CityofGardenaDepartmentofTransportation

GTrans

TitleVIReport-2016InformationUpdate

PreparedBy:

DIVERSIFIED TRANSPORTATION SOLUTIONS

InAssociationWith:JeremyBaileyConsultingEvanBrooksAssociatesSEPTEMBER2016

TABLEOFCONTENTS I.OVERVIEW……………………..……………………………………………….………………………………....................... 1

A. Purpose…………………………………………………………………………………………………….… 1B. BackgroundoftheServiceArea…………………………………….……………………………. 1C. GTrans………………………………………………………….……………….……………………………. 2D. CityofGardena2006GeneralPlanCirculationPlan…………………………………… 3

II.GENERALREPORTINGREQUIREMENTS……………….……………..……..………………………….…………. 6

A. PublicNotificationofGTransTitleVIProtections…….………………………………… 6B. GTransProceduresforInvestigatingandTrackingTitleVIComplaints...…... 6C. ListofActiveLawsuits……………………………………………….……………………………….. 6D. ComplianceReviewActivities………………………………….………………………………….. 6E. SignedAssurances………………………………………………………………………………….…… 7F. ConstructionImpactAnalysis……………………………….…………………………………….. 7G. InformationDissemination……………………………………….………………………………… 8H. LimitedEnglishProficiencyImplementationPlan……..……….…………….…………. 9I. PublicParticipationPlan……………………………………………..………………..…………….. 10

PublicParticipationPrinciples……………………………………………………….. 11TargetedPublicOutreachtoMinorityandLimitedEnglishProficient(LEP)Populations..………………………………………………………… 11

J. MinorityRepresentationonDecisionMakingBodies…..………………..……………. 12III.PROGRAMSPECIFICREQUIREMENTS………………………….…………...……………………………………… 13

A. ServiceStandardsandPolicies……………………………………………..…………………….. 13ServiceStandards…………………………………………………………………………… 13

VehicleLoad…………………………………..………………………….………... 13VehicleHeadway…………………………….…………………………………… 13On-TimePerformance………………………….……………………………… 13ServiceAvailability……………………………….…………………………….. 13

ServicePolicies……………………………………..………………………………………… 14

DistributionofTransitAmenities……..…..…………….……………….. 14VehicleAssignment………………………………..……………………………. 14

IV.CONCLUSION………….…………………………………………………………..…………………………….……………… 16APPENDICESAPPENDIXA: GTransFTAandDOTTitleVIAssurancesAPPENDIXB: GTransTitleVIComplaintInvestigationProceduresAPPENDIXC: LEPAssessmentandImplementationPlanforGTrans

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I.OVERVIEWA.PurposeThe Federal Transit Administration (FTA), managed by the U.S. Department ofTransportation,requiresthatfederallyfundedtransitagenciessubmitatriennialreporttoensurecompliancewithTitleVIoftheCivilRightsActof1964.TitleVIregulationsweresetforth to assure equal access to transit services regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, orincome.Todemonstratecompliancewiththeseprovisions,theCityofGardena(GTrans)issubmittingthisreportinaccordancewithFTACircular4702.1B.B.BackgroundoftheServiceAreaGTransservesseverallocalcommunitiesthatinclude:TheCityofGardena,Torrance,Lomita,WestCarson,Compton,andHawthorne.TheCityofGardenais6squaremilesandsituatedintheSouthBayareaofmetropolitanLosAngelesbetweenAthenstothenorth,theCityofTorrancetothesouth,HarborGatewaytotheeast,AlondraParkandCityofHawthornetothe west. GTrans’ total service area encompasses 40 square miles with a population ofapproximately498,085people1.TheCityofGardenawasincorporatedin1930andtheU.S.CensusBureauestimatesthe2015population at 60,4472,while themedian age of residents is 38.83 years, and themedianhouseholdincomeis$45,0124.TheCityofGardenarepresents0.6%ofLosAngelesCounty’stotalpopulation5.ThebreakdownofthepopulationintermsofracefortheCityofGardenaandthecommunitiesitservesisasfollows:

Table1:GTransServiceAreaCommunityEthnicities

City/Ethnicity White AfricanAm

Hispanic Asian NativeAm

Other

Gardena 8.7% 23.5% 39.2% 25.4% 0.2% 3.1%Torrance 40.3% 2.7% 16.8% 35.4% 0.2% 3.8%Lomita 41.9% 4.4% 33.9% 15.0% 0.3% 4.5%Carson 6.7% 22.8% 39.7% 25.9% 0.2% 5.9%Compton 0.8% 29.9% 67.2% 0.2% 0.2% 2.1%Hawthorne 9.8% 25.3% 54.9% 6.6% 0.2% 2.7%

*Source:SCAG2013,LocalProfilesofSCAGMemberJurisdictions

1 U.S. Census Bureau, American Fact Finder Data Downloads. http://factfinder.census.gov/faces/nav/jsf/pages/download_center.xhtml 2 U.S. Census Bureau, 2015 Population Estimate Gardena City California. https://factfinder.census.gov/faces/nav/jsf/pages/community_facts.xhtml 3 SCAG, 2015. Profile of the City of Gardena. https://www.scag.ca.gov/Documents/Gardena.pdf 4 Ibid 5 Ibid

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GTrans serves several large local employment centers inTorrance,Gardena, Carson, andComptonwhile supplying service links to transit service and regional employment hubsthroughtheLosAngelesCountyMetropolitanTransportationAuthority’s(Metro)BlueandGreenMetroRailLines.C.GTransGTranshasoperatedweekdayservicecontinuouslysince1940inresponsetoastoppageofrailroadservicebetweenareasoftheSouthBayandDowntownLosAngeles.GTransisacitydepartmentthatoperatesasanenterprisefund.Becausethedepartmentisself­supporting,itisnotoperatedwithcitygeneralfunds.GTransprovidestransportationtoarearesidentswithfixedbusroutesthatservicemanylocalcommunitiesandprovideaccesstoMetroRailandDowntownLosAngeles.Operationsalsoincludedemandresponsiveserviceavailabletomanyelderlyandhandicappedpeopleintheareawhorelyonthisservicetocarryouttheirdailyactivities.TheDepartment’stotalfleetiscomprisedofabout8dieselbuses,55hybridbuses,2electricbuses, and 8 demand response vehicles6. GTrans coordinates its service scheduleswithsurroundingtransitprovidersliketheMTA,TorranceTransit,andBeachCitiesTransitinajointefforttodevelopafunctionalregionaltransportationplanandprovideriderswithaneasycommutethroughouttheSouthBayareasintodowntownLosAngeles,andtoavarietyofsurroundinglocations.GTransoperates44peakhourbusesandprovideslowcost,easilyaccessiblepublictransportationforsome12,781weekdaycustomers7.GTransaccrues13.2millionannualpassengermiles,3.7millionannualunlinked trips, and1.6millionannualvehiclerevenuemiles8.Table2providesthepeakfrequenciesofservicebydayforallGTransroutes. SpecialTransitServiceAsmentionedintheintroduction,GTransalsooperatesdemandresponseserviceforseniorcitizens and disabled residents of Gardena, Hawthorne, and the unincorporated areas ofAlondraParkandDelAire.TheserviceoperatesMondaythruFriday7:00a.m.­5:00p.m.,onSaturday’sfrom8:00a.m.­5:00p.m.,aswellasSunday,andHolidayservicebetween8:00a.m.–2:30p.m.Interested residents canapply for the special transit card at theGardena SeniorCitizensBureauorHawthorneMemorialCenter.Oncearesidenthasreceivedtheircardandwishestoscheduledoor­to­doortransportationservice, theycontacttheGardenaSpecialTransitdispatchtomakearrangementsatleast24hoursinadvance.

