The State : Deukmejian’s Veto Saves RTD

Gov. George Deukmejian vetoed a bill that would have killed off RTD, along with the Los Angeles County transportation commission, and set up a replacement agency to run buses and build new transit systems and highways. The action dealt a blow to a reorganization effort that was ignited by reports of mismanagement at the Southern California Rapid Transit District, which operates the county bus system and is building the $4-billion Metro Rail subway. “Unfortunately, the authority created by this bill would inherit many of the same problems which plague existing service providers. If I were to have signed this bill, it would have raised false expectations that the transit service would improve. In reality many of the differences between the old systems and new are of a cosmetic nature,” Deukmejian said.