Transit Bill Runs Into Roadblock

Assemblyman Tom McClintock mobilized Republicans on Thursday to temporarily block a bill, strongly opposed by San Fernando Valley business leaders, that would hinder creation of a new bus transit agency for the Valley.

The measure, sponsored by state Sen. Kevin Murray (D-Los Angeles) and a host of powerful Democrats, including Assembly Speaker Antonio Villaraigosa (D-Los Angeles), would require that any transit zones formed in the area covered by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority pay workers according to existing agreements between the MTA and labor unions.

As a result of a procedural gambit by McClintock (R-Northridge), the controversial bill, which the Valley Industry and Commerce Assn. considered a ploy to kill an independent transit district for the Valley, will not be heard until January at the earliest.

It had been headed for the Assembly Appropriations Committee, and would then have gone to the Assembly floor for a final vote. It has already been approved by the Senate.

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Democratic supporters called the maneuver a “cheap stunt,” but happy Republicans claimed victory in what they called a game of legislative “chicken.”

“We threw a monkey wrench into their plan,” McClintock said. “There was not a vote in our caucus for it. It’s important that additional scrutiny be given to this. This gives the community time to lobby for a transit zone that is not stuck with the corruption and waste of the MTA. That corruption and waste is the reason we want our own transit zone in the first place.”

Supporters of McClintock praised him and the Republicans on Thursday, saying they had won business groups more time to mobilize opposition.

“Because of Tom’s leadership, and his procedural move, we are able to breathe some life back into this issue,” said Irwin Rosenberg, co-chairman of VICA’s transportation committee and western area vice president for Laidlaw Transit Services Inc., a bus company that vehemently opposes the bill. “This was a tremendous surprise,” he added.

But Democrats said the Republicans’ move will have little actual significance. Villaraigosa and Assemblyman Bob Hertzberg (D-Sherman Oaks) have already committed to keeping the union-backed legislation alive this year by finding another bill to amend it to.

“The end result, as far as I can see, will be zero,” said Paul Heffner, a Hertzberg aide. “The contents of this bill will be heard in another bill next week.”

The transit bill represents a third wave of a Valley independence movement, following the drive to break up the Los Angeles Unified School District, and to secede politically from the city of Los Angeles.

An independent agency is needed because the MTA has failed to efficiently and fairly provide services to Valley residents, some claim. But the last time such an agency was established, in the San Gabriel Valley, the result was both more efficient services and a loss of union jobs. Democrats bitterly oppose the latter.

McClintock and the Republican Caucus took advantage of complicated capitol procedures that went into effect due to the lateness of the legislative season, which is due to end Sept. 10.

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Under Assembly rules, committees cannot take up bills in the last weeks of the session without a two-thirds vote of the full house.

McClintock, seeing an opportunity to block the transit bill, persuaded Republicans to stand firm and not agree to including the transit measure in a larger omnibus waiver resolution for 290 late-running pieces of legislation.

When Republicans notified the Democratic Caucus they would not support the waiver, Democrats fired back, saying they would then block everything else in the resolution, not support any of the other waivers on the table, according to McClintock. Republicans did not fold, and Democrats retreated, turning the legislation into a two-year bill, meaning it will be revived and reconsidered in January.

“The Democrats were playing a game of chicken,” said Kirk Hutson, McClintock’s chief of staff. “Their threat was, ‘If you don’t let this one by, we won’t let anything else by.’ Well, we basically looked at everything else, and said, ‘OK, go ahead.’ And they blinked.

“This means that the people of the Valley have a couple more months to fight this thing.”

Hardly so, Villaraigosa spokeswoman Elena Stern said. She said Villaraigosa and Hertzberg were already hard at work looking for the right bill to be heard next week by the Appropriations Committee.

“The Republicans refused to vote on rule waivers,” Stern said. “It was a cheap stunt that jeopardized 290 bills, and it won’t serve much of a purpose. The speaker and Mr. Hertzberg have taken immediate action to solve the problem.”