Compromise Forged on Plans to Reform Transit Agency Board
Sponsors of rival legislation to reform the Metropolitan Transportation Authority board have reached a compromise that would allow the Los Angeles mayor and other elected officials to continue to serve on a larger 14-member panel or appoint others to serve in their place.
The compromise calls for expanding the current 13-member MTA board by one member and eliminating the arcane system of alternates who fill in for MTA board members.
Board Chairman Larry Zarian, who brokered the compromise, said it was supported by Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan and L.A. County Supervisor Mike Antonovich, who were backing rival bills in Sacramento to restructure the MTA board.
Assemblyman Steven Kuykendall (R-Long Beach), who has introduced MTA reform legislation, said he will support the compromise and expects it to come before the full Assembly by the end of the month. “I think it’s a step in the right direction,” Kuykendall said.
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