6 GTrans Fixed Assets Inventory – FY15/FY15 Delivery, Updated March 15, 2016; Personal Contact: Joseph Loh, GTrans, 2016 7 National Transit Database, 2015. GTrans Transit Profile 8 National Transit Database, 2015. GTrans Transit Profile

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Regularone­waytripfareis75centswhileblindpassengersandhandicapassistantsrideforfree.PassengersfromtheGardenaSeniorCitizensBureaumayalsoridebydisplayingtheirS.S.Itickets,whichmaybepurchasedattheSeniorCitizensBureaufor50cents.

Table2:ServiceDaysandOperatingFrequenciesbyRouteRoute Description PeakFrequency(InMinutes)

Weekday Saturday Sunday1X RedondoBeachGreenLine

Stationto*DowntownLosAngeles(HarborFwy.Station)

30 45 45

2 PCHandNormandie 15 30 30**2(SchoolTripper)

HarborGatewayTransitCenter–GardenaHSandVermont/Gardena–NarbonneHS

2AMTrips/6PMTrips

3 SouthBayGalleria–ComptonBlueLineStation

15 30 30

**3(SchoolTripper)

ComptonBlueLineStation–BishopMontgomeryHS

2AMTrips/2PMTrips(bet.BishopMontgomeryHS&VermontAve./163rd

St.)

4 HarborGatewayTransitCenter–147thSt./HawthorneBlvd.

30­45

5 AviationStation–RosaParksStation

30

Note:Shadedareasindicatenoserviceonthosedays*Weekdaysonly**Onlyoperateswhenschoolisinsession CityofGardena2006GeneralPlanCirculationElementTodemonstrateitscommitmenttoequitabletransitserviceregardlessofrace,ethnicity,orincome the City of Gardena reiterated its pledge to improve the city’s circulation andsubsequentbusservicethroughtheirlatest2006GeneralPlanUpdateCirculationElement.ThepurposeoftheCirculationElementwastoplan,design,andimprovethetransportationinfrastructure to meet projected future needs. Any proposed changes to the circulationsystempromotedthesafeandefficientmovementofbothpeopleandgoodsthroughtheCity.The policies implemented, as part of the plan will further develop and maintain thecirculationsystemandenhancetheefficiencyofalltransportationmodes,aswellassupportproposedlandusepatternsaspartoftheplan.Theresultingcongestioncontroleffortswilldirectly affect the efficiency and comfort of local transit service. Any reduction in autocongestionalsobenefitsandimprovesothermodesoftransportationandimpactsbustransitservicedirectly.

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AsdocumentedintheCirculationElement,thelocalcountytransportationcommission,theLosAngeles CountyMetropolitanTransportation Commission (Metro), is responsible formonitoring the compliance of local transportation networks to the state CongestionManagementPlan(CMP).TheCityofGardenawasfoundtobeinconformancewiththestateCMPasstatedinthe2006GeneralPlanUpdate.InadditiontotheCMP,theCityofGardena’sGeneralPlanupdatealsoincludedpoliciesandprograms that supported transportation and air quality goals included in the SouthernCaliforniaAssociationofGovernmentsRegionalTransportationPlan(RTP)andtheSouthCoastAirQualityManagementPlan.TheCirculationElementalsoidentifiestruckroutesandmulti­modaltransportationoptionsthat includeClass I­IIIbicycle lanesalongwithadescriptionofpedestrianaccessvia thesidewalknetwork.The plan alsodetails the several transit agencies that operate servicewithinthecityaswellastheirservicecoordination.Alloftheplanningelementsmentionedin the Circulation Element will work together to form a more efficient multi­modaltransportationnetworkforthecityinthecomingdecades.TheGeneralPlanGoalsandPoliciesthataffectedpublictransit,bicycle,pedestrian,andlocalsurfaceautocongestionareincludedbelow:

� C1Goal1­Promoteasafeandefficientcirculationsystemthatbenefitsresidentsandbusinesses, and integrateswith the greater LosAngeles/SouthBay transportationsystem9.

o PolicyC11.1­Totheextentfeasible,maintaintrafficflowsatnonresidential,

signalized intersections at LOS D, and maintain LOS E during peak rushhours10.

o PolicyCI1.2­MinimizetrucktrafficthroughGardenaandminimizeadverse

impactsbyregulatingoff­streettruckparking,intrusionsintoneighborhoods,andnoiselevels11.

o Policy C1 1.3­ Cooperate with surrounding cities, regional transportation

agencies, and other responsible agencies to provide efficient trafficmanagementalongthemajorroadwaycorridorstraversingGardena12.

9 City of Gardena General Plan, 2006. Community Development Element- Circulation Plan. 10 Ibid 11 Ibid 12 Ibid

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� C1Goal3­Promotealternativemodesoftransportationthataresafeandefficientforcommuters,andavailabletopersonsofallincomelevelsanddisabilities13.

o PolicyCI3.1­WorkwithGTransandMTAtoincreasetheuseofpublictransit,

establishormodifyroutes,andimproveconnectivitytoregionalservices14.

o PolicyCI3.2­Maintain,totheextentfiscallyfeasible,andregularlyevaluatethe efficiency and effectiveness of GTrans andDial­a­Ride services for Cityresidents15.

o PolicyCI3.3­Maintainandexpandsidewalkinstallationandrepairprograms,

particularlyinareaswheresidewalkslinkresidentialneighborhoodstolocalschools,parks,andshoppingareas16.

o PolicyCI3.4 ­Maintainacitywidebicyclerouteandmaintenanceplan that

promotes efficient and safe bikeways integrated with the MTA’s regionalbicyclesystem17.

13 Ibid 14 Ibid 15 Ibid 16 Ibid 17 City of Gardena General Plan, 2006. Community Development Element- Circulation Plan.

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II.GENERALREPORTINGREQUIREMENTSThere were no sub­recipients for this reporting period that received Federal financialassistancefromtheFTAthroughGTrans.A.PublicNotificationofGTrans’TitleVIProtectionsPartofGTrans’TitleVIresponsibilitiesistoinformthepublicofitsobligationsthroughapublic notice that details GTrans’ Title VI complaint procedures. Please see the exampleannouncementfromGTrans’webpagebelow:“GTransiscommittedtoensuringthatnopersonisexcludedfromparticipationin,ordeniedthebenefitsofitsservicesonthebasisofrace,color,nationorigin,asprotectedbyTitleVIoftheCivilRightsActof1964,asamended.No person or group of personswill be discriminated againstwith regard to fares, routing,scheduling,orqualityoftransportationservicethatGTransfurnishes,onthebasisofrace,color,or national origin. In addition, the frequency of service, age andquality ofGTrans vehiclesassignedtoroutes,and locationofrouteswillnotbedeterminedonthebasisofrace,color,nationalorigin,sex,ageordisability.”ThefollowingnoticeispostedinthelobbyoftheGTransoperatingfacility,intheGTransBusBookandonGTrans’websiteunder“ContactUs”atthefollowingaddress:http://ridegtrans.com/contact/title­vi.B.GTrans’ProceduresforInvestigatingandTrackingTitleVIComplaintsPlease refer to Appendix B for a full copy of GTrans’ Title VI complaint investigationprocedures.C.ListofActiveLawsuitsTherearecurrentlynoactivelawsuitsagainstGTransallegingdiscriminationonthebasisofrace,colorornationaloriginarisingfromtheserviceprovided18. D.ComplianceReviewActivitiesNolocal,stateorfederalagency(otherthantheFTAduringthetriennialreviewprocess)hasconductedacivilrightsreviewonGTransinthelast3years19. 18 Personal Contact: Joseph Loh, GTrans, 2016. 19 Personal Contact: Joseph Loh, GTrans, 2016.

