The Alliance for Community Transit – Los Angeles strives to create just, equitable, sustainable transit systems and neighborhoods for all people in Los Angeles, placing the interest of low-income communities and communities of color first as we create a more sustainable region.
About Us
The Alliance for Community Transit-Los Angeles (ACT-LA) is a broad-based coalition made up of organizations with expertise engaging in transit justice, housing justice, environmental justice, and public health.
Together, we work to build a Los Angeles where all people have access to quality jobs, affordable housing, necessary social services, ample transportation options, and a voice in decision-making.
Our Work
ACT-LA envisions a Los Angeles that is a transit-rich city where all people have access to quality jobs, affordable housing, necessary social services, ample transportation options, and a voice in decision-making. We believe in building a sustainable community through the reduction of toxic air pollution, the promotion of public health, and the strengthening of community culture and heritage.
Transit Justice
Transit riders in Los Angeles are overwhelmingly low-income, people of color, and/or essential workers. Over a million people in the county do not have regular access to a car—yet our transit system is unreliable and fails to adequately connect people with their jobs, school, health care and other needs. Therefore, transit justice is a key avenue for racial and economic justice, as well as climate justice, in Los Angeles county.
Our coalition’s collective vision for transit justice in Los Angeles county: Metro is a sanctuary for the public. The train and bus are fareless, consciously part of the region and integrated into people’s daily lives and neighborhoods. Metro serves the public as libraries do, a public system where people go to feel safe, access information, and receive a high level of service. Metro feels honored to serve youth of color and be a resource for all. Los Angeles is proud of how we have embraced a healthy, community-serving, world-class transit system.
Our Transit Justice Campaigns:
Housing and Land Use Justice
Los Angeles has a history of racist and discriminatory land use practices—and a lack of investment in tenant protections and affordable housing. These historical urban planning priorities have benefited primarily white homeowners, and led to detrimental health consequences, lower life expectancy, and traumatic lived experiences for generations of low-income families and families of color.
Our vision for housing in Los Angeles county: Everyone in Los Angeles will have access to housing that fits their family’s size, needs, and budget and live in communities that are dignified spaces, in safe and healthy environments, and have access to economic, social and cultural resources. Housing is planned thoughtfully in its quality, design, amenities and size to meet our housing needs. Residents have decision-making power regarding their housing, can exercise self-determination, and more. Angelenos will build community through collective ownership of their homes and land. Everyone will have equal access to live in whichever neighborhood they choose, families can choose to stay in their homes for as long as they want, and future generations will have the choice to continue living in the same neighborhoods as their families.
Our Work:
Our Members
ACT-LA is a coalition of 45 member organizations throughout Los Angeles county. Together, we participate in advocacy, organizing, and policy-making—and collaborate on regional campaigns to improve the Southland.
Chairs, Coalition Building Committee
Koreatown Immigrant Workers Alliance (KIWA)
LA Forward
Chairs, Executive Committee
Esperanza Community Housing
Little Tokyo Service Center (LTSC)
Chairs, Housing and Land Use Justice Committee
Community Power Collective (CPC)
Strategic Actions for a Just Economy (SAJE)
Chairs, Transit Justice Committee
Community Power Collective (CPC)
Strategic Actions for a Just Economy (SAJE)
Our Staff
Take Action
Look below for how to take action and fight for transit justice and housing and land use justice in Los Angeles. Don’t see any actions you can take? Sign up for our email updates and we’ll send you action alerts as they happen.
Resources & Updates
Resources
Social Housing 101 [Flyer]
What is social housing? Social housing creates homes that enrich communities instead of corporate landlords. Click here to read more.…
Fareless Report
ACT-LA is proud to partner with member organization Strategic Actions for a Just Economy (SAJE) on a new report: The…
Envisioning a Fareless LA Metro (Flyer)
What is fareless transit, and why does it matter? Click here to read through and share our resource on how…
Updates
Press Advisory for April 19, 2023
MEDIA ADVISORY FOR APRIL 19, 2023 ACT-LA Housing Coalition Rallies, Demanding LA City Council Create Social Housing LA unlocked hundreds…
ACT-LA 2022 Activation
About the Activation Community and thoughtful design can build an infrastructure of safety that all Metro riders can feel. Safety…
ACT-LA’s 2022 Work Plan Overview
As part of yearly visioning and strategy planning with our member organizations, ACT-LA has finalized our 2022 work plan with…
ACT-LA Instagram Feed
ACT-LA is a coalition of 45 community-based and nonprofit organizations who are working together to build a Los Angeles where all people have access to quality jobs, affordable housing, necessary social services, ample transportation options, and a voice in decision-making.
