Students have every reason to support Measure M and what would be a transformational investment in LA’s public transportation system ($120 billion in just the first 40 years). It includes, for example, a significant amount of money for bus and rail operations that would help keep fares low, including a dedicated $2.4 billion revenue stream (over the first 40 years) for discounted transit passes for students, seniors and the disabled—and that $2.4 million is a floor, not a ceiling, and could be increased. (Photo from the Student Senate of California Community Colleges Region VII meeting at LA Trade Tech College Sept. 16, with Treasurer Araksya Nordikyan, Legislative Affairs Director Saleem Moinuddin, LA Community College District Student Trustee Alexa Victoriano, Region VII Chair Lorena Aguilar and Parliamentarian Gerson Liahut-Sanchez.)

Measure M would also build at least 16 new rail and bus rapid transit projects, improve every major freeway and highway, repair sidewalks and build bike lanes including closing all the gaps in the 51-mile LA River bike path from the San Fernando Valley to Long Beach. This pie chart shows how the money will be spent: 16%, for example, goes to the 88 cities in LA County based on their population and employment. Cities in Southeast LA County and in the South Bay, for example, would get $48 million each year to fund their transportation priorities—whether sidewalks or bike lanes, potholes, intersection improvements or traffic signal synchronization.

The investment plan was developed over an extensive 3-year planning process with all 88 cities in LA County, and 48,000 people weighed in at public hearings or telephone town halls, and the maps available on our website show you that every corner of LA County gets major projects.

In a nutshell, students should vote for Measure M because it will 1) build a bigger transit system, 2) fund better service and keep fares low, 3) build bike lanes and repair sidewalks to make it easier to get to and from stations, 4) create 465,000 good, middle-class jobs that will have Project Labor Agreements and a Construction Careers policy in place to help students and others get into apprenticeship programs, and 5) give us cleaner air and a cooler planet!

For all of these reasons we’d like to help turn out the student vote for Measure M, and are looking for 5 students who would be willing to host events on college and university campuses and help push out a student campaign on social media. Please email Gloria Ohland at Move LA if you have any interest in helping us! (Or call, 21-304-0444.)

(Paid for by Campaign to Move LA, in Support of Transportation Ballot Measure M, Major Funding by Aaron Sosnick, HDR Engineering, Inc. & Jacobs Engineering Group, Inc.)