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E.SignedAssurancesThesignedFTAandcurrentDOTassurancesweresubmittedonlineincompliancewithbothagenciescurrent­reportingrequirements20.F.ConstructionImpactAnalysisTitleVIrequiresafixedfacility(transitcenters,operationsfacilityoryard)impactanalysisforconstructionprojectstoassessanyimpactstominoritycommunities.Ifthisinformationhas been prepared as a result of an environmental impact statement, the applicationrecipient,orsubrecipient,shouldreferencetherelevantinformationbydocumentingpagenumbersanddateofsubmissiontoFTA.ATitleVIEquityAnalysis should alsobe conductedduring theplanning stages toassesswhereaprojectislocatedorsitedtoensurethelocationisselectedwithoutregardtorace,color,ornationalorigin.Recipientsshallengageinoutreachtopersonspotentiallyimpactedbytheplacementoffacilities.TheTitleVIequityanalysismustcomparetheequityimpactsofvarioussitealternatives,andtheanalysismustoccurbeforetheselectionofthepreferredsite21.Additionally, environmental justice principles as reflected in the DOT Order onEnvironmental Justice (DOTOrder5610.2(a)), addressEnvironmental Justice inMinorityPopulationsandLow­IncomePopulations.TheorderdescribestheprocesstheDepartmentand its modal administrations (including FTA) use to incorporate environmental justiceprinciplesintoprograms,policies,andactivities22.As a result of FTA requirements, environmental impact analyses for fixed facilities shallinclude:

� ATitleVIEquityAnalysisconductedduringplanningstagestoassessiforhowthelocationwillimpactminoritycommunitiesandprovidesalternativesanalysis.

� Aprojecthistoryandbackgroundforeachconstructionprojectorserviceplanwithin

thedocument.

� Adiscussionofthepotentialimpactsonminoritycommunitiesandminority­ownedbusinessesduringandafterconstruction.

� A discussion on all potential negative environmental impacts, such as traffic

congestion,noise,airorwaterpollution;

20 Personal Contact: Joseph Loh, GTrans, 2016. 21 Federal Transit Administration, Title VI Circular FTA C 4702.1B, 2012. 22 Federal Transit Administration, Title VI Circular FTA C 4702.1B, 2012.

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� Alistofminorityownedbusinessesandhouseholdsaffectedbyconstructionprojects;

� A description of other significant impacts on minority communities, such as:increasedtraffic,reductioninparkingavailability,etc.;and

� A description of the relocation program and/or other measures adopted by the

applicant used to mitigate identified adverse social, economic, or environmentaleffects of the proposed construction project or service plan all of which shouldincludeanenvironmentaljusticecomponent.

Duringthereportingperiod,GTranshadnoprojectsinthiscategory.G.InformationDisseminationAll announcements for public hearings are given wide distribution through the use ofupdatedmailing lists inclusiveofcommunitygroupsandconcerned individuals. Hearingnoticesareroutinelypublished inthe (DailyBreeze),(GardenaValleyNews)andSpanish­languagenewspapers(LaOpinion/HOY)whicharecirculatedthroughoutthegreaterSouthBayareaofLosAngelesCounty.Inaddition,thesenoticesarepostedinGTransbusesandGardenaCityHall.ThepubliccanalsodialtheCity’stelephonenumberoraccesstheCity’swebsitetogetupdatedinformationregardingCitybusinessaffairs.GTrans also submits a service change proposal to the Los Angeles CountyMetropolitanTransportationAuthority(Metro)forreviewifthechange(1)involvesinexcessof25%ofthe revenue service provided on a bus route; (2) duplicates in excess of 2% of anotheroperator’sservice;or(3)willbefundedwithPropositionAorCLocalReturnfunds.Asstatedabove,whenGTransproposesanymajorservicechanges,thesystemmustmeetformal notification and public hearing requirements. To briefly summarize therequirements, GTransmustprovide formalnotification ofwhat changes areproposed toeachjurisdictionaffectedbyservicechangesandalloweachrespectivejurisdiction90daystorespond.Apublichearingmustalsobeheldtoprovidepublicinputandfeedbackontheproposedservicechanges.Theseandfurtherrequirementsarecontainedin:

TheLosAngelesCountyMetropolitanTransportationAuthority“ServiceNotificationPolicy–MeasuresandPublicSharingProceduresforMajorServiceorFareChanges” U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Transit Administration, Circular C9030.1BUrbanizedAreaFormulaprogram:GrantApplicationChapter5.5(O),“PubliccommentofFareandServiceChanges”U.S.DepartmentofTransportation,FederalTransitAdministrationTriennialReviewGuidelines“PublicCommentonFareandServiceChanges.”Washington,DC,1997

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During this dissemination period, GTrans staff is confident that all the system riders,includingminorities, senior citizensand thedisabled,will be thoroughlyapprisedof anyproposed service changes and will have opportunities to influence service­planningdecisionsastheyarise.H.LimitedEnglishProficiencyImplementationPlanAs with any public announcements and customer service information GTrans is wellinformedofthemanylanguagesusedbyitscustomerbase.InJuly2007GTranscreatedaLimitedEnglishProficiencyAssessmentandImplementationPlan toensure“meaningful”accesstotransitservicesandprograms.ThisplanwasupdatedinSeptember2016.Theassessmentdiscovered,accordingtothe2010censusand2014AmericanCommunitySurvey,moreresidentsofGardenaindicatedthattheyspokeEnglishlessthan“verywell”than the statewide average of persons for all languages other than English. The dataindicatedthatthiswasparticularlythecaseforSpanish,AsianandPacificIslandlanguages.Asaresult,GTransimplementedseverallanguageassistancemeasurestoaidtheselimitedEnglishproficientindividuals.ThemeasureswereaimedatthoselanguagegroupswiththelargestpopulationpercentagesintheserviceareathatincludedSpanish,Korean,Tagalog,and Japanese. The City of Gardena maintains a multi­lingual assistance program out ofGardenaCityHallfortheseresidents.AsSpanish­speakingpersonsareasignificantlylargersegmentofthenon­EnglishspeakingpopulationintheGTransservicearea,toassistitsSpanishspeakingLEPpatronsspecifically,GTranshasimplementedthefollowingmeasures:

1. GTrans’ new Route and Schedule Guide, which includes schedules and fare

information,havebeenprintedinSpanishandEnglishandaredistributedtothepublic on every bus. They are also distributed around the City at recreationcenters,seniorcenters,publiclibraries,andCityHall.

2. StafffluentinSpanishisavailableintheGTransadministrativeofficestohandle

inquiriesandcomplaintsfromSpanishspeakingcallers.GTransalsotrainsitsstaffbyreviewingtheavailabilityofbilingualschedulesandbusrouteinformationinSpanishwithallbusoperatorsintheirinitialtrainingandintheirtrainingrefresherupdates. Copiesof the languageassistancemeasurescontained inGTrans’LEPImplementationPlanaredistributedtoallGTransemployeesandnewhires.PartoftheLEPImplementationalsodetailsnotifyingLEPpersonsofallGTransservicesthatareavailable. Specialnoticesofroutechanges,publichearings,andholidayschedulesarealsopostedinGTransbusesinbothEnglishandSpanish.

