Azusa Officials Demand Answers as LA Metro Allegedly Discards Passengers Overnight

Azusa, California – City officials and residents in Azusa are expressing anger and demanding accountability from Los Angeles Metro, alleging that the transit agency is repeatedly terminating late-night trains in their city and leaving passengers to disembark onto residential streets. These actions have led to concerns about increased homelessness, public disturbances, and alleged criminal activity in the community.

Residents living near the APU/Citrus College station report an influx of individuals experiencing homelessness who are forced off the trains, leading to instances of alleged break-ins, stolen parcels, and public urination. Anthony Lujan, a resident who has been documenting activity near his home since March, shared surveillance footage purportedly showing individuals climbing over a fence into a residential complex and one person defecating outside a doorway.

Metro maintains that these overnight clearances are necessary to allow crews to clean trains and perform essential maintenance before morning services. The agency stated that the final two A Line trains stop in Azusa because continuing to Pomona, the actual terminus, would leave maintenance crews with insufficient time to complete their tasks. This explanation has done little to quell the frustration of Azusa officials.

“An ideal solution honestly would be to get fare gates and to stop kicking off all the riders here in Azusa,” said Azusa Mayor Edward Alvarez. “We don’t have the resources to support them.” City manager Sergio Gonzalez echoed these sentiments, questioning why trains couldn't stop at intermediate stations like Glendora or San Dimas before reaching Pomona. "If the trains start up again at 4am and the last train here is at 1:30am, the maths doesn’t add up," Gonzalez stated, calling for "action" rather than further studies.

Azusa officials have sent three letters to Metro regarding the issue without receiving a satisfactory response. The city manager has called for fare gates and stronger enforcement measures.

The situation in Azusa mirrors similar complaints raised by residents and business owners in Long Beach in 2022 concerning Metro's end-of-line policy. A Metro assessment at that time indicated that an average of 39 individuals experiencing homelessness were forced off the final two trains in Long Beach each night, often when accommodation and support services were difficult to access. This had shifted the burden of homelessness onto neighborhoods surrounding the Long Beach station, leading to discussions at the board level about the impact of these clearances and potential outreach services.

In response to the escalating concerns from Azusa, Metro has stated it is considering fare gates at the station and has increased cleaning, security, and outreach efforts along the A Line. The agency utilizes HOME outreach teams to connect individuals with services and collaborates with security and law enforcement partners for fare-compliance checks. Metro also noted a partnership with Pomona provides five dedicated beds for care teams.

A spokesperson for Metro said, "We are committed to continuing the tremendous benefits of the A Line while addressing the concerns about what happens around stations during late-night hours." However, Azusa officials remain unsatisfied, with a meeting between city managers and Metro representatives reportedly scheduled for November 5 to discuss fare gates and changes to the overnight train clearance policy.

The controversy has also sparked debate among the public online, with many questioning Metro's operational logic and whether similar issues are occurring at other end-of-line stations. A common query asks why trains cannot be cleaned and maintained at Pomona, the final stop, rather than Azusa.