The ACT-LA coalition has an exciting year ahead of us—including moving our current work forward, as well as working together to envision the outcomes of our future work through our 2024-2029 strategic plan. To support ACT-LA`s work in 2024, please donate today at act-la.org. #GivingTuesday
ACT-LA is a coalition of 45 community-based and nonprofit organizations who are working together to build a Los Angeles where all people have access to quality jobs, affordable housing, necessary social services, ample transportation options, and a voice in decision-making.
The ACT-LA coalition has an exciting year ahead of us—including moving our current work forward, as well as working together to envision the outcomes of our future work through our 2024-2029 strategic plan. To support ACT-LA`s work in 2024, please donate today at act-la.org. #GivingTuesday
The ACT-LA coalition at work to bring social housing to Los Angeles! We attended the Measure ULA Citizen`s Oversight Committee (COC) November meeting with our member organizations Brilliant Corners, @fctl_2019, and @trust_south_la to advocate for program guidelines that will define what LA City`s social housing and tenant capacity building programs (funded under Measure ULA) will look like.
Thanks to the experts within our member organizations who shared their insights into building social housing, converting existing buildings into social housing, and empowering tenants to run their future social housing buildings.
It`s critical that the Measure ULA COC pass ACT-LA`s program guidelines for social housing and tenant capacity building in order for Los Angeles to have a successful social housing model. We will continue to work to ensure that our vision of social housing becomes realized. More to come!
The ACT-LA coalition at work to bring social housing to Los Angeles! We attended the Measure ULA Citizen`s Oversight Committee (COC) November meeting with our member organizations Brilliant Corners, @fctl_2019, and @trust_south_la to advocate for program guidelines that will define what LA City`s social housing and tenant capacity building programs (funded under Measure ULA) will look like.
Thanks to the experts within our member organizations who shared their insights into building social housing, converting existing buildings into social housing, and empowering tenants to run their future social housing buildings.
It`s critical that the Measure ULA COC pass ACT-LA`s program guidelines for social housing and tenant capacity building in order for Los Angeles to have a successful social housing model. We will continue to work to ensure that our vision of social housing becomes realized. More to come!
"In these social housing communities [in Vienna], tenants’ long-term tenure in their apartments is guaranteed under the law. Apartments can be passed down among generations under the original terms. The tying of rent charged to a percentage of household income means that renters in Vienna are protected from losing their home when illness or job loss occurs.
Given the fact that good housing is central to both a household’s and a city’s well-being, it is no surprise that Vienna is frequently ranked the most livable city in the world."
Read We Should Look to Vienna for Answers to Our Housing Crisis by Fran Quigley for Jacobin at the link in our bio to learn about the successes of Vienna`s social housing model.
The ACT-LA coalition is leading the work to bring social housing—homes that enrich communities instead of corporate landlords—to Los Angeles. You can learn more on our website: act-la.org.
Photo credit: Jon Endow photography
Photo context: ACT-LA rally for #socialhousing in April 2023.
"In these social housing communities [in Vienna], tenants’ long-term tenure in their apartments is guaranteed under the law. Apartments can be passed down among generations under the original terms. The tying of rent charged to a percentage of household income means that renters in Vienna are protected from losing their home when illness or job loss occurs.
Given the fact that good housing is central to both a household’s and a city’s well-being, it is no surprise that Vienna is frequently ranked the most livable city in the world."
Read We Should Look to Vienna for Answers to Our Housing Crisis by Fran Quigley for Jacobin at the link in our bio to learn about the successes of Vienna`s social housing model.
The ACT-LA coalition is leading the work to bring social housing—homes that enrich communities instead of corporate landlords—to Los Angeles. You can learn more on our website: act-la.org.
Photo credit: Jon Endow photography
Photo context: ACT-LA rally for #socialhousing in April 2023.
"The housing affordability crisis in the city of Los Angeles is hitting low-income communities the hardest as many neighborhoods are rapidly being gentrified. For the thousands of unhoused Angelenos and the growing number of residents facing housing instability, fighting to gain or keep a roof over their heads is only getting worse. But this problem is not unsolvable.
The housing and climate crises call on all of us, especially our leaders, to act and address social and racial inequality where life begins—in the home."
Read "Social Housing: Los Angeles`s Chance to Fight the Housing Crisis" from @nrdc_org at the link in our bio, or at https://www.nrdc.org/bio/sarah-elkotbeid/social-housing-angeless-chance-fight-housing-crisis, and learn more about the ACT-LA coalition`s work to bring social housing to Los Angeles.
"The housing affordability crisis in the city of Los Angeles is hitting low-income communities the hardest as many neighborhoods are rapidly being gentrified. For the thousands of unhoused Angelenos and the growing number of residents facing housing instability, fighting to gain or keep a roof over their heads is only getting worse. But this problem is not unsolvable.