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Additionally, toassistothernon­Englishspeaking languagegroups,GTranshas institutedseveral measures to provide language assistance services to these communities. Thisincludesthefollowingactivities:

� All GTrans bus operators receive a training course on customer service andcommunicationwithLEPpersons.Eachbusoperatormustcompletethiscourseandprovidetheirsignaturetocertifycompletionandunderstandingoftheinformationprovided.

� ToserveasanaidtotheLEPpopulation,GTranshasissued“ISpeak”cardstobus

operatorswhichallowpassengerstopointatandidentifytheirspokenlanguageinordertohavelanguageassistanceservicesprovided.

� TheCityofGardenahasdevelopedalistingofallcityemployeesthatspeaklanguages

otherthanEnglish.ThislistingcanbeusedtoidentifycitystaffthatcouldbecalledupontoassistinprovidinglanguageassistanceservicestoLEPpersons.

� ThenewGTranswebsitenowhasthe“GoogleTranslate”featurethatprovidesusers

theabilitytonavigatethewebsiteintheirprimarylanguage.Information regarding themulti­lingual assistance program, operated out of CityHall, isdistributedtocommunityassociationsintheCityofGardenathatexpresslycatertothoseofLatino,Japanese,PhilippineandKoreandescent.Partoftheplancommitstoanannualmonitoringregimeinordertoassurethatitisuptodate and improved upon as needed. A copy of the entire LEP Assessment andImplementationPlanisavailableinAppendixC.I.PublicParticipationPlanGTrans recognizes the importance of involving the public in the planning andimplementation of transit services. The goals of GTrans’ public involvement plan are toensurethat:

� Residents are given the opportunity to participate in the transportation planningprocess

� The issues and concerns of residents are given consideration in the selection oftransportationinvestments

� Transportationinvestmentsdonotdisproportionatelyburdenanypopulationwith

adverseimpacts

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PublicParticipationPrinciplesThe followingprincipleswill be used todevelop thePublic InvolvementPlan forGTransprojectsandprograms:

� GTranswilldeterminewhatnon­Englishlanguagesandotherbarriersmayexisttopublicparticipationwithintheservicearea

� GTranswillprovideageneralnotificationofmeetings,particularlyforumsforpublic

input,inamannerthatisunderstandabletoallpopulationsinthearea

� Publicmeetingswill be held in locations that are accessible to transit riders and

people with disabilities, and will be scheduled at times that are convenient formembersofthepublic

� Publicmeetingsandhearingswillbebroadlyadvertisedinthecommunityinnon­

EnglishlanguagesidentifiedintheupdatedLEPPlan(AppendixC)throughprintedmaterials onboard buses (e.g., interior cards, flyers, and/or comment cards)describingtheproposedchangesaswellasatmajortransitstops,localprintmedia,andlocalcommunitycenterssuchastheNakaokaCommunityCenter

� GTranswill provide notification regarding the availability of language assistance at

publicmeetingasdescribedintheLEPPlan

Targeted Public Outreach to Minority and Limited English Proficient (LEP)PopulationsWhen planning for public engagement, GTrans will incorporate strategies intended topromoteinvolvementofminorityandLEPindividuals inpublicparticipationactivities,asappropriatefortheplan,project,orserviceinquestion,andconsistentwithfederalTitleVIregulations,ExecutiveOrder13166onLimitedEnglishProficiency,andtheU.S.DepartmentofTransportationLEPGuidance.Ataminimum,GTrans staffwill implement strategiessuchasholdingpublicmeetings inlocations that are accessible to transit riders and people with disabilities, schedulingmeetingsattimesthatareconvenientformembersofthepublic,advertisingmeetingsandhearingsintheprimarylanguagesspokenintheserviceareaasidentifiedintheupdatedLEPPlan,andprovidingnoticeoftheavailabilityoflanguageassistance.

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J.MinorityRepresentationonDecisionMakingBodiesGTrans does not selectmembership to any transit­related, non­elected planning boards,advisorycouncilsorcommittees,orsimilarbodies.However,GTranshasahighprioritygoalof providing customer­driven community service, and particularly values the views andconcernsofthelargepercentageofminoritygroupsthatutilizeoursystemonadailybasis.ThefollowingCitycommissionsandboards,aswellasthegeneralpublic,areencouragedtoprovideinputand/orfeedbackonservicechangerecommendations: PlanningandEnvironmentalQualityCommission HumanServicesCommission RecreationandParksCommission SeniorCitizensCommission GardenaYouthCommission CityofGardenaPublicImprovementCorporationThe percentage of minority representation serving on the various City commissions areindicatedinTable3.

Table3:MinorityRepresentationonCityCommissionsintheCityofGardena

Group/Ethnicity White AfricanAm

Hispanic Asian NativeAm

Other

CityCouncil(1vacancy) 0% 20% 20% 20% 20% 0%Planning&EnvironmentalQualityCommission 60% 40% 0% 0% 0% 0%

HumanServicesCommission(1vacancy) 20% 40% 0% 20% 0% 0%

RecreationandParksCommission

60% 40% 0% 0% 0% 0%

SeniorCitizensCommission(1vacancy)

40% 20% 20% 0% 0% 0%

GardenaYouthCommission–notfunctioningatthistime(nomembers)CityofGardenaPublicImprovementCorporation–officialdissolutionin2012

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III.PROGRAMSPECIFICREQUIREMENTS GTransoperated44peakhourfixedroutebusesduringthereportingperiodandasaresultis mandated by FTA Circular (FTA C 4702.1B) to only detail the system­wide servicestandardsandpoliciesaspartofsectionIIIofthereport.A.ServiceStandardsandPoliciesGTranshasadoptedquantitativesystem­wideservicestandardsforitsfixedrouteservices.Thesestandards,whicharesummarizedbelow,weredevelopedandimplementedtohelpGTransbetterachieveequityforallitstransitcustomersinservicedesignandoperationsdecisions.TherehavebeennochangestoGTransservicestandardsduringthepastthreeyears.ServiceStandardsVehicleLoadVehicle load is the ratio of passengerson the vehicle to thenumberof seats on thebus.GTransmeasuresthevehicleloadatthemaximumloadpointoneachrouteduringpeakandoff­peakperiods. GTranspolicyisnottoexceedapassengerloadtoseatratioof1.25forfixed­route services operating in local service, and1.00 for fixed­route service operatingexpressserviceonfreewaysegments23.VehicleHeadwayVehicle headway is themeasurement of time between buses on a line. GTrans generallyoperatesfixed­routeservicewithvehicleheadwaysbetween15­30minutesduringweekdaypeakperiods,andbetween30­60minutesduringweekdayoff­peakperiodsandweekends24.On­TimePerformanceGTransdefineson­timeperformanceforfixedroutebustripsasthosetripsthatdepartfromatimepoint locationnoearlierthanthetimelistedonprintedschedules,orarriveatthetimepointnolaterthan5minutesfromthescheduledtime.GTransestablishedanon­timeperformancetrackingsysteminJuly2013formonthlymonitoringofperformance.ServiceAvailabilityServiceavailabilitygenerallycorrespondstotheprovisionoftransitserviceonmajortrafficcorridorsintheserviceareaandaccesstohighpopulationcentersandtripgeneratorsinurbanizedareas.GTransprovidesfixed­routeserviceprimarilytopeoplewhoresidewithinone­half to one­quartermile of the stops along the routes. Due to the large and varied 23 Personal Contact: Adrianna Renteria, GTrans, 2016. 24 Ibid

