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CC - ACTION ITEM: (1) Discussion and Direction on Providing an Additional Contribution of $196,500 Toward the Plans, Specifications and Estimates Design of the Ballona Creek Bike Path Extension Project (Project); (2) FOUR-FIFTHS VOTE REQUIREMENT: Approval of a Budget Amendment Appropriating $240,000, and if Desired, an Additional $196,500, from the Mobility Improvement Fund; and (3) Authorization to the City Manager to Execute such Documents Needed to Implement the City Council’s Direction.
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Meeting Date: May 27, 2025
Contact Person/Dept: Thomas Check/Public Works Department
Phone Number: (310) 253-5627
Fiscal Impact: Yes [X] No [ ] General Fund: Yes [ ] No [X]
Attachments: Yes [ ] No [X]
Public Notification: Email: Meetings and Agendas - City Council (05/22/2025)
Department Approval: Yanni Dimitri, Public Works Director/City Engineer (05/19/2025)
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RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends the City Council (1) discuss and provide direction to the City Manager on providing an additional contribution of $196,500 toward the plans, specifications, and estimates (PS&E) design of the La Ballona Creek Bike Path Extension Project (Project); (2) approve a budget amendment appropriating $240,000, and if desired an additional $196,500, the Mobility Improvement Fund (Fund 437) (four-fifths vote required); and (3) authorize the City Manager to execute such documents needed to implement the City Council’s direction.
BACKGROUND
Created in the 1970s, the La Ballona Creek Bike Path (Bike Path) currently begins at the Pacific Ocean and ends at Syd Kronenthal Park. Originally, the Bike Path was intended to end at the Creek’s easterly terminus near the intersection of Cochran Ave & Venice Blvd in the City of Los Angeles, but that vision was never fully realized. Several years ago, Streets for All, a non-profit, launched an initiative to extend the Bike Path to its originally intended terminus.
At its February 27, 2023, meeting, the City Council authorized a contribution to Streets for All to fund a feasibility study to extend the Bike Path. The City contributed $100,000 to the study’s total cost of $430,000. The feasibility study identified a primary (preferred) route that, “provides an option for navigating key path pathway challenges through a combination of off-street and on-street adjacent [bike] path facilities. The primary route options exceed the broadest range of project goals…while maintaining the potential for funding, permitting, and constructing the pathway in a relatively expeditious manner.” Approximately 0.27 miles of the primary route’s total 1.89-mile alignment, or 14%, lies within the City of Culver City. The remaining 86% is within the City of Los Angeles.
DISCUSSION
Upon completion of the feasibility study, which can be found on Streets for All’s website at www.streetsforall.org <http://www.streetsforall.org>, the City of Los Angeles began preparing an Active Transportation Program (ATP) Cycle 7 grant application for the preparation of plans, specifications, and estimates (PS&E) for the Project. The total funding request for PS&E was $6.4 million, with a local match requirement of $1.6 million.
May 24, 2024, Culver City City Council Meeting Actions
As part of Los Angeles’ ATP application, the Culver City City Council authorized a local match contribution of $240,000 that would be required if the project was selected for funding. The local match authorized by Council was 15% of the total local match requirement, approximately commensurate with the Project’s 14% footprint within the City.
At the same meeting, the City Council also authorized City staff to submit an ATP application to fund construction of the Better Overland & Safer Fox Hills Project (which has since been split into two separate projects for public messaging purposes) with a local match commitment of $4 million.
Neither project was selected for funding by the California Transportation Commission-the agency that administers the ATP-due to an unprecedented shortfall in funds available in Cycle 7 of the grant program. The Commission received funding requests totaling $2.5 billion, which was approximately 15 times the $168.7 million in grant funding available.
Applications not selected for funding at the State level were referred to their respective Metropolitan Planning Organization (SCAG) who, in collaboration with Los Angeles Metro, awarded approximately $19.2 million in available funds to projects not selected by the CTC. SCAG selected the Ballona Creek Bike Path Extension Project for partial funding in the amount of $5,090,000, leaving a shortfall of $1,310,000.
Given the shortfall, the City of Los Angeles contacted Culver City and asked if it would be able to contribute to the shortfall in proportion to its original local match commitment. This would result in an additional contribution of $196,500, bringing Culver City’s total contribution to the Project to $100,000 + $240,000 + 196,500 = $536,500.
Funding has not been identified for construction of the Project, which is estimated to cost $24.7 million. The feasibility study identified approximately $3.5 million of the construction costs would be for improvements within Culver City.
FISCAL ANALYSIS
Funding for the originally committed local match of $240,000 was intended to be covered by the City’s General Fund. The City no longer has an Unassigned General Fund Balance and will be relying on use of the General Fund Contingency Reserve to fund deficits in the Proposed Budget for Fiscal 2025-2026. Funding for this project will need to come from other City funding sources. The Ballona Creek Bike Path Extension is included on the Adopted Mobility Improvements and Programs Project List and is therefore eligible to be funded from the Mobility Improvement Fund (Fund 437). Based upon allocations to CIP projects in the Proposed Budget for Fiscal Year 2025-2026, there will be an estimated $2.2 million available in fund balance for Fund 437. A budget amendment appropriating the match of $240,000 from Fund 437 is required for the match (four-fifths vote required).
City of LA has requested an additional $196,500 for the plans, specifications and estimates. If the additional funding request is authorized by Council, a budget amendment appropriating the additional $196,500, for a total of $436,500, from the Mobility Improvement Fund (Fund 437) would be necessary (four-fifths vote required). Utilizing these funds for this project will limit the availability of resources for other priority and construction-ready Mobility Improvement Fund-eligible projects.
ATTACHMENTS
None.
MOTIONS
That the City Council:
1. Discuss and provide direction to the City Manager on providing an additional contribution of $196,500 toward the PS&E design of the Ballona Creek Bike Path Extension Project;
2. Approve a budget amendment appropriating $240,000 from the Mobility Improvement Fund (Fund 437)(four-fifths vote required);
3. If desired, approve a budget amendment appropriating an additional $196,500 from the Mobility Improvement Fund (Fund 437) (four-fifths vote required)
4. Authorize the City Attorney to review/prepare the documents necessary to implement the City Council’s direction; and
5. Authorize the City Manager to execute such documents necessary to implement the City Council’s direction on behalf of the City.