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Unofficial until approved by the
Alhambra City Council
MINUTES
Special Meeting
ALHAMBRA CITY COUNCIL
October 2 3 , 2025
10:00 a.m.
ROLL CALL: At 10:10 a.m., on Thursday, October 23, 2025, the Alhambra City Council met in the Council Chambers of Alhambra City Hall.
PRESENT: MAZA, MALONEY, WANG, ANDRADE-STADLER, LEE
ABSENT: NONE
Officials Present : City Manager Binnquist, Assistant City Manager Garcia, Deputy City Manager Hembree, City Attorney Montes, City Clerk Myles, Director of Parks and Recreation Macias, Director of Finance Lieu, Director of Community Development Ho, Director of Public Works and Utilities Ahlen, Deputy Director of Public Works – Transportation Chan, Chief of Police Kennedy, Chief of Fire Department Ragusa, Director of Library Services LohGuan, Director of Human Resources Ko, Management Analyst Alvarez
CITY CLERK REPORT - NOTICE NO. N2M2 5- 152
The City Clerk hereby report ed that she duly gave notice of the special meeting of the City Council being held this morning pursuant to the order of the Mayor and in accordance with Section 54956 of the Government Code of the State of California.
PRESENTATION
1 . ACT BUS BLUE LINE ROUTE MODIFICATIONS AND BUS STOP LOCATIONS – F2M23- 16 City Manager BINNQUIST delivered a staff report and Deputy Director of Public Works – Transportation CHAN delivered a presentation , which is on file in the City Clerk ’s Department .
At the October 13, 2025 City Council Meeting, residents voiced concerns about the upcoming route modifications to the ACT Bus Blue Line. As a result, the Mayor has requested a Special Meeting to discuss the route modifications and corresponding bus stop locations. Increasing ridership on the ACT Bus has been a priority on the Council ’s Strategic Plan since 2020.
Accordingly, the City has undertaken two route and ridership studies, with the most recent completed and presented to the City Council on June 23, 2025. Based on route performance and survey data, the study recommended implementing the Revenue Neutral Alternative, which modified the Blue and Green Lines to better serve underserved areas while increasing ridership and maintaining current operating costs. The Blue Line was expanded to serve Garfield Avenue and Hellman Avenue, while also providing enhanced coverage to east Alhambra. The Green Line was slightly modified only in the clockwise direction, while the counter-clockwise route remains unchanged. Blue Line ridership is expected to increase by approximately 44% and Green Line ridership by about 6%, marking the largest increase among all the service alternatives considered. The ridership projections were informed by travel demand data, feedback from surveys and interviews, and models assessing improved access to major destinations. The study also suggested implementing the route modifications for a trial period of one year. It was explained that while the Council was approving the new routes, staff would select the stop locations based on physical conditions in the field, and the 2 10-2 3 -25
new service would be enacted before the end of the calendar year, after Cal State University, Los Angeles completed their fall final exams. At the conclusion of the presentation, the City Council unanimously approved the new routes.
Since that meeting, staff conducted outreach to Alhambra Unified School District and their distribution lists, considering a large number of riders are students. In addition, the City of Monterey Park was notified, because two ACT stops are in their jurisdiction. The Parks and Recreation Department has also been providing information and encouraging seniors to utilize the new ACT routes. Further, posters have been placed in all buses and some businesses in the Downtown, along with a display in the Library; an ad was published in the upcoming Parks Leisure Guide; and the routes and changes have been promoted through the City ’s social media, the City ’s website via https://www.alhambraca.gov/293/Alhambra-Community-Transit- ACT , and in the City ’s November 3rd water bill (inserts). Outreach was conducted in person at bus stops and to riders on buses and via community meetings scheduled on October 22nd (in-person), October 29th (online), October 30th (online), and November 5th (in-person). Staff is also working on an evening in-person outreach meeting at Granada Park on November 6th at 5:30 pm. Following this presentation of the bus stop locations, it was requested the City Council provide direction to staff.
Mayor LEE announced that Councilmember Wang had a time conflict and must leave the meeting by 11:30 a.m. She announced that she would allow Ms. Wang to make her comments before she had to leave, even if the public comment had not concluded for this item. She also announced that she would allow speakers five minutes to deliver their comments.