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numberofmunicipaloperatorsthatincludeTorranceTransit,BeachCitiesTransit,andtheLos Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro), who also providesservices at or near many GTrans stops, patrons have many options to access publictransportationandGTrans.Themanyoperatorsintheregionalsocoordinateregularlytoreduceunnecessaryduplicationofroutesandincreaseamoreevendistributionoftransitservices.GTrans’ general standard for the distribution of local bus stops is that bus stopswill beestablishedonabusrouteataspacingofnogreaterthan0.25milesapart,unlessimpactedbygeographyorstreet infrastructure. If thegeographyor street infrastructureonabusrouteimpactsbusstopspacing,busstopswillbeplacedasclosetothe0.25milestandardaspossible.ServicePoliciesGTranshasadoptedquantitativesystem­wide servicepolicies for its fixed­routeservices.These policies, which are summarized below, were developed and implemented to helpGTransbetterachieveequityforallitstransitcustomersinservicedesignandoperationsdecisions. Since the last Title VI update in 2013, GTrans has included the “reasonableaccommodation” standardsof theAmericansWithDisabilitiesAct (ADA) to theirwrittenagencyservicepolicies25.DistributionofTransitAmenitiesTransitamenitiessuchasbusbenchesareprovidedasaconveniencetopassengers.Theyaretobeplacedwitha20­inchclearancetotheroadsideedgeofthecurb26.GTransoffersmorethan400busstopsthroughoutitsservicearea.BenchesareplacedathightrafficbusstopswithintheCityofGardenawherethereareheavierboardinglevels,majorlandmarks,andmajortransferpoints.AtbusstopsoutsidetheCityofGardena,thelocaljurisdictionsdeterminetheplacementoftransitamenities.VehicleAssignment

All of GTrans’ buses on all five routes are virtually identical. These 40­foot buses comeequippedwithinnovativedesignfunctionsandstateoftheartpropulsionsystemsthatrunon clean burning diesel and hybrid gasoline­electric technology. All vehicles are rotatedthroughalloftherunsforeveryroute;thisapproachensureseveryrouteutilizesthesamepoolofequipmentonaregularbasis.

25 Personal Contact: Adrianna Renteria, GTrans, 2016. 26 Personal Contact: Adrianna Renteria, GTrans, 2016.

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Table4:FleetCharacteristics27GTransFleetInventoryasofJuly2016

YearBuilt Manufacturer Seats LengthTotal

Vehicles

DemandResponseVehicles

1995 TMC 45 40' 1 01997 Nova 45 40' 3 01997 TMC 45 40' 4 02003 FordE­450 14 24' 2 22005 NewFlyer 38 40' 17 02005* NewFlyer 38 40’ 1 02009 NewFlyer 38 40' 17 02010 NewFlyer 38 40' 21 02011 FordE­450 12 24' 2 2

2012DodgeDept.40GrandCaravan 7 17' 4 4

2015 BYD 42 40' 1 0Totals 73 8

*One2005modelbuswasremanufacturedtoazeroemissionbusbyCompleteCoachWorks(CCW)

27 GTrans Fixed Assets Inventory – FY15/FY15 Delivery, Updated July 2016; Personal Contact: Joseph Loh, GTrans, 2016.

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IV.CONCLUSIONThis report fulfills the compliance reporting requirements forTitleVI asdetailed inFTACircular 4702.1B. The report detailed GTrans’ services, long­range planning efforts, andgeneral reporting requirements mentioned in the circular. The program specificrequirements were addressed with a demographic and service profile along with adescription of GTrans’ service standards and polices. The results demonstrate GTransservicesadiversepopulationandsuppliespublictransportationequitablytoallclassifiedraces,ethnicities,andincomelevels.

APPENDIXA:

GTRANSFTAANDDOTTITLEVIASSURANCES

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FEDERALTRANSITADMINISTRATIONCIVILRIGHTSASSURANCEGTransHEREBYCERTIFIESTHAT,asaconditionofreceivingFederal financialassistanceundertheUrbanMassTransportationActof1964,asamended,itwillensurethat:

1. No person on the basis of race, color, or national origin will be subjected todiscriminationinthelevelandqualityoftransportationservicesandtransitrelatedbenefits.

2. GTranswillcompile,maintain,andsubmit inatimelymannerTitleVI informationrequired by FTA Circular C 4702.1B and in compliance with the Department ofTransportation'sTitleVIregulation,49CFRPart21.9.

3. GTrans will make it known to the public that those person or persons allegingdiscrimination on the basis of race, color, or national origin as it relates to theprovisionoftransportationservicesandtransit­relatedbenefitsmayfileacomplaintwith the Federal Transit Administration and/or the U.S. Department ofTransportation.

Thepersonorpersonswhosesignatureappearsbelowareauthorizedtosignthisassuranceonbehalfofthegrantapplicantorrecipient.________________________________MitchellLansdell–CityManagerCityofGardena________________________________Date

DEPARTMENTOFTRANSPORTATIONTITLEVIASSURANCEGTrans(hereinafterreferredtoasthe"Recipient")HEREBYAGREESTHATasaconditiontoreceiving any Federal financial assistance from theDepartment of Transportation itwillcomplywithTitleVIoftheCivilRightsActof1964,78Stat.252,42U.S.C.2000d­42U.S.C.2000d­4(hereinafterreferredtoastheAct),andallrequirementsimposedbyorpursuanttoTitle49,CodeofFederalRegulations,DepartmentofTransportation,SubtitleA,OfficeoftheSecretary,Part21NondiscriminationinFederally­AssistedprogramsoftheDepartmentof Transportation ­ Effectuation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (hereinafterreferredtoastheRegulations)andotherpertinentdirectives,totheendthatinaccordancewiththeAct,Regulations,andotherpertinentdirectives,nopersonintheUnitedStatesshall,onthegroundsofrace,color,ornationalorigin,beexcludedfromparticipationin,bedeniedthebenefitsof,orbeotherwisesubjectedtodiscriminationunderanyprogramoractivityfor which the Recipient receives Federal financial assistance from the Department ofTransportation, including the Federal Transit Administration, and HEREBY GIVESASSURANCE THAT it will promptly take any measures necessary to effectuate thisagreement. This assurance is required by subsection 21.7(a) of the Regulations. Morespecificallyandwithoutlimitingtheabovegeneralassurance,theRecipientherebygivesthefollowingspecificassuranceswithrespecttoitsFederalGrantsProgram:

1. That the Recipient agrees that each "program" and each "facility" as defined insubsections 21 .23(e) and 21.23(b) of the Regulations, will be (with regard to a"program")conducted,orwillbe(withregardtoa"facility")operatedincompliancewithallrequirementsimposedby,orpursuantto,theRegulations.

2. ThattheRecipientshallinsertthefollowingnotificationinallsolicitationsforbidsforworkormaterialsubjecttotheRegulationsandmadeinconnectionwithallFederalGrantsand, inadaptedfrominallproposalsfornegotiatedagreements:GTrans, inaccordancewithTitleVIoftheCivilRightsActof1964,78Stat.252,42U.S.C.2000dto2000d­4andTitle49,CodeofFederalRegulations,DepartmentofTransportation,SubtitleA,officeof theSecretary,part21,NondiscriminationinFederally­AssistedprogramsoftheDepartmentofTransportationissuedpursuanttosuchAct,herebynotifiesallbiddersthatitwillaffirmativelyinsurethatinanycontractenteredintopursuant to thisadvertisement,minoritybusinessenterpriseswillbeafforded fullopportunitytosubmitbidsinresponsetothisinvitationandwillnotbediscriminatedagainstonthegroundsofrace,color,ornationalorigininconsiderationforanaward.

