At its Study Session on Dec. 16, the Beverly Hills City Council discussed safety issues regarding the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) station scheduled to open at Wilshire and La Cienega boulevards by March 2026.
Residents have long expressed concerns about the new station. Wilshire/La Cienega will temporarily be an end-of-line location, meaning that there are no stops past it. That designation can result in more riders disembarking into the surrounding area.
The station will remain an end-of-line location until Phase 2 of the Metro’s D Line extension is complete, which is currently projected for the end of 2026 or beginning of 2027.
“The good news is this is going to be a temporary issue, but … there are always going to be new people who come [off the Metro and into the city],” said Councilmember John Mirisch. “So, I think we just have to manage it as best we can.”
The city has poured considerable resources and time into ensuring the safety of the area when the Metro station opens.
The station will have an above-ground public safety kiosk that, according to the same representative from the city, will be staffed by Beverly Hills Police Department (BHPD) Community Service Officers (CSOs).
The council approved six CSO positions in its 2025-26 budget. According to the same representative, the city is in the final stages of hiring for those positions and plans to have the officers trained and available when the station opens. The kiosk will not be complete at that time, but a temporary structure will be erected.
The council also approved eight additional sworn BHPD positions to patrol the neighborhood around Wilshire/La Cienega. The same city representative did not make clear whether those positions have been filled, but said that they are “part of the overall department staffing and the city is continuously recruiting and hiring,” and that BHPD is “prepared to deploy the necessary officers to support the community and area surrounding the station.”
Metro will provide two sworn police officers and one sergeant on duty 24/7, and at least one fare enforcement official.
Additionally, Metro is in the process of developing its own police department that will serve the entire Metro system, including Beverly Hills.
The creation of that department is expected to take several more years. In the interim, the city is negotiating with the Los Angeles Police Department to provide officers below ground. Those officers are on track to be in place for the station opening.
At its Dec. 16 meeting, the council focused its discussion largely on how to provide services to Metro passengers who may need help, including people experiencing homelessness, and ways to communicate with local businesses that may be affected by the station and the increased foot traffic it will generate.
Beverly Hills’ existing structure for providing services to people experiencing homelessness is a collaboration between multiple partners including the Beverly Hills Fire Department, BHPD, the Beverly Hills Outreach Team, contracted security and a Department of Mental Health clinician.
“Beverly Hills is already ahead of many jurisdictions with end-of-line stations due to our established Beverly Hills Homeless Collaboration Team and the city’s consistent One City, One Team approach,” a staff report notes.
City staff also discussed at length how outreach and communication with businesses and residents in the neighborhood of the station will be conducted.
Enisha Clark, the city’s Human Services Administrator, said at the meeting that feedback from those living and working in close proximity to the station will be collected regularly. Since safety data is already gathered on a routine basis, the city will be able to easily track and compare the impact of the station in terms of individuals exiting the Metro who may pose safety concerns.
“We already know what our city looks like currently … so we have a baseline,” she said. “We’re not working from scratch. So, as we are seeing numbers increase, or influx, we have that data to go back and say, ‘This is what we’re seeing in our city.’ We can attribute it to [the new station] and really ask for that backup support.”
Clark added that businesses and residents will be encouraged to use the city’s 24/7 hotline, 310-285-2468, for reporting non-emergency issues involving people experiencing homelessness, and that a letter will be sent to businesses along the Wilshire Corridor, in the Business Triangle and along South Beverly Drive with information about how to contact the city if help is needed.
Members of the City Council expressed their satisfaction with the work being done by the Human Services Department.
“While we support increased mobility and access, we must also ensure the safety of our residents living nearby these stations, the safety of our community, our businesses, the safety and dignity of visitors and individuals experiencing crisis,” said Mayor Sharona Nazarian. “So, I think this is balanced, it is compassionate, and most importantly, it reflects leadership that values safety, a proactive approach, having people get the care that they need with empathy, dignity and preparedness.”
