Hailing it as a historic day for Santa Clarita, Mayor Pro Tem Patsy Ayala was sworn in Thursday as the city’s first representative on the board of the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority.
Known as Metro, the board influences billions of dollars in regional transportation investment.
“I have seen firsthand how transportation decisions affect our families, workers, businesses, and communities,” Ayala said at the ceremony at Santa Clarita City Hall. “I want to be clear. I am here to represent all 12 cities in our region. Our communities may be different, but we are connected by the same transportation system, and our success depends on working together.”
Metro board clerk Collette Langston, who said she also lives in the Santa Clarita Valley, administered the oath and joked that she was working from home Thursday.
Metro controls Measure M, a half-cent sales tax approved in 2016 with 71% of the vote and no sunset date.
The measure is intended to “fund projects to ease traffic, repair local streets and sidewalks, expand public transportation, earthquake retrofit bridges and subsidize transit fares for students, seniors and persons with disabilities.” It is expected to produce more than $120 billion over decades. 4
“Santa Clarita, with its growth, became the largest city in that region and didn’t have the representation. So having Patsy sit on that board is important for that part of Los Angeles County,” said Stuart Waldman, CEO of BizFed, a Los Angeles-based business advocacy organization. “She’s going to make decisions on how money is spent, where that money goes, what projects are supported, what mode for a project that’s already been approved. … She’ll make decisions on all the transit frequency.”
Setting those investment priorities is central to Metro’s function and was part of the initial battle over the North County’s subregional seat, previously held by recently retired Glendale Councilman Ara Najarian.
Santa Clarita Councilman Jason Gibbs was nominated for the seat in July. Tradition calls for the greater Metro board to approve the subregion’s pick, which was expected at a July 30 meeting. There, a campaign against Gibbs painted him as pro-highway and anti-transit, according to a person familiar with the proceedings who spoke on background and described the advocates as “coming out of the woodwork.”
The selection went back to the city subcommittee, which chose Ayala. She was confirmed Wednesday.
During the ceremony, Gibbs was representing the city at a Transportation Committee meeting of the Southern California Association of Governments. Asked about the process, he pointed to his Sept. 19 column in The Signal, which suggested partisan politics and his congressional campaign were behind the protest.
“I want to congratulate Mayor Pro Tem Ayala for navigating the selection process and getting the opportunity to represent our sector and our city on this important and influential board,” he wrote in a text message Thursday.
Gibbs’ opponent in the congressional race, Rep. George Whitesides, D-Santa Clarita, also attended but declined to address the claim of partisanship in the selection process.
“Well, we’re just so happy that Patsy was elected, and she’s going to be a terrific representative for everybody in the North County,” Whitesides said after the swearing-in, “and we’re very happy that we have this wonderful day.”
Mayor Laurene Weste, who gave opening and closing remarks, said Ayala’s confirmation vote the previous day left little time to prepare speeches.
“This is a monumental, monumental event for us, and we are thrilled,” Weste said. “And I know the leadership will be good, and I know we will join with all the cities, and we will meet what the districts need, what the areas need.”
Ayala told the supporters gathered at City Hall, many recording video with their phones, that they could count on her to listen, collaborate and represent the community.
“My commitment is simple: I will listen, I will collaborate. Show up,” Ayala said. “You know I show up, right? But also to work to ensure every community’s voice is heard.”
