Bill Signed Insulating MTA Inspector General
Gov. Pete Wilson has signed legislation to insulate the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s inspector general from political interference by establishing a fixed four-year term and tough requirements for removal from office.
The bill carried by Assembly Majority Leader Antonio Villaraigosa (D-Los Angeles) also incorporates into state law a code of conduct adopted by MTA board members last January at the insistence of federal officials.
The measure gives Inspector General Arthur Sinai the ability to enforce restrictions against board members receiving gifts, soliciting campaign contributions from contractors or voting on contracts where they have a direct financial interest.
Prompted by newspaper reports of ethical and safety problems at the MTA, the legislative package of which the measure is a part also requires the Los Angeles County transit agency to change the way it reports the number of injuries suffered by workers on its rail projects.
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