3. ThattheRecipientshallinserttheclausesofAppendixAofthisassuranceineverycontractsubjecttothisActandtheRegulations.

4. That the Recipient shall insert the clauses of appendix B of this assurance, as acovenant running with the land, in any deed from the United States affecting atransferofrealproperty,structures,orimprovementsthereon,orinteresttherein.

5. ThatwheretheRecipientreceivesFederalfinancialassistancetoconstructafacility,or part of a facility, the assurance shall extend to the entire facility and facilitiesoperatedinconnectiontherewith.

6. ThatwheretheRecipientreceivesFederalfinancialassistanceintheform,orfortheacquisitionofrealpropertyoraninterestinrealproperty,theassuranceshallextendtorightstospaceon,over,orundersuchproperty.

7. ThattheRecipientshallincludetheappropriateclausessetforthinAppendixCofthisassurance,asacovenantrunningwiththeland,inanyfuturedeeds,leases,permits,licenses,andsimilaragreementsenterintobytheRecipientwithotherparties(a)forthe subsequent transfer of real property acquired or improved under the FederalGrantsProgram;and(b)fortheconstructionoruseoforaccesstospaceon,over,underrealpropertyacquired,orimprovedunderFederalGrantsProgram.

8. That this assurance obligates the Recipient for the period during which Federalfinancialassistanceisextendedtotheprogram,exceptwheretheFederalfinancialassistanceistoprovide,orisintheformof,personalproperty,orrealpropertyorinterestthereinorstructuresorimprovementsthereon,inwhichcasetheassuranceobligatestheRecipientoranytransfereeforthelongerofthefollowingperiods:(a)theperiodduringwhich theproperty isused forapurpose forwhich theFederalfinancial assistance isextended, or foranotherpurpose involving theprovisionofsimilar services or benefits; or (b) the period duringwhich the Recipient retainsownershiporpossessionoftheproperty.

9. TheRecipientshallprovideforsuchmethodsofadministrationfortheprogramasarefoundbytheSecretaryofTransportationortheofficialtowhomshe/hedelegatesspecificauthoritytogivereasonableguarantythatit,otherrecipients,subgrantees,contractors, subcontractors, transferees, successors in interest, and otherparticipantsofFederalfinancialassistanceundersuchprogramwillcomplywithalltherequirementsimposedorpursuanttotheAct,theRegulationsandthisassurance.

10. TheRecipientagreesthattheUnitedStateshasarighttoseekjudicialenforcementwithregardtoanymatterarisingundertheAct,theRegulationsandthisassurance.

________________________________MitchellLansdell–CityManagerCityofGardena________________________________Date

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APPENDIXB:

GTRANSTITLEVICOMPLAINTINVESTIGATIONPROCEDURES

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TITLE VI COMPLAINT PROCEDURES FOR GTRANS

Apersonwishingtofileacomplaintallegingdisparatetreatmentorthedisparateprovisionoftransitservicesonthebasisofrace,color,nationalorigin,orincomelevelbyGTransmayfileacomplaintinthefollowingmanner:

� Submitthecomplaintinwritingto:

o CityManagerCityofGardena1700West162ndStreetGardena,CA90247

Personsmayfileasigned,writtencomplaintwithinonehundredandeighty(180)daysoftheallegeddiscriminationdate.AllwrittencomplaintswillbereferredtotheDepartmentofTransportation, GTrans, for evaluation and response. Each complainant will receive anindividualwritten response from the department. Department staff willmeet with anycomplainant at their request. GTrans has 90 days to investigate the complaint. Ifmoreinformation is needed to resolve the case, GTrans may contact the complainant. Thecomplainanthas15businessdaysfromthedateofthelettertosendrequestedinformationto the investigator assigned to the case. If the investigator is not contacted by thecomplainantordoesnotreceivetheadditionalinformationwithin60businessdays,GTranscan administratively close the case. A case can be administratively closed also if thecomplainantnolongerwishestopursuetheircase.AdetailedrecordofallTitleVIcomplaintsandtheCity’sresponsewillbekeptonfileforaminimumoffiveyears.ItisthepolicyoftheCity’sDepartmentofTransportationtodoeverythingwithinitspowertothoroughlyinvestigateandtoreasonablyaccommodateTitleVIcomplaintsbyinstallingtransitamenitiesormodifyingtheimplementationoftransitservicesasmaybenecessary.Complaintsthatcannotberesolvedtothecomplainant’ssatisfactionwillbereferredtotheCityAttorney’sofficeforfinalresolution.

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APPENDIXC:

LEPASSESEMENTANDIMPLEMENTATION

PLANFORGTRANS

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LIMITEDENGLISHPROFICIENCY[LEP]PLAN

GTRANSCITYOFGARDENA,CALIFORNIA

IntroductionThis Limited English Proficiency (LEP) Plan has been prepared to address GTrans’responsibilitiesasarecipientof federal financialassistanceas theyrelate totheneedsofindividualswithlimitedEnglishlanguageskills.TheplanhasbeenpreparedinaccordancewithTitleVIoftheCivilRightsActof1964whichprohibitsdiscriminationonthebasisofrace, color or national origin in programs and activities receiving Federal financialassistance.Specifically,TitleVIprovidesthat“nopersonshall,onthegroundsofrace,color,ornationaloriginbeexcludedfromparticipationin,bedeniedthebenefitsof,orbesubjectedtodiscriminationunderanyprogramoractivityreceivingFederalfinancialassistance”.GTransiscommittedtoensuringthatnopersonisexcludedfromparticipationinordeniedthebenefitsofitstransitservicesonthebasisofrace,color,ornationalorigin.ThisplanwasdevelopedtoguideGTransinitsadministrationandmanagementofTitleVIrelatedactivities.PlanSummaryGTranshasdevelopedthisLimitedEnglishProficiencyPlantohelpidentifyreasonablestepsfor providing language assistance to personswith limited Englishproficiency [LEP]whowish toaccessservicesprovided. Asdefined inExecutiveOrder13166,LEPpersonsarethosewhodonotspeakEnglishastheirprimarylanguageandhavelimitedabilitytoread,speak,writeorunderstandEnglish. Thisplanoutlineshowtoidentifyapersonwhomayneedlanguageassistance,thewaysinwhichassistancemaybeprovided,stafftrainingthatmaybe required,andhowtonotifyLEPpersons thatassistance isavailable. Inorder topreparethisplan,GTransundertooktheU.S.DepartmentofTransportation’sfour­factorLEPanalysiswhichconsidersthefollowingfactors:1. ThenumberorproportionofLEPpersonsintheserviceareawhomaybeservedorarelikelytoencounteraGTransprogram,activityorservice.

2. The frequency with which LEP persons come in contact with GTrans programs,activitiesorservices.

3. Thenatureandimportanceofprograms,activitiesorservicesprovidedbyGTranstotheLEPpopulation.

4. TheresourcesavailabletoGTransandoverallcosttoprovideLEPassistance.

Asummaryoftheresultsofthefour­factoranalysisisinthefollowingsection.

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Four­FactorAnalysis

1. ThenumberorproportionofLEPpersonsintheserviceareawhomaybeservedorarelikelytoencounteraGTransprogram,activityorservice.

