publicly identified or disciplined for the shooting, his attorneys said.
Solis seeks county’s first tribal consultation policy
Los Angeles County Supervisor Hilda L. Solis (D-Downtown LA, East LA, Boyle Heights, El Monte, West Covina, Pomona) will ask the Board of Supervisors today to adopt the county’s first-ever tribal consultation policy, a framework for formal, government-to-government consultation with local tribal governments.
The policy would direct every county department to incorporate its principles into policies, programs and decisions, effective immediately, and to name a management-level liaison to local tribal governments.
The executive director of the Los Angeles City/County Native American Indian Commission would develop an implementation guide by March 2027 and report annually to the Board on progress. The county would also build an internal online resource hub to help departments carry out consultations.
The vote comes a week after Indigenous Peoples’ Day, which LA County recognizes in place of Columbus Day.
