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Transportation committee backs DOT grant applications amid questions over 10 new staff positions and school safety funding
Summary
The Transportation Committee accepted Department of Transportation recommendations to pursue regional block grants and active‑transportation funding and advanced a school safety program, while members pressed for clarity on 10 proposed new positions and conflicting cost figures for speed‑hump and school signage funding.
The Transportation Committee met April 23 and advanced Department of Transportation recommendations to apply for regional surface transportation and active‑transportation grant funds and to continue the city’s school safety treatments program, while members pressed staff for follow‑up on staffing and budget implications.
Committee chair Councilmember Gerard read the items describing (1) acceptance of Association of Governments block grant funding opportunities for surface transportation projects tied to air‑quality and carbon reduction goals; (2) a call for projects for active transportation, transit and first/last‑mile improvements; and (3) a report on 21 grant applications submitted to the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) for 2025 funding. After questions, members moved to approve the department’s recommendations for the uncontested items 1–7.
Why the action matters: the grants would fund multimodal projects and school‑area safety measures but—committee members said—could require additional staff to administer awards. At the meeting one councilmember asked whether the 10 new positions listed in grant materials are a prerequisite for applying or are positions to be funded only if the city wins awards; staff present did not provide a definitive answer, and the committee asked for clarification on whether those positions are in the current fiscal year budget or would require future budget action.
Details and budget questions
Committee members discussed the city’s school safety program, which pairs speed humps and signage at school locations. The department said the program continues from prior years and cited an estimated $600,000 for the current fiscal year tied to installation work affecting more than 200 schools; in the same exchange another figure of $750,000 was mentioned and a different councilmember referenced an $800,000 increase compared with last year. Committee members asked staff to reconcile the differing amounts and to confirm which sums are presently in the mayor’s budget versus amounts that would require action by the budget committee.
Members also asked for a follow‑up report identifying which schools will receive multiple safety treatments (for example, both speed humps and signage) and requested that the department present a funding‑and‑implementation schedule at the next budget review. The committee noted that in January the council instructed the department to install speed humps at 30 schools; members asked that any overlap between those 30 sites and the current priority list be highlighted in the report.
Public comment and next steps
The meeting opened for public comment before committee business; several members of the public spoke on transportation safety priorities. After discussion the committee approved the department’s recommendations for the uncontested items and directed staff to return with the requested clarifications on the 10 positions, reconciling the program cost figures, and a schedule showing which schools will receive which countermeasures.
The committee did not record a roll‑call vote count in the transcript excerpt provided; the chair moved the items forward and the meeting proceeded to later agenda items.
