Hahn to Seek Legislators’ Help in Merging 2 Transit Agencies

Los Angeles County Supervisor Kenneth Hahn called Friday for merging the governing boards of the Southern California Rapid Transit District and the county Transportation Commission into a single agency, despite a gubernatorial veto that killed a similar plan last year.

Hahn said he will ask state legislators to create a regional transit board that would replace the existing transportation authorities and be governed by the five county supervisors, the mayor of Los Angeles, the Los Angeles City Council president and two representatives from smaller cities.

“Right now there’s no leadership in transportation,” Hahn charged during a news conference and blamed the disarray among local transit agencies for this week’s decision by Houston transit chief Alan Kiepper to reject the job as RTD general manager.

Kiepper, who was courted by Hahn and other local officials, turned the job down on Wednesday after citing the district’s persistent financial problems and political rivalry among the county transit agencies.

Few Details Offered

When pressed by reporters about his proposal, Hahn was short on details and said Friday that he had not yet approached any legislators about his plan, although Assemblyman Richard Polanco (D-Los Angeles) later agreed to carry the legislation.

Assemblyman Richard Katz (D-Sepulveda), chairman of the Assembly Transportation Committee, said he was unaware of Hahn’s proposal but said he had concerns about the suggested makeup of the governing board, questioning whether all five county supervisors would prove to be active participants. He also said the bill would face a difficult test in Sacramento.

However, Katz said he welcomes the proposal because it would keep the idea of a single transit agency alive in the public mind.

“I’m not very optimistic about its passage, but it continues to focus public attention on the issue and that will put more pressure on the governor to be realistic,” Katz said.

Gov. George Deukmejian last year vetoed a similar transit reorganization bill that would have abolished the two local transit bodies and created a single regional agency. The governor contended that the change would be mainly cosmetic and not improve transit service. He also objected to the bill’s requirement that 20% of the new transportation agency’s contracts go to minority firms.

Republican Alternative

A Republican alternative to that bill, carried by Assemblyman William Duplissea (R-San Carlos) and backed by fellow Supervisor Pete Schabarum, calls for a single local transit agency with an 11-member board. But Hahn has opposed the legislation, which allows for more contracting out of transit services.

Hahn contended that a new regional transit board would save $1 million in administrative costs now duplicated by the RTD and the county Transportation Commission and said he will seek the support of his fellow supervisors, who have been in Washington this week.

Hahn also suggested that Tom Tidemanson, the county’s public works director, be named to head a new regional transit agency. Hahn said he has already spoken to Tidemanson about the job but that the public works director was noncommittal.

Tidemanson was out of town Friday and could not be reached for comment.