Good morning. It's Friday, May 17. Here's what you need to know to start your day.
Is a policing surge the answer to L.A.'s transit safety concerns?
More armed police and sheriff's deputies will be visible on Los Angeles County's buses and trains as agency leaders cite an increase in violent crime on the system.
At a news conference Thursday, L.A. Mayor and Metro board chair Karen Bass said she had directed "an immediate surge of law enforcement personnel on Metro buses, on rail cars and in stations to address this spike."
Bass also announced an upcoming board motion that would increase law enforcement deployment throughout the transit system.
It's not yet known how much the agency will pay for the increased deployments — or how many more officers would be deployed. The surge would amount to "a minimum of dozens [more officers] per day," according to Metro spokesperson Dave Sotero, who added that Metro's contracted law enforcement agencies are developing cost estimates.
Metro has paid about $1 billion since 2017 to the Los Angeles Police Department, the L.A. County Sheriff's Department and the Long Beach Police Department. Tensions have risen during that time, with Metro officials considering creating their own transit police force, citing high costs and not enough improvements to safety.
The action from Bass and Metro leaders comes during "a near daily barrage of new attacks on passengers and drivers," L.A. Times transportation and mobility reporter Rachel Uranga explained.
"Three people were stabbed in two separate incidents earlier this week," she reported. "Last month, Mirna Soza, 66, was fatally stabbed on the subway as she came home from her night shift job and a passenger captured a bus driver pleading for help after being stabbed. The list goes on."
What do the numbers show?
According to the latest figures, violent and property crimes are trending downward overall in recent months — and ridership on the transit continues to increase year-over-year after the sharp COVID-19 pandemic dip.
Metro published its latest safety report Thursday showing that violent crime fell nearly 35% between March 2023 and March 2024. The agency has not yet analyzed figures for April or May.
The agency also tracks "Crimes against Society," which include trespassing, drug use and possession of illegal weapons. Crimes in this category have jumped more than 160% in that same March-to-March time period, which Metro officials say is a result of increased arrests from law enforcement patrolling the system in recent months.
Though the data show that the total number of violent crimes and the share of riders who become victims of those crimes are decreasing, contextual crime statistics just don't hit the same as news stories about violence on the transit system.
It's also worth noting that, in terms of the risks of bodily injury or death, taking public transit is magnitudes safer than walking or driving on L.A. County streets, where more than 4,700 people were killed or seriously injured on average over the last five years.
Criticism from transit advocates
This latest round of safety concerns is a snapshot of an ongoing tug-of-war between perception of crime and actual crime.
That tension often results in political leaders opting for a show of force. But critics of L.A. Metro's policing policies say the formula of more armed officers equals more safety is flawed.
"More cops has not made us safer," said Scarlett De Leon, campaigns director for the Alliance for Community Transit-Los Angeles (ACT-LA). "It's just throwing money at the same failed solution of law enforcement … and it's really a disappointment.
ACT-LA is a coalition of community organizations calling for more affordable housing and better access to public transit, which members say will improve public health and economic mobility for the region's communities of color.
"While violent incidents on Metro have been decreasing and public transit remains far safer than car travel, all riders deserve to feel safe and comfortable on the system," coalition officials wrote in a statement.
ACT-LA is demanding that L.A. Metro rely less on armed policing and instead "address root issues by investing in health and safety strategies that work."
De Leon pointed to Metro's transit ambassadors, the hundreds of unarmed, green-shirted staff members who walk stations and ride trains and buses, offering help to riders. More than 60% of riders surveyed last year said they felt safer on Metro trains because of the ambassadors.
She also said the agency should be boosting its outreach programs that aim to help people experiencing homelessness and mental illness.
"Metro is a microcosm of what's going on in the city and the county, whether they created it or not," De Leon told me. "Metro is a public agency … they're here to serve the community. And this is what the community needs."
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Scores of law enforcement personnel from various agencies descended on UC Irvine on Wednesday to move hundreds of demonstrators protesting the treatment of Palestinians and the UC system's investments in Israeli interests. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
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(Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)
This anesthesiologist is L.A. County's highest-paid employee. He works 94 hours a week. Dr. Sebo Amirkhanian Namagerdy, an anesthesiologist at Rancho Los Amigos, earned $1.26 million in 2023. His sky-high salary stems from a heavy workload — an average of 94 hours a week.
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For your downtime
![Diners enjoy the company and drinks at the Everson Royce Bar in downtown Los Angeles](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/857ae48/2147483647/strip/true/crop/8192x5464+0+0/resize/1200x800!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F90%2F1c%2F1f272b2f4d5f8167ca5b2c70967d%2F1403173-wk-arts-district-neighborhood-guide-119.jpg)
Diners enjoy the company and drinks at the Everson Royce Bar in the Arts District establishment in downtown Los Angeles. (Silvia Razgova / For The Times)
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And finally ... a great photo
Show us your favorite place in California! We're running low on submissions. Send us photos that scream California and we may feature them in an edition of Essential California.
![A woman lifts up her feet courtside](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/59bfc61/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2663x1856+0+0/resize/1200x836!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fd7%2F5c%2Fcf9bc51a4cc2bee9461f70d9c28b%2F1448248-sp-sparks-dream-8-gmf.jpg)
(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
Today's great photo is from Times photographer Gina Ferazzi. She captured comedian Leslie Jones avoiding a collision with Sparks guard Layshia Clarendon on Wednesday night.
Have a great day, from the Essential California team
Ryan Fonseca, reporter
Kevinisha Walker, multiplatform editor and Saturday reporter
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