The housing and climate crises call on all of us, especially our leaders, to act and address social and racial inequality where life begins—in the home."
Read "Social Housing: Los Angeles`s Chance to Fight the Housing Crisis" from @nrdc_org at the link in our bio, or at https://www.nrdc.org/bio/sarah-elkotbeid/social-housing-angeless-chance-fight-housing-crisis, and learn more about the ACT-LA coalition`s work to bring social housing to Los Angeles.
Metro`s proposed in-house policing department (which we anticipate we will hear more about at the end of this month) will never be rooted in community or care. The presence of police does not make all transit riders feel safe—and in fact, police make Black and Brown riders feel less safe on transit.
That`s why we continue to call on @metrolosangeles to fund care-based safety strategies—programs and infrastructure that ensure that every transit rider and worker has equal protections to safety, freedom, belonging, and care as they move across neighborhoods.
Some of these programs and infrastructure include:
• Fully accessible and clean bathrooms, with bathroom attendants,
• Working elevators with elevator attendants,
• Fully resourced and fully funded transit ambassadors, mental health outreach workers, and social service outreach workers,
• Cultural programming and presence on transit through street vendors,
• Lighting, seating, shade, and accurate timetable displays at every stop and station,
and much, much more.
You can read our report and view our vision of safety on Metro at: act-la.org/metro-as-a-sanctuary.
Metro`s proposed in-house policing department (which we anticipate we will hear more about at the end of this month) will never be rooted in community or care. The presence of police does not make all transit riders feel safe—and in fact, police make Black and Brown riders feel less safe on transit.
That`s why we continue to call on @metrolosangeles to fund care-based safety strategies—programs and infrastructure that ensure that every transit rider and worker has equal protections to safety, freedom, belonging, and care as they move across neighborhoods.
Some of these programs and infrastructure include:
• Fully accessible and clean bathrooms, with bathroom attendants,
• Working elevators with elevator attendants,
• Fully resourced and fully funded transit ambassadors, mental health outreach workers, and social service outreach workers,
• Cultural programming and presence on transit through street vendors,
• Lighting, seating, shade, and accurate timetable displays at every stop and station,
and much, much more.
You can read our report and view our vision of safety on Metro at: act-la.org/metro-as-a-sanctuary.
Everyone in Los Angeles deserves to have access to quality public transit—to travel to work, school, health appointments, or other opportunities (or to avoid the 10 freeway closure). With quality public transit, we will create a region with cleaner air, safer streets, and improved mobility for all.
That`s why ACT-LA works with transit riders and our local leaders to push for:
• Universal fareless transit, to increase ridership, safety, and public transit use in our region,
• Investing in care-based safety on transit, so that every transit rider feels safe through safety infrastructure and programs, and welcomed by unarmed Metro presence (e.g. Transit ambassadors), and
• Fast and reliable bus service, so that no bus rider waits longer than 7 minutes for a bus they can access to get to where they need to go.
This current crisis represents an opportunity for us to re-envision how we use our streets, and what we can be investing in to improve our region. "With more bus and rail lines, along with faster, reliable service, there would be no need to panic. Travelers would have ample choices to get to their destination, and with fewer passenger cars on the road, cargo trucks could have easier passage."
Read the full editorial at: https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2023-11-13/10-freeway-closure-los-angeles-still-too-dependent-on-cars.
Get involved in our work to improve public transit at: act-la.org.
Everyone in Los Angeles deserves to have access to quality public transit—to travel to work, school, health appointments, or other opportunities (or to avoid the 10 freeway closure). With quality public transit, we will create a region with cleaner air, safer streets, and improved mobility for all.
That`s why ACT-LA works with transit riders and our local leaders to push for:
• Universal fareless transit, to increase ridership, safety, and public transit use in our region,
• Investing in care-based safety on transit, so that every transit rider feels safe through safety infrastructure and programs, and welcomed by unarmed Metro presence (e.g. Transit ambassadors), and
• Fast and reliable bus service, so that no bus rider waits longer than 7 minutes for a bus they can access to get to where they need to go.
This current crisis represents an opportunity for us to re-envision how we use our streets, and what we can be investing in to improve our region. "With more bus and rail lines, along with faster, reliable service, there would be no need to panic. Travelers would have ample choices to get to their destination, and with fewer passenger cars on the road, cargo trucks could have easier passage."
Read the full editorial at: https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2023-11-13/10-freeway-closure-los-angeles-still-too-dependent-on-cars.
Get involved in our work to improve public transit at: act-la.org.
