News release
In a unanimous vote, the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority board of directors approved a motion authored by county Supervisor and Metro Director Janice Hahn and co-authored by Directors Rex Richardson, mayor of Long Beach, and Tim Sandoval, mayor of Pomona, to add a dedicated Metro rider to the board of directors.
The motion seeks to give those who rely on the transit system every day a voting seat on the agency’s highest decision-making body, according to a news release from L.A. Metro.
“Today we took a big step toward making Metro more representative of the people we serve. A dedicated rider would bring a different kind of expertise on what’s working, what’s frustrating, and how our policies affect the people who rely on this system every day,” Hahn said in the release. “This isn’t about replacing anyone’s voice. It’s about adding a perspective we don’t currently have.
The motion directs Metro staff to coordinate with Metro’s community advisory councils, community-based organizations, and other stakeholder groups and report back to the board with a process for selecting the rider representative. The Metro board’s makeup will ultimately need to be approved through state legislation.
“People closest to the problems are closest to the solutions. Transit riders, especially bus riders, who feel the impact of a late bus on their everyday lives have an invaluable perspective on mobility in L.A.” Alfonso Directo Jr., advocacy director for ACT-LA, said in the release. “Voting transit riders on Metro board would prioritize and uplift a different set of issues than someone who has been elected and transit riders deserve a direct say on how Metro runs transit. ACT-LA supports the addition of transit riders to Metro board with voting authority and staffing to meaningfully and equitably participate in decision-making.”
“Transit riders have served and successfully led transit boards, providing needed accountability and oversight. Just ask Congresswoman Lateefah Simon, who served on the BART board as a rider and an accessibility advocate before getting elected to Congress, or founder of Ride New Orleans Fred Neal, Jr., who chaired the New Orleans RTA board and served for eight years,” Eli Lipmen, executive director of Move LA, said in the release. “Director Hahn’s motion to add a transit rider — and create guidelines for what it should be — is a huge step forward for Metro.”
An earlier version of Hahn’s motion had also proposed adding a dedicated seat for small cities in the county, but Hahn moved to refer that proposal back to the Ad Hoc Board Composition Committee for further study. Metro is in the process of examining the future makeup of its governing board following the passage of Measure G, which expands the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors from five members to nine by 2032.
