City Manager 910 Calle Negocio, Suite 300 San Clemente, CA 92673 http://san-clemente.org
City of San Clemente
City Manager
Andy Hall, City Manager
Phone: (949) 361-8200
[email protected]
Wednesday, May 17, 2023
Kia Mortazavi, Executive Director of Planning
Orange County Transportation Authority
Sent via email to [email protected]
With a copy to Adriann Cardoso at [email protected]
Subject: Project V Letter of Interest for 2023 Call for Projects Dear Executive Director Mortazavi,
The City of San Clemente has successfully operated a transit programs under Project V, and the City enthusiastically submits this letter to support continued, and expanded, funding for these crucial mobility services in our community. Currently, there are only three (3) bus stops in San Clemente0F
1, a city of nearly 20 square miles. Project V has
helped the City tremendously after the reduction of OCTA bus routes the past few years.
Project V has significantly expanded shared transit opportunities, and data reflects a strong and improving ridership. Because of that data, the City would like to expand our programming. However, at current funding levels, we have to consider making cuts to service. We are hopeful that the 2023 Call for Projects will assess the current economic climate and financial realities of the increasing costs of employing drivers and maintaining vehicles. As we look to the future, we recommend a few modifications to the Project V standards, and we seek support for funding of three service types.
Project V Modifications:
1. Need for expanded funding
The current grant limitation of $550,000 is no longer sufficient to cover operating expenses of existing services. In FY24, continued operations of the daily summer service plus annual Saturday/Sunday service on one route (Red line / downtown) will cost $650,000. That amount is just to maintain the status quo. To meet the real demand for service, the City would like to add Friday service annually and add new lines to serve south San Clemente (San Clemente State Beach and 1 Route 1 & Route 91
ATTACHMENT 1
City of San Clemente Page 2
campground) and east (Ave. Pico corridor). Accomplishing this goal would require five (5) additional trolleys and would double the operational costs to $1.3 Million.
The City would also be amenable to transitioning to an electric fleet, but would need assistance in establishing a charging station at our City Yard to support all vehicles. The $1.3 Million figure also does not take into account the continuation of the SC Rides (or similar) pickup service. This program cost $380,000 in the final operational year before the pandemic. The City would also be interested in a last mile/NEV solution. Considering the “full menu” of Project V programs, the City would like to see the annual budget cap increased to $2 Million per year. The City also recommends that the grant funds be tied to performance in some fashion.
San Clemente has consistently demonstrated robust ridership, and we hope that OCTA recognizes strong ridership as one factor in awarding higher grant awards.
2. Need to supersede/replace prior grant
The Project V grant requires a 10% City match of funds. That is no longer the reality. Unfortunately, OCTA approved our 2020 grant at a lower level of funding than was requested. San Clemente expects FY24 expenses to be $650,000 to maintain service levels for the Trolleys. Our FY24 grant revenues for the Trolley will be $232,000. That puts the City in a position of paying for 64% of operations.
Since the last call for projects, costs have risen, putting regular service at risk.
Given the accounting challenges of overlapping grants, the City would prefer that the 2023 Call for Grants allow Cities to apply for increased levels of funding to supersede and replace any active grants.
3. Support for overlapping routes
OCTA has been hesitant to approve local routes that “compete” with regional bus lines (the 1 and 99 in San Clemente). We respectfully ask for reconsideration of this policy. It is impossible to support local transit without utilizing El Camino Real – which both bus routes use. The City successfully tested a new southern line from the Pier to the San Clemente State Beach (not grant supported), hitting 20 riders per hour during a cold and rainy March-April. This route provides new access to the campground and beach as well as access from small hotels/motels to our downtown. It helps reduce VMT and downtown parking demand. We believe that this expanded service could also provide easier access to OCTA’s regional line, bringing increased interest and ridership.
City of San Clemente Page 3
Project V: Three service requests in San Clemente
1. Trolley
The City would be interested in expanding service, which could include:
• Daily Summer service from May 1 – September 30
• Friday – Sunday service annually
• Up to 10 holidays / special events (Car Show, 5k’s, New Year’s Eve, etc) • Four trolley lines
o Red (existing): Outlets to Pier
o Blue (existing): Outlets to Dana Point connection
o Green (new): Pier to San Clemente State Beach
o Yellow (new): Outlets to Talega (Pico corridor)
2. SC Rides, provided by Lyft and Butterfli
Due to the removal of bus routes by OCTA, SC Rides has been a fundamental necessity to the City, with over 2,500 riders per month. No operational changes are expected under this service; however, the City would like to increase funding levels to $400,000 per year beginning in FY25. The City is working with OCTA to address FY24 independently since funding for this service lapses July 1, 2023 under the current grant agreement.
3. NEV Circulators
The City would be interested in providing last mile service via NEV circulators.
This service could be on demand or fixed route, providing extended service from Trolley stops to more neighborhood or local beach locations. The City would be interested in reviewing both turnkey solutions (e.g. Circuit) as well as blended solutions (city-owned vehicles, contracted drivers).
Sincerely,
City of San Clemente Page
4 Andy Hall
City Manager