TO:
Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
THROUGH:
Talyn Mirzakhanian, City Manager
FROM:
Joe DeFrancesco, Interim Public Works Director
Gilbert Gamboa, City Engineer
Pernilla Brandt, Project Manager Consultant
SUBJECT:Title
Consideration of a Resolution Approving an Interagency Memorandum of Understanding Agreement between Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority and City of Manhattan Beach for Regional Integration of Intelligent Transportation Systems (No Budget Impact) (Interim Public Works Director DeFrancesco).
ADOPT RESOLUTION NO. 26-0045
Body
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RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends that the City Council:
1. Adopt Resolution No. 26-0045:
a. Approving an interagency memorandum of understanding agreement between the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA) in its capacity as the administrator of the Regional Integration of Intelligent Transportation Systems (RIITS) and the City of Manhattan Beach; and
b. Authorizing the City Manager and/or her designee to execute the Memorandum of Understanding Agreement (MOU Agreement).
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
There are no fiscal implications associated with the recommended action. This is a no-cost agreement. Neither the City nor LACMTA shall incur any cost from the other nor charge for anything related to this MOU Agreement.
BACKGROUND:
The RIITS program’s roots trace back to the 1984 Olympics, when coordinating interagency and interjurisdictional traffic management operations became essential. From that need and experience, and because of implementing and deploying intelligent transportation systems (ITS) that generated real-time data, the idea of RIITS was conceived. In 2004, the three-party Memorandum of Understanding (RIITS MOU) among LACMTA (a.k.a. Metro), the City of Los Angeles Department of Transportation (LADOT), and Caltrans, District 7, was executed to formally designate and adopt RIITS as an officially recognized program.
The purpose of RIITS is to facilitate the secure exchange of transportation data and operational coordination among participating agencies across Los Angeles County and surrounding regions.
LACMTA serves as the administrator of the RIITS network, responsible for:
• Maintaining and operating the system
• Managing user access
• Enforcing data-sharing policies
• Processing member and user agreements
The system enables agencies to share near-real-time information, including traffic conditions, transit operations, and incident response data.
RIITS consists of a network, systems, and administrative processes for exchanging real-time or near-real-time transportation data among agencies in Southern California. Initially, the data consisted of freeway traffic data from Caltrans District 7, traffic signal data from LADOT, and transit data from Metro. RIITS was able to collect, compile, and exchange data amongst the agencies and provide the combined data to the public. Since 2004, RIITS has expanded the network to include Caltrans Districts 8 and 12, California Highway Patrol (CHP), Foothill Transit, Los Angeles County Public Works (IEN), Waze, and others. As additional data is gathered from each agency due to the implementation of ITS products, this data is provided to program participants via RIITS.
RIITS is capable of exchanging data of various types and quantities, including census data intended for planning purposes, transit-related information from buses and rail systems, and traffic-related data from signal systems, in addition to the exchange of video. Private companies use travel times for the development of navigation applications, and traffic data is exchanged through RIITS. As RIITS is a platform for the exchange of information, it also includes a large communications network throughout Southern California that is used to exchange information on police, fire, and nearly any event within the region that may be used for situational awareness.
DISCUSSION:
In August 2024, the RIITS Configuration Management Committee (CM Committee), which includes the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, the Los Angeles Department of Transportation, and Caltrans District 7, granted voting membership to the City of Manhattan Beach within RIITS. This decision allows the City to engage in regional coordination initiatives and to exercise voting rights on system updates and policies, all while preserving complete control over its local transportation systems.
Participation in RIITS will enhance the City’s operational capabilities by providing access to near-real-time transportation data, including traffic conditions, incidents, and transit information, enabling improved traffic management, incident response, and coordination with regional partners.
Under the Agreement, the City will both receive and share transportation-related data for operational purposes, with strict safeguards ensuring that data is used only for transportation-related activities, is not recorded or redistributed without the originating agency’s approval, and may be removed or restricted by the City at any time. No personally identifiable information is required or shared, minimizing privacy risks while supporting improved regional mobility, situational awareness, and data-driven decision-making.
PUBLIC OUTREACH:
The public has been informed of this agenda item as part of the City’s standard meeting notice practices via public bulletin boards, website calendar, and social media. No further outreach is required at this time.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW:
The City Council’s consideration of an MOU Agreement with LACMTA has been determined to be exempt from CEQA pursuant to State CEQA Guidelines Section 15061(b)(3), the common sense exemption (formerly the “general rule”) that CEQA applies only to projects that have the potential for causing a significant effect on the environment. Where it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that the activity in question can have a significant effect on the environment, the activity is not subject to CEQA, as is the case with this item. Note that future projects managed via the amended contract would be independently subject to CEQA review.
LEGAL REVIEW:
The City Attorney has approved the agreement as to form. The City Attorney has reviewed this report and determined that no additional legal analysis is necessary.
ATTACHMENTS:
1. Resolution No. 26-0045
2. Agreement - Interagency Memorandum of Understanding with LACMTA RIITS
3. RIITS Membership Informational Brochure