Assembly OKs Bill to Abolish RTD, Establish a Super Transit Agency

The Assembly today unanimously approved legislation to abolish the troubled Southern California Rapid Transit District and replace it with a super agency with wide authority over bus and rail lines and highways in Los Angeles County.

The 65-0 vote sent the measure to the Senate, where similar legislation is moving toward passage. The action in the Legislature means that the demise of the RTD, hard hit by revelations of management failure, seems all but assured.

The apparent agreement on reorganization in both houses also means the replacement of the RTD’s controversial general manager, John Dyer, with a new transit chief, probably early next year, legislators said.

Feb. 1 Dissolution

The Assembly bill, by Chairman Richard Katz (D-Sepulveda) of the Assembly Transportation Committee, abolishes the RTD next Feb. 1.

All the district’s power would go over to the Los Angeles County Transportation Commission, a presently existing body that would become the county’s super transportation agency.

It would be in charge of all rail line planning, construction and operations; most countywide bus operations and would recommend all new highway routes to the California Transportation Commission, which has the final say in state highway planning. Dyer’s departure would come about as a result of the new agency taking over RTD operations and this agency would recruit its own general manager, Katz said.

The new agency would be run by a board consisting of the five Los Angeles County supervisors; the mayor of Los Angeles; two members of the Los Angeles City Council, including one from the San Fernando Valley; a Long Beach City Council representative; two representatives of small cities in the county; a non-voting member appointed by the governor and non-voting members from Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and Ventura counties.

The Senate bill, by Sen. Alan Robbins (D-Van Nuys), is not much different than Katz’ measure. Katz and a Robbins aide said the two men will meet and iron out differences between the two measures.

Robbins’ bill, meanwhile, is expected to be heard Tuesday by the Senate Transportation Committee as the pace of transit reorganization in Sacramento quickened beyond earlier expectations.

Still to be worked out is a dispute over just how many board meetings the elected officials--the mayor, the supervisors, and council members--will have to attend.

Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley is holding out for attendance for just major issues, while Katz wants the elected officials to be on hand more often to make them more accountable for transit decisions.

Katz told the lower house that “accident troubles” at the RTD, and other “serious problems” in the agency prompted him to introduce the measure.

Without the bill, he said, “the system will fall apart.”

Katz said a major advantage of the bill would be to end duplication of efforts by the RTD and the county Transportation Commission in transportation planning and construction.

At present the RTD operates most bus lines in the county. It is designing and plans to build the Metrorail subway, in addition to operating it. The transportation commission is building a light rail line, which would be operated by the RTD, and decides highway and light rail line routes.