GTransreviewed2010U.SCensustractleveldataandthe2014AmericanCommunitySurveycensusupdatedata. Thosecensustractsthatwerewithin¼mileofaGTransroutewereconsideredpartoftheGTransservicearea.Thereviewindicatedthatthetotalserviceareahasapopulationof498,085thatarefiveyearsofageorolder.Ofthosepersons,129,599(26.0%) speak English “not well” or “not at all”. Of those persons with limited Englishproficiency, 95,688 (73.8%) speak Spanish. The next languages listed with the highestnumberofpersonsthatspeakEnglish“notwell”or“notatall”isKoreanat6,731persons(5.2%),Tagalogat6,048(4.7%),andJapaneseat4,729persons(3.6%).AnumberofotherlanguagegroupsmakeuptheremainderoflimitedEnglishspeakingpersonsintheservicearea.AsdetailedinFigures1through5,censustractswiththemajorityoflimitedEnglishspeakingpersonswerelocatedprimarilyintheDowntownLosAngelesareaandalongWesternandNormandie Avenues, with a fairly large number of limited English speaking persons ofKorean,Tagalog and Japanesedecent living in theRedondoBeachBlvd. corridor. ThesetractshadapopulationoflimitedEnglishspeakingpersonsrangingfromalowof2%toahighof50%ormore.2. The frequencywithwhich LEPpersons come in contactwithGTransprograms,

activitiesorservices.GTransreviewed the frequencywithwhichstaffanddrivershave,orcouldhave, contactwithLEPpersons.Thisincludesreviewingphoneinquiriesandsurveyingbusoperators.Todate,GTransstaffhashadinfrequentrequestsforassistanceinlanguagesotherthanEnglish.Inanoptionalsurveyofbusoperators,thirty­seven(37)busoperatorsindicatedafairlyhighlevelofinteractionwithLEPpersons.Justover60%ofallbusoperatorssurveyedindicatedthat theyhavedaily interactionwithLEPpersons. Approximately40%ofbusoperatorssurveyed interactwith LEPpersons10ormore timesaday. Thepredominate languageencounteredbybusoperatorsisSpanish,withsomeinteractionwithKorean­speakingandJapanese­speakingpassengers. Therehavebeen fewrequestsmade tobusoperators forlanguagetranslationofpublicinformation,with68%ofoperatorsindicatingthatpassengersdonotrequesttranslatedmaterials.

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Figure1:PercentageofEnglishLanguageSpokenbyCensusTract

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Figure2:PercentageofSpanishSpeakerswithLittleorNoEnglishProficiency

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Figure3:PercentageofKoreanSpeakerswithLittleorNoEnglishProficiency

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Figure4:PercentageofTagalogSpeakerswithLittleorNoEnglishProficiency

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Figure5:PercentageofJapaneseSpeakerswithLittleorNoEnglishProficiency

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3. Thenatureandimportanceofprograms,activitiesorservicesprovidedbyGTranstotheLEPpopulation.

AsdetailedinFigures1through4,censustractswiththemajorityoflimitedEnglishspeakingpersonswerelocatedprimarilyintheDowntownLosAngelesareaandalongWesternandNormandieAvenues,aswellastheRedondoBeachBlvd.corridor.BecauseGTransserviceto Downtown Los Angeles is express­oriented with few stops, the largest geographicconcentration of LEP individuals in the GTrans service area that has access to local busserviceliveadjacenttoWesternandNormandieAvenuesandintheRedondoBeachBlvd.corridor.Between20%­50%ofSpanish­speakingpersonsintheWesternandNormandieAvenuecorridorshavelittleornoEnglishproficiency,andbetween20%­40%ofpersonsofKorean,TagalogandJapanesedecentintheRedondoBeachBlvd.corridorhavelittleornoEnglishproficiency.TheNakaokaCommunityCenter,locatednearGTransLines1,2,3and4,providesliteracyprogramsandEnglishasaSecondLanguage(ESL)classestocommunityresidents. In speaking with a customer service representative of the city­operatedcommunitycenter,theyhavecontacteverydaywithpersonswhospeakSpanish,KoreanandJapaneseasafirstlanguage.ManyparticipantsoftheESLprogramusetransittoaccessthefacility, as well as seniors who ride Gardena Special Transit to the community center,althoughitisunknownhowmuchtheyuseGTranscomparedtootherlocaltransitproviders(Metro, Torrance Transit). The customer service representative indicated that somecommentsregardingtransitfrompersonsattendingthecenterfocusedonbeingunsureofbusstoplocationsorhowtocontactGTransfortransitinformation.4. TheresourcesavailabletoGTransandoverallcosttoprovideLEPassistance.GTrans reviewed its available resources that couldbeused forprovidingLEPassistance,whichofitsdocumentswouldbethemostvaluabletobetranslatediftheneedshouldarise,andevaluatedresourcesthatcouldbeusedforoutreachandtranslationefforts.Basedonthefour­factoranalysis,GTransdevelopeditsLEPPlanasoutlinedinthefollowingsections.LanguageAssistanceApersonwhodoesnotspeakEnglishastheirprimarylanguageandwhohasalimitedabilitytoread,write,speakorunderstandEnglishmaybeaLimitedEnglishProficientpersonandmay be entitled to language assistancewith respect to GTrans’ programs and activities.Languageassistancecanincludeinterpretation,whichmeansoralorspokentransferofamessage from one language into another language and/or translation, whichmeans thewritten transfer or a message from one language into another language. GTrans willdeterminewheninterpretationand/ortranslationareneededandarereasonable.HowtheGTransstaffmayidentifyanLEPpersonwhoneedslanguageassistance:

� Examinerecordstoseeifrequestsforlanguageassistancehavebeenreceivedinthepast,eitheratmeetingsoroverthephone,todeterminewhetherlanguageassistancemightbeneededatfutureevents.

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� WhenGTranssponsorsanevent,haveastaffpersongreetparticipantsastheyarrive.By informally engaging participants in conversation it is possible to gauge eachattendee’sabilitytospeakandunderstandEnglish.

� HaveCensusBureauLanguageIdentification(ISpeak)FlashcardsavailableatGTransevents near the registration table. Individuals self­identifying as persons notproficientinEnglishmaynotbeabletobeaccommodatedwithtranslationassistanceattheevent,butitwillassistthesponsoringagencyinidentifyinglanguageassistanceneedsforfutureevents.

� Network with local community service centers, such as the Nakaoka CommunityCenter, thatprovideservicestoLEP individualsandseekopportunities toprovideinformationontransitservices.

� Vehicle operators and other front­line staff, including bus operators, supervisors,customer service representatives, clerical staff and dispatcherswill be informallysurveyedperiodicallyontheirexperienceconcerninganycontactswithLEPpersonsduringthepreviousyear.

LanguageAssistanceMeasures­GTranswillstrivetoofferthefollowingmeasurestoLEPindividuals,thatis,personswhospeakEnglish“notwell”or“notatall”,:

� GTrans’ Title VI Policy andGTrans staffwill take reasonable steps to provide theopportunityformeaningfulaccesstoLEPclientswhohavedifficultycommunicatinginEnglish.

� IfaclientasksforlanguageassistanceandGTransdeterminesthattheclientisanLEPperson and that language assistance is necessary to provide meaningful access,reasonableeffortswillbemadetoprovide free languageassistance. Ifreasonablypossible,GTranswillprovide the languageassistance in theLEPclient’spreferredlanguage. GTranshas the discretion to determinewhether language assistance isneeded,and ifso, thetypeof languageassistancenecessarytoprovidemeaningfulaccess.

� GTranswillperiodicallyassessclientneedsforlanguageassistancebasedonrequestsforinterpretersand/ortranslation,aswellastheliteracyskillsoftheclients.

� Whenaninterpreterisneeded, inpersonoronthetelephone,staffwillattempttodeterminewhatlanguageisrequiredandthenaccesslanguageassistanceatoneormoreoftheavailableresourcesidentifiedunderthesection“FormalInterpreters”onPage10.