Public Comment :
The following people spoke against the proposed changes to the ACT Bus Route s :
1) Sandra Salcedo , 612 N. Almansor St. , and distributed handouts to the Council. 2) David Lazo
3) Dennis Murphy , 437 N. Cordova St.
4) Angie Gomez
5) Joe Losorelli , 600 N. Hidalgo Ave.
6) Joe Blaylock , 625 N. Cordova St.
7) Judy Hulemena, 31 N. Granada Ave.
8) Sam/Yvonne
The following people spoke in favor of the proposed changes to the ACT Bus Routes :
1) Shirley Tatsuno , 1408 S. Fifth St.
2) Alborz Motashami , 1621 S. Monterey St
Discussion : Due to time constraints, Mayor LEE allowed Councilmember WANG to deliver her comments before she had to leave early. Ms. WANG spoke in favor of the changes to the Blue Line of the ACT Bus and the efforts to connect the southern most part of Alhambra to the downtown area. She reported on her attendance to the community meeting regarding the ACT Bus proposed changes and the questions she heard from the public. She went on to discuss the payment options for the ACT Bus and encouraged staff to explore other options for payments. Ms. WANG also continued to support extensive public outreach regarding the changes. She stated that Council should continue to take input from the community, that Council not make a decision this afternoon, and that staff not adhere to the December 15 th date for implementation given the number of concerns voiced. Ms. Wang thanked Mayor Lee for the accommodation, and expressed that she would review the remainder of the meeting with interest.
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WANG : Councilmember WANG left the meeting at 11:30 a.m.
Public Comment resumed :
1) Lewis McCammon, 105 N. Cordova St., distributed a handout to Council and made alternate suggestions for the ACT Bus Route. A copy of the handout is on file in the City Clerk ’s Office.
2) Jose Africa, 524 N. Hidalgo Ave. spoke against the proposed changes to the ACT Bus routes
3) Angie Gomez, resumed her public comment and supported the alternative routes proposed by Mr. McCammon.
RECESS & RECONVENE : Due to technical difficulties, Mayor LEE called for a brief recess at 11:42 a.m. and the meeting resumed with Councilmembers Maza, Andrade-Stadler, Vice Mayor Maloney, and Mayor Lee present at 11:50 a.m.
Public Comment resumed :
4) Omar G., via Zoom, spoke in favor of the proposed changes to the ACT Bus Routes. 5) Elliott Lee, via Zoom, spoke in favor of the proposed changes to the ACT Bus Routes. 6) Paul de Partee, via Zoom, spoke against the proposed changes to the ACT Bus Routes.
Discussion : Councilmember ANDRADE-STADLER and City Attorney MONTES discussed Council ’s ability to alter the changes to the ACT Bus Routes despite voting to approve changes in June 2025. Ms. ANDRADE-STADLER and Ms. BINNQUIST discussed the size and length of the ACT Buses. Ms. ANDRADE-STADLER discussed Council ’s support of an active public transportation system in order to improve environmental, traffic, and community conditions.
Ms. ANDRADE-STADLER and Ms. BINNQUIST discussed the placement of ACT Bus stops.
Ms. ANDRADE-STADLER and Ms. CHAN discussed student access to the ACT Bus, ridership data per bus stop, and the need for stops at major intersections including Commonwealth and Fremont. Ms. ANDRADE-STADLER and Police Chief KENNEDY discussed police activity in connection with the ACT Bus and police response to unhoused people through the HOME Team.
Vice Mayor MALONEY reviewed the background of the item from the Strategic Plan in 2020 as well as the traffic study presented on June 23 , 2025 . He emphasized that Council and s taff were still reviewing options for bus stop placement and route changes. He responded to public comments criticizing notification to the p ublic, s taff ’s work on the project, and general safety concerns regarding buses and public transportation. He stated that he was willing to request staff review resident ’s concerns regarding the bus route across Alhambra Road and potentially adjust the route accordingly. He also stated that after appropriate staff review he would be open to eliminating the bus stop on Alhambra Road. He referred to Mr. McCammon ’s suggestions but added that any decisions made must balance a data driven outcome and an outcome which would address the concerns of the residents. Mr. MALONEY went on to discuss the importance of reliable and safe public transportation systems. Mr. MALONEY and Mr. MONTES discussed the effects of SB79 with regards to the changes to the ACT Bus Routes in certain neighborhoods. Mr. MALONEY agreed with Ms. Wang ’s comments regarding a more flexible timeline for implementation and supported staff continuing to work on the routes based on feedback, additional public review and feedback, and further review by the Transportation Commission. Mr. MALONEY also suggested that when he rotates in as Mayor, there could be a community meet up on the ACT Bus to discuss the concerns of the community.
