An obscure LA Metro committee has ear of its CEO, and has influenced decisions on safety, such as ambassadors program.
When North Hollywood resident Jeremy Oliver-Ronceros joined the LA Metro’s new public safety committee, he didn’t expect too much.
Like hundreds of advisory committees to government boards, he thought their reports would, well, be put on a shelf.
His 1 1/2 years as the chair of Metro’s Public Safety Advisory Committee (PSAC) have turned out to be the opposite. The committee helped establish the Metro Ambassadors program, suggested they get trained with administering life-saving Narcan to reverse opioid overdoses and is currently shaping the makeup of the agency’s future in-house Metro public safety department.
In September, the PSAC is looking for new members for two-year terms. It is made up of 15 voting members, but about half will leave after two years and be replaced.
A committee member must be a regular Metro rider and be committed to making the system safer. Members can bring their knowledge of issues such as racial justice, law enforcement and mental health but that’s not required. The members do not have to be U.S. citizens.
“When I joined, I thought we would be working in a minor capacity. I thought, ‘I hope someone is reading our reports.’ I didn’t think it would be as trusted, nor as involved, as the committee has been,” said Oliver-Ronceros, 41, on Friday, Aug. 9.
The PSAC was established on April 7, 2021, in part as a response to racial unrest throughout the country after the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police officers in May 2020. The first committee, before Oliver-Ronceros joined, suggested forming an unarmed group of ambassadors to bring a greater presence to Metro but in a softer way. That was implemented and today there are more than 350 ambassadors in the system of trains and buses.
After Oliver-Ronceros joined in February 2023, and quickly became chair, the group began holding listening sessions to hear concerns directly from riders. At these well-attended, hybrid public-virtual events, the committee took oral and written comments from riders on safety, train, bus and station conditions, unhoused riders and use of illegal drugs.
PSAC members didn’t hold back. Oliver-Ronceros, who grew up in Sherman Oaks with fond memories of riding the Red Line (now B Line) to downtown to visit his mom at her work, said at a Sept. 27 listening session he was saddened to see the B line “deteriorate.”
“We wanted to cultivate a safe space where people can give their authentic experiences, where I feel that they had an open mic,” he said.
After hearing from participants about drug overdoses on station platforms and on trains, a PSAC board member suggested the Ambassadors carry Narcan, a nasal medicine that can reverse an opioid overdose.
“One of our PSAC members asked they be trained in using Narcan. (The Metro board) subsequently made it part of their (Ambassadors) training, and they’ve saved over 200 lives,” he said.
Last fall, the committee went out to meet the public at station hot spots. At the Westlake/MacArthur Park B and D lines station, where crime, homelessness and drug users were rampant, they set up a table in the plaza and got an earful from riders and neighbors.
Most wanted a more visible presence at the station and at others, and many said Metro should make people pay their fares — to cut back on unlawful riders, Oliver-Ronceros said.
The Metro “Tap-To-Exit” program came out of that, he said.
Metro makes people exiting the North Hollywood B (Red) Line station touch their TAP card at the exit, to ensure they’ve paid their fare at the beginning of the ride. Many then paid their fare or received citations for fare evasion. The program is being expanded to 10 other end-of-the-line stations.
PSAC members will have a booth at 12 local events in the next three months, including the Queer Mercado, an LGBTQ+ outdoor marketplace at the Belvedere Park at the East L.A. Civic Center at 4801 East Third Street, on Saturday, Aug. 17, he said. Members also will attend the North Hollywood Farmer’s Market.
“We are meeting them where they are,” Oliver-Ronceros said.
Recently, the PSAC jumped into the discussion of what an in-house police department should look like, drawing up a report on qualifications, training, job duties and discipline of officers. The report was presented to the Metro board in June when it voted to move forward with an in-house public safety department, instead of relying on three law enforcement agencies: LAPD, Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department and Long Beach Police Department.
Oliver-Ronceros said he and his group meet with CEO Stephanie Wiggins regularly, particularly about the formation of an in-house agency public safety department. “I had discussions with CEO Wiggins that we wanted to be very involved and be a part of this. She said ‘yes, that was always the plan.’
“Now, I realize the absolute importance that Metro puts into this committee,” he said.
Though he doesn’t pick the members, Oliver-Ronceros wants people who care about riding Metro and have ideas about improving the system.
“At the September listening session, a woman stood up and said the trains are getting cleaner. I remember thinking this is a huge win. Things like that make you feel you accomplished something,” he said. “You will find no greater reward than seeing people safer and happier.”
Metro is seeking volunteers to join the committee, and “ensure that the perspectives of youth, women, seniors and those with disabilities are represented,” the agency reported.
Click here to receive an online application, or here for a PDF application. Email to psac@metro.net with the subject line “PSAC Application” to submit. Or mail completed application to Los Angeles Metro, ATTN: Public Safety Advisory Committee, One Gateway Plaza, Mail Stop 99-13-1, Los Angeles, CA 90012.
Call 213-922-4866 or email psac@metro.net with questions.
All applications must be submitted by Sept. 6.