SafeHarborStipulationFederallawprovidesa“SafeHarbor”stipulationsothatrecipientscanensurewithgreatercertaintythattheycomplywiththeirobligationstoprovidewrittentranslationsinlanguagesotherthanEnglish.A“safeharbor''meansthatifarecipientprovideswrittentranslationsundercertaincircumstances,suchactionwillbeconsideredstrongevidenceofcompliancewiththerecipient'swritten­translationobligationsunderTitleVI.

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Thefailuretoprovidewrittentranslationsunderthecircumstancesdoesnotmeanthereisnoncompliance,butratherprovidesaguideforrecipientsthatwouldlikegreatercertaintyofcompliancethancanbeprovidedbyafact­intensive,four­factoranalysis.Forexample,evenifasafeharborisnotused,ifwrittentranslationofacertaindocument(s)wouldbesoburdensomeastodefeatthelegitimateobjectivesofitsprogram,itisnotnecessary.Otherwaysofprovidingmeaningfulaccess, such aseffectiveoral interpretationofcertainvitaldocuments,mightbeacceptableundersuchcircumstances.Strong evidence of compliancewith the recipient'swritten­translation obligations under‘safeharbor’includesprovidingwrittentranslationsofvitaldocumentsforeacheligibleLEPlanguagegroupthatconstitutes5%or1,000,whicheverisless,ofthepopulationofpersonseligible tobe servedor likely tobeaffectedorencountered.GTrans’ translationofotherdocuments,ifneeded,canbeprovidedorally.Thissafeharborprovisionappliestothetranslationofwrittendocumentsonly.ItdoesnotaffecttherequirementtoprovidemeaningfulaccesstoLEPindividualsthroughcompetentoralinterpreterswhereorallanguageservicesareneededandarereasonable.In theGTrans servicearea, theSpanish­speaking,Korean­speakingandTagalog­speakingLEPlanguagegroupsconstitutethe5%or1,000personsofpopulationthresholdforwhichwrittentranslationsofvitaldocumentsshouldbeprovidedmeetthesafeharborstandard.Also,while the Japanese­speaking languagegroupconstitutes less than the5%threshold(3.6%), the concentration of this language group in the service area and their historyofparticipationinthecivicandsocialaffairsoftheCityofGardenawouldsuggesttheinclusionofthislanguagegroupforwrittentranslationsofvitaldocuments.Tomeetthesafeharborstandard,GTranswilltranslatevitaldocumentssuchastheRoute&ScheduleGuide,theTitleVIReport,theLEPPlanandpublicnoticesofchangestotransitserviceintothelanguageslisted above through Google Translate on the GTrans website. GTrans staff will utilizefeaturessuchasGoogleTranslateandmulti­lingualstafffromtheCityofGardena(Spanish,Korean, Tagalog and Japanese speakers) to translate for eligible LEP language groups.GTrans will also proceed with oral interpretation options for compliance with LEPregulations.StaffTrainingThefollowingtrainingwillbeprovidedtoGTransstaff:

� InformationontheTitleVIPolicyandLEPresponsibilities.� Descriptionoflanguageassistanceservicesofferedtothepublic.� UseoftheLanguageIdentification(ISpeak)Flashcards.� Documentationoflanguageassistancerequests.� HowtohandleapotentialTitleVI/LEPcomplaint.

InformationwillbedistributedtoallGTransstaff.

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TranslationofDocuments

• In those cases where the need arises for LEP outreach, GTrans will consider thefollowingoptions:

o Whenstaffpreparesadocument,orschedulesameeting,forwhichthetargetaudience is expected to include LEP individuals, then documents, meetingnotices,flyers,andagendaswillbeprintedinanalternativelanguagebasedontheknownLEPpopulation.

o Busschedules,maps,andothertransitpublicationswillbemadeavailableinanalternativelanguagefortheknownLEPpopulation.

FormalInterpreters

• Whennecessarytoprovidemeaningfulaccess forLEPclients,GTranswillprovidequalifiedinterpreters,includinganybilingualstaffoftheCityofGardena,ifavailable.The City of Gardena has identified all city staff that speak languages other thanEnglish.Atimportantstagesthatrequireone­on­onecontact,writtentranslationandverbal interpretation services will be provided consistent with the four­factoranalysisusedearlier.

• GTransmayrequireaformalinterpretertocertifytothefollowing:o The interpreter understood the matter communicated and rendered a

competentinterpretation.o Theinterpreterwillmaintainprivateinformation.Non­publicdatawillnotbe

disclosedwithoutwrittenauthorizationfromtheclient.o Bilingual City employees,when available, can provide limited assistance to

GTransstaffandLEPclientsaspartoftheirregularjobduties.InformalInterpreters

• Informal interpreters may include the family members, friends, legal guardians,servicerepresentativesoradvocatesoftheLEPclient. GTransstaffwilldeterminewhether it is appropriate to rely on informal interpreters, depending upon thecircumstances and subject matter of the communication. However, in manycircumstances, informal interpreters, especially children, are not competent toprovidequalityandaccurateinterpretations.Theremaybeissuesofconfidentiality,competency,orconflictofinterest.

• AnLEPpersonmayusean informal interpreterofhisorherownchoosingandattheirexpense,eitherinplaceoforasasupplementtothefreelanguageassistanceofferedbyGTrans.Ifpossible,GTransshouldaccommodateanLEPclient’srequesttouseaninformalinterpreterinplaceofaformalinterpreter.

• If an LEP client prefers an informal interpreter, after GTrans has offered freeinterpreterservices,theinformalinterpretermayinterpret.

• IfanLEPclientwantstousehisorherowninformalinterpreter,GTransreservestherighttoalsohaveaformalinterpreterpresent.

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MonitoringMonitoringandUpdatingtheLEPPlan­GTranswillupdatetheLEPasrequiredbyU.S.DOT.Ataminimum,theplanwillbereviewedandupdatedwhendatafromthe2020U.S.Census is available, orwhen it is clear that higher concentrationsof LEP individuals arepresentintheGTransservicearea.Updateswillincludethefollowing:

� ThenumberofdocumentedLEPpersoncontactsencounteredannually� HowtheneedsofLEPpersonshavebeenaddressed� DeterminationofthecurrentLEPpopulationintheservicearea� Determinationastowhethertheneedfortranslationserviceshaschanged� Determine whether local language assistance programs have been effective and

sufficienttomeettheneed� Determine whether transit system’s financial resources are sufficient to fund

languageassistanceresourcesneeded� DeterminewhetherGTransfullycomplieswiththegoalsofthisLEPPlan� Determinewhethercomplaintshavebeenreceivedconcerningtheagency’sfailureto

meettheneedsofLEPindividualsDisseminationoftheGTransLEPPlan

� AlinktotheGTransTitleVIPlanandtheLEPPlanwillbeincludedontheGTranswebsite,http://ridegtrans.com/contact/title­vi­reportandathttp://ridegtrans.com/contact/lep­plan.

� Anypersonoragencywithinternetaccesswillbeabletoaccessanddownloadtheplan fromtheGTranswebsite. Alternatively,anypersonoragencymayrequestacopyoftheplanviatelephone,fax,mail,orinperson,andshallbeprovidedacopyoftheplanatnocost. LEP individualsmayrequest copiesof theplan in translationwhichGTranswillprovide,iffeasible.

� QuestionsorcommentsregardingtheLEPPlanmaybesubmittedtoGTrans,13999S.WesternAvenue,Gardena,CA90249,phonenumber(310)965­8888.