Wave Wire Services
LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Metropolitan Transportation Authority Board of Directors has approved a motion to add a dedicated transit rider among their ranks, with the goal of giving everyday commuters who rely on public transportation a seat at the table.
The board directed staff to coordinate with agency community advisory councils, community-based organizations and other groups and create a process for selecting the rider representative. Any changes to the MTA’s board composition will need to be approved through state legislation, according to officials.
Board members L.A. County Supervisor Janice Hahn, Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson and Pomona Mayor Tim Sandoval authored the motion last week.
“Together, we took a big step toward making [the MTA] more representative of the people we serve,” Hahn said in a statement. “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.
“This isn’t about replacing anyone’s voice. It’s about adding a perspective we don’t currently have.”
An earlier version of the motion had also proposed adding a dedicated seat for small cities in the county, but during the July 23 board meeting, Hahn moved to refer that proposal back to the Ad Hoc Board Composition Committee for further study.
“The Metro Board needs a Metro rider,” Hahn said. “I’ve started riding Metro more often, and it has made me a better Metro director — but I’m not an everyday rider. We should have someone on the dais who experiences the system day in and day out and can tell us what’s working, what’s not, and how our decisions affect the people who depend on our trains and buses.”
The MTA 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.
Alfonso Directo Jr., advocacy director for ACT-LA, welcomed the vote, adding that the 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.,” Directo said in a statement. “Voting transit riders on the MTA] 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 [the MTA] runs transit.”
Eli Lipmen, executive director of Move LA, said Hahn’s motion was a huge step forward for the MTA.
Lipmen noted that transit riders have served and successfully led transit boards in other jurisdictions.
“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,” Lipmen said in a statement.
