Legislature OKs Bill on MTA Contributions
With no opposition, the Legislature has passed and sent to the governor a bill to severely restrict campaign contributions from Metro Rail contractors to elected officials who serve on the board of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.
Designed to stem the flow of political donations from contractors, the measure by state Sen. Tom Hayden (D-Los Angeles) would impose a $10 limit on such contributions.
In the past, campaign contributions have raised questions about the MTA board’s decisions in awarding hundreds of millions of dollars in subway and rail contracts.
“I believe the issue of campaign contributions has been the fundamental reason that so many decisions have been flawed,” Hayden said. “The [contracting] process is turned into a money train rather than a neutral independent process.”
The legislation also attempts to tighten requirements for a contractor to receive a “safety bonus” payment on an MTA construction project on which there have been fatal accidents or the total number of recordable injuries exceeds the national average.
Meanwhile, Hayden, joined by the chairmen of the Senate and Assembly transportation committees, introduced an amended bill Monday to place the MTA in the hands of a receiver appointed by Gov. Pete Wilson. But the revised measure is not expected to be considered until lawmakers return to work in January.
The proposal is the latest in a string of bills that would restructure the county’s troubled transit agency.
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