Metro CBO Partnership Program - Long Beach to East Los Angeles Corridor Mobility Investment Plan

In 2023 North Star Alliances (NSA) was selected by the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) to establish and manage their large-scale community-based organization (CBO) partnership program funded by Measure M and R. The goal of the program is twofold - to build on existing relationships with community stakeholders in areas the Metro projects serve, and to build new, meaningful partnerships with CBOs that Metro has not previously engaged. Such work ensures Metro’s approach to community outreach and engagement remains inclusive for projects that are by and for Angelenos across LA County’s various subregions. 

In this role NSA maintained and broadened program partnerships across East and South LA for Metro’s Long Beach to East Los Angeles Corridor Mobility Investment Plan. This $1.8 billion project aimed to provide multimodal transportation projects and programs that improve mobility, reduce congestion, and improve community health. For this project NSA led additional outreach efforts that allow the program partners to stay engaged and spread the word about the Plan within their communities. This work involved:

• Managing the partnership program’s meeting notifications that are shared via social media, e-blasts, newsletters, SMS/text message campaigns, phone banking, banners, lawn signs, and on CBO public website calendars.
• Hosting seven live-stream viewing locations for community partner meetings
• Leveraging existing community partner meetings to provide project updates
• Managing flyer distribution, informational booths, and pop-up events throughout the region
• Maintaining internal records on partners’ capacity to be engaged on projects, their preferred level of involvement and availability, and their activity on Metro projects

From 2023-2024 NSA onboarded and managed 28 community-based organizations that include COFEM, Mexican American Opportunity Foundation, Southeast Community Development Corporation, Compton Advocates Coalition, and others. Together, we were able to engage over 40,000 residents about the Metro project. On April 25, 2024, the Metro Board of Directors voted unanimously to adopt the Long Beach-East LA Corridor Mobility Investment Plan. The Board also shared that they felt the Plan was a significant step in building trust between Metro and the communities throughout the Corridor. 

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