Metro CBO Partnership Program - I-605 Corridor Improvements Project

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 for the I-605 Corridor Improvements Project. Metro, the California Department of Transportation District 7, Gateway Cities Council of Governments, and the San Gabriel Valley Council of Governments are working together to propose improvements on I-605 between I-10 and I-105 that will reconfiguring the interchanges and promote walking, biking, and transit access in communities adjacent to the corridor. 

For this project NSA led community outreach efforts that included:

• Identifying and engaging CBO partners to train and work with to raise awareness about the project in the community.
• Developing an engagement strategy with CBO partners that outlined the best approach for community outreach across their networks.
• Hosting 1 CBO roundtable to review project facts as well as roles and responsibilities for the community outreach work. 
• NSA supported 6 community meetings (in-person & virtual) where the public was invited to learn more about the Metro project and its community benefits.
• Managing 10 pop up events at key locations along the I-605 corridor and transit intercepts to further engage the public and gather meaningful input on the project.
• Developing and executing social media, e-blast, web, flyer canvassing, and in-person outreach campaigns to raise awareness of the project in cities that include Baldwin Park, El Monte, South El Monte, Avocado Heights, Pico Rivera, Whittier, Los Nietos, Downey, and Norwalk, among others.

In total NSA has hosted 17 CBO and/or community events to raise awareness about the I-605 Corridor Improvements Project. NSA onboarded five CBOs as part of the CBO Partnership Program, including Mujeres Unidas Sirviendo Activamente (MUSA), Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center, Rio Hondo College, Streets Are For Everyone (SAFE), and Uptown Whittier Family YMCA. NSA is proud to report that as a result of our collective work over 34,000 community members across the corridor were engaged. Since our community outreach took place, the project has seen an increase in support from local community stakeholders. 

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