Councilmember MAZA spoke regarding the public comments and the intention of the Council 4 10-2 3 -25
to improve the community. He suggested continuing to work on the bus routes as well as giving the routes a trial basis . He emphasized the ridership of local public transportation, expressed concern regarding the bus stop on Alhambra Road, and requested staff consider other options for that area. He also referred to Sam/Yvonne ’s comments and Police Chief KENNEDY provided clarification. Mr. MAZA and Ms. CHAN discussed the involvement of First Transit in producing test runs and their recommendations. Mr. MAZA also commented on the lack of Police service calls to the ACT Bus. He also reiterated Council and Staff ’s intention with the changes to the Blue Line to increase accessibility in the northeast part of the city as well as facilitate practical issues regarding the vehicle ’s turning radius. He further responded to other concerns voiced during public comment such as accessibility for emergency vehicles, travel time on Alhambra Road, as well as Mr. McCammon ’s suggestions for changes. He also addressed Ms. Salcedo ’s concerns and briefly discussed them with her.
Mayor LEE continued to discuss residents ’ concerns regarding the changes to the Blue Line and the need to select the bus stops with more public input as to their location. She spoke regarding the balance of increasing ridership and street safety with large vehicles. Ms. LEE and Ms. CHAN discussed the turnaround portion for the Blue Line. Ms. LEE continued to discuss the ability to test and refine the routes as necessary. Ms. LEE, Ms. BINNQUIST, and Ms. CHAN discussed accessibility for emergency services with buses on the road. Ms. LEE requested more information from First Transit regarding yielding to emergency vehicles and trash vehicles as well as emergency vehicle response time. Ms. LEE also requested information regarding pedestrian safety and visibility with buses on Alhambra Road. She referred to a previous ridership study. She requested staff revise the bus route to meet the needs of all residents and requested that all three residential bus stops be removed from the Blue Line. She opposed using Chapel and Granada as a bus route turnaround and again requested that the stops be removed. She also requested higher visibility crosswalks on Alhambra Road and greater outreach to residents. She stated that the expected date of implementation was no longer applicable.
Mr. MALONEY proposed a motion that Council direct staff to take into account comments made by the public, analyze the proposals, try to retain expected ridership gains, and address the concerns of the community and Council. Councilmember ANDRADE-STADLER seconded the motion. Mr. MAZA requested that the motion be specific to re -examining the northeast portion of the City and specifically Alhambra Road. Ms. ANDRADE-STADLER requested staff also re -examine Commonwealth Avenue . Ms. LEE continued to discuss the need for staff to review all issues, the concerns of the public, and her concerns she voiced. She reiterated the need to postpone the implementation date. Mr. MONTES and Council clarified the motion to include a hearing with the Transportation Commission and then provide a presentation to Council. Mr. MALONEY restated his motion for staff to continue public outreach, to take concerns identified by the community and as relayed through the Council, to study the northeast portion and Commonwealth, to bring back a proposal for a public hearing at the Transportation Commission, and then to present all findings to Council.
Action Taken : Council directed staff to review the proposed changes to the ACT Bus Routes , to continue public outreach, to take into account concerns identified by the community and as relayed through the Council, to study the northeast portion and Commonwealth, to bring back a proposal for a public hearing at the Transportation Commission, and then to present all findings to Council at a date to be determined later.
Vote: Moved: MALONEY Seconded: ANDRADE-STADLER
Ayes: MAZA, MALONEY, ANDRADE-STADLER, LEE
Noes : NONE
Absent: WANG
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ADJOURNMENT : At 1:28 p.m. there being no further business for the Council to transact, the Mayor , with the consent of the City Council, adjourned the meeting.
LAUREN MYLES, CMC
CITY CLERK
by
BRIANNA LAMB MCCARTHY
ASSISTANT CITY CLERK