Glendale Central Library Pop-Up Event Promotes Low Fare Transit for Public

Program is a specifically hopes to reach low-income riders where they live, work

By Ingrid Lohne

Low-Income Fare is Easy (LIFE) “is a transformative program which represents greater mobility opportunities for residents across Los Angeles County,” said Glendale Councilmember and Metro Board Chair Ara Najarian on the chilly morning of Nov 3 on the steps of Glendale Central Library “I am excited to see the first in-person pop-up enrollment event in Glendale We want to get the word out about how the LIFE program provides expanded mobility and financial relief to low-income residents, especially in light of record high gasoline prices ”

In-person outreach is part of a cross-organizational county-wide effort between LA County Metro and 14 transit agencies to increase overall participation in the LIFE program “Our board made a motion at the end of last year to double the number of enrolled LIFE participants by the end of 2022 At that time, there were around 91,000 participants As of today, at around 98 7% - we’re very close to doubling the goal, slightly ahead of schedule We’re excited about that!” said Devon Deming, Deputy Executive Officer of Metro’s Fareless System Initiative Meeting the goal requires enrolling about 1,500 people by year’s end

While LIFE provides an excellent low-cost/no-cost transportation option for most low-income LA County residents, including family members of GCC students, GoPass is a better deal for GCC students –it’s free In August, Glendale Community College (GCC), the City of Glendale Beeline, and the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) announced the GoPass program that allows all GCC students who enroll to receive a year-long transit pass good for unlimited free bus and train rides across participating transit systems

LA County Metro, Glendale Beeline, and LA County Department of Social Services representatives were on hand to enroll applicants and address other basic needs of low-income residents Many low-income riders use cash for their transport purchases, making them inaccessible to electronic means of program awareness Locations of in-person pop-up events are chosen to specifically reach low-income riders where they work and live Applications are available 24/7 on the Metro website

“We are here today to support the LIFE program and offer Glendale Beeline information to our residence,” said Glendale Beeline representative Tatevik Vardanyan “Working with the LIFE program expands the mobility of transit users and offers them broader access to public transportation ” According to their website, the Glendale Beeline operates twelve fixed routes serving the cities of Glendale and La Cañada Flintridge and the unincorporated areas of La Crescenta and Montrose The Beeline functions primarily as a community circulator system that complements the regional transit service provided to Glendale residents by Metro routes

“The Metro’s LIFE program makes free rides available for the low-income population, with qualifications, 20 free rides per month for 12 months To qualify, you must be low-income or have access to public benefits,” said LIFE program administrator and International Institute of Los Angeles’ case manager Erick Burgos “If you need more than 20 free rides, you can get discounts on monthly passes or access student passes ” Firsttime LIFE program applicants get a free 90-day Metro pass after approval The rider then chooses between 20 free rides a month or unlimited rides for $24 a month Both options significantly discount the regular pass price of $100/month For a household of one, annual income must be $41,700 or less to qualify

“Another important resource for students is access to debt forgiveness and assistance with utility bills (energy, gas, phone, internet) through the California Public Utilities Commission,” said Burgos “International Institute of Los Angeles can assist low-income residents and students with access to a variety of services ”

All GCC Students are eligible for a free GoPass, which is good for unlimited rides on Metro, Glendale Beeline, and 12 other transit agencies To get your free student GoPass, fill out an application or contact the GCC Cares office at GoPass@glendale edu

GCC to Host First Ever Research Symposium

By Reut Cohen Schorr

For the first time, Glendale Community College will host a Research Symposium, inviting students from across disciplines to share their research The program will be held on May 15 in Sierra Vista 130 from noon to 4 p m There will be both inperson and hybrid components to appeal to different student participants

Students will be able to present their research in various mediums, including, traditional and nontraditional (oral, PowerPoint, essay, visual, and more) Students can present research they wrote about in an essay, share any print or digital art they created for a class, or any other kind of major class assignment

The pilot committee for the symposium is made up of English division chair Sarah McLemore, English instructor Heather Ramos, speech instructor Samantha Garaliano, and journalism instructor Reut Cohen Schorr While the faculty involved are from the English and Language Arts divisions, the Symposium is meant for all of campus as a truly interdisciplinary effort Faculty are encouraged to nominate students or encourage students to apply to participate in the Symposium Applications are due by April 14

If you are a faculty member with questions, please reach out to Sarah McLemore at sarahm@glendale edu

If you are a student and have questions, please reach out to Reut Cohen Schorr at rcohen@glendale edu

Interested students who would like to present can scan the QR code on this page or visit the following link fill out a special form: bit.ly/GCCSymposiumForm