On Thursday, October 19th, @metrolosangeles held a telephone townhall to discuss their 2024-2025 $9 billion annual budget. As a coalition of transit justice advocates and daily transit riders, ACT-LA mobilized to attend the budget town hall to advocate for funding priorities that uplift the experience and safety of riders, including:
• Universal fareless transit
• More frequent and more reliable bus service
• Funding care-based safety strategies, including transit ambassadors, accurate wayfinding and timetable displays, lighting, and hospitable architecture to protect from the elements.
According to @metrolosangeles: "The town hall is an opportunity for us to listen and learn from our stakeholders, riders and the public on a number of our projects and programs – including efforts to reimagine public safety, our cleaning surge, the Metro Ambassadors pilot and, of course, improvements we’re making to our bus and rail service."
ACT-LA attended the town hall and submitted questions that centered prioritizing unarmed alternatives to police, and a care-based safety strategy with robust preventative services. Unfortunately, these questions were overwhelmingly not chosen.
Instead, Metro chose a number of submissions that described Metro as unsafe, and asked for more police as a response. Presentations from Metro staff, including Gina Osborn, who oversees System Safety & Law Enforcement on Metro, painted recent increases in citations, arrests, and removal of transit riders as a positive impact through their "Drug Free Campaign"—even as independent audits have concluded that police on Metro has NOT led to increased safety on transit.
The format of this budget town hall was not designed to be transparent or engaging, as there was no opportunity for responses or further questions from transit riders. ACT-LA will continue to engage in the budget process through the new year, and we will continue to advocate for care-based strategies to be funded and implemented on Metro—so that we can truly make transit feel safe for all.
On Thursday, October 19th, @metrolosangeles held a telephone townhall to discuss their 2024-2025 $9 billion annual budget. As a coalition of transit justice advocates and daily transit riders, ACT-LA mobilized to attend the budget town hall to advocate for funding priorities that uplift the experience and safety of riders, including:
• Universal fareless transit
• More frequent and more reliable bus service
• Funding care-based safety strategies, including transit ambassadors, accurate wayfinding and timetable displays, lighting, and hospitable architecture to protect from the elements.
According to @metrolosangeles: "The town hall is an opportunity for us to listen and learn from our stakeholders, riders and the public on a number of our projects and programs – including efforts to reimagine public safety, our cleaning surge, the Metro Ambassadors pilot and, of course, improvements we’re making to our bus and rail service."
ACT-LA attended the town hall and submitted questions that centered prioritizing unarmed alternatives to police, and a care-based safety strategy with robust preventative services. Unfortunately, these questions were overwhelmingly not chosen.
Instead, Metro chose a number of submissions that described Metro as unsafe, and asked for more police as a response. Presentations from Metro staff, including Gina Osborn, who oversees System Safety & Law Enforcement on Metro, painted recent increases in citations, arrests, and removal of transit riders as a positive impact through their "Drug Free Campaign"—even as independent audits have concluded that police on Metro has NOT led to increased safety on transit.
The format of this budget town hall was not designed to be transparent or engaging, as there was no opportunity for responses or further questions from transit riders. ACT-LA will continue to engage in the budget process through the new year, and we will continue to advocate for care-based strategies to be funded and implemented on Metro—so that we can truly make transit feel safe for all.
Join us in building the power needed to transform our housing systems and make housing a human right within LA City:
Take Action + Teach-In for Housing Justice!
Tuesday November 7 at 5:30pm-8:00pm
LA Trade Tech Community College, Culinary Arts Building
What`s this about? We`ll be:
Discussing: What social housing is and how we can build the power to make it happen in LA
Planning: How to expand community ownership of homes and land
Strategizing: How to stop the tenant harassment that traumatizes renters and pushes people into homelessness
Eating: yummy food!
Fun: kids activities!
P.S. It`s also the one-year anniversary of when LA City voters said YES to the mansion tax! Join us and learn about the next steps we can all take to ensure that the social housing built with Measure ULA dollars is as successful as possible.
Join us in building the power needed to transform our housing systems and make housing a human right within LA City:
Take Action + Teach-In for Housing Justice!
Tuesday November 7 at 5:30pm-8:00pm
LA Trade Tech Community College, Culinary Arts Building
What`s this about? We`ll be:
Discussing: What social housing is and how we can build the power to make it happen in LA
Planning: How to expand community ownership of homes and land
Strategizing: How to stop the tenant harassment that traumatizes renters and pushes people into homelessness
Eating: yummy food!
Fun: kids activities!
P.S. It`s also the one-year anniversary of when LA City voters said YES to the mansion tax! Join us and learn about the next steps we can all take to ensure that the social housing built with Measure ULA dollars is as successful as possible.
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