New OCTA Leader Advocates Light Rail
In a move that could increase the likelihood of a light-rail system coming to Orange County, Sarah L. Catz has been named chairwoman of the Orange County Transportation Authority’s board of directors.
Catz, the first woman to hold that position, was elected to the one-year term unanimously by the 11-member board Monday. The 40-year-old attorney from Laguna Beach has long been an advocate of rail.
“My one absolute priority,” Catz said recently, is to ensure public transportation for “people who don’t have cars and can’t drive.”
One of the most controversial issues facing the board is a proposal to build a light-rail system from Fullerton to Irvine.
In October, the board authorized $6 million for preliminary engineering on the proposed $1.7-billion system.
If all goes well and federal funding is obtained, OCTA officials have said, construction could begin within a decade.
In addition to having been an OCTA board member since 1993, Catz serves on the board of the Southern California Regional Rail Authority, which oversees Metrolink planning.
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