Separate Valley Bus System Plan Is Losing Steam

A push for a breakaway bus system in the San Fernando Valley is losing momentum to a proposal that would give communities more local control within the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, officials say.

MTA board members say it is increasingly uncertain that an independent Valley system could pay for itself.

That has strengthened the prospects of MTA Chief Executive Roger Snoble’s plan to decentralize the agency into five semiautonomous sectors, including a Valley one.

“I think the sector concept is going to be the winner,” said Lancaster Mayor Frank C. Roberts, who sits on the MTA board and in the past has backed a Valley split.

Supporters of a Valley system have not given up the fight. But the 13-member MTA board must approve Valley independence, and agency insiders say that appears less and less likely.

A joint powers authority plans to formally petition the MTA within 60 days for a Valley divorce. The local-control sentiments behind the proposal are similar to those fueling the Valley secession campaign, which would carve a new city out of Los Angeles.

An independent Valley transit network would be entirely free of the MTA, with its own board and budget.

Snoble’s alternative would give the Valley and the other sectors their own general managers as well as community councils, which would rule on matters such as routes and schedules. However, the MTA would maintain ultimate control.

Advocates of a Valley breakaway often point to the “Foothill model,” referring to a bus system in the east San Gabriel Valley that separated from the MTA’s predecessor in the late 1980s. By cutting labor expenses, Foothill Transit was able to improve its bus service while saving money.

But even ardent supporters of a Valley system acknowledge that the Foothill approach cannot be duplicated today. Laws adopted a year and a half ago require new bus agencies to pay wages and benefits on par with those received by MTA workers.

That would prevent a Valley network from slashing its labor costs, transit experts say. Unions representing MTA employees oppose a Valley split.

Meanwhile, financial forecasts for a Valley bus operation have been up and down. A December 2000 report concluded that an independent system could run buses for less than the MTA, and thus save $42.6 million over 10 years.

But subsequent studies based on revised assumptions, such as lower state and federal subsidies, have predicted deficits.

Last year, it was estimated that a Valley bus zone would incur a deficit of at least $10.4 million over 10 years. The most recent analysis, released last week, estimated a $59.9-million shortfall over a decade.

“Why would the cities take on the responsibilities of an MTA role if it’s going to result in expenses for them rather than a surplus?” said Phil Aker, a spokesman for the Los Angeles Transportation Department. Los Angeles is one of the nine cities that, along with the county, comprise the joint powers authority spearheading the Valley system.

“If you look at the numbers we’re looking at today . . . to me, that’s almost a deal-breaker,” Aker said.

Proponents of a Valley network say they don’t trust the latest fiscal analysis because the MTA paid for it, and the findings do not take into account potential savings from a smaller agency’s lower overhead.

“We’ve seen numbers change,” said Los Angeles City Council President Alex Padilla, vice chairman of the joint powers authority. “Our confidence in the numbers continues to be a struggle.”

Valley independence advocates have criticized Snoble’s plan as lacking specifics and promising little change from the status quo. The Snoble proposal is also aimed at a breakaway drive in the west San Gabriel Valley, whose leaders have formed a loose alliance with advocates of a San Fernando Valley network.

The MTA board is expected to vote on at least part of the sector plan in May. If approved, the San Gabriel and San Fernando valley sectors will become operational July 1.

Supporters of a Valley system might still be able to claim a victory if the board opts for Snoble’s alternative, as long as their bid for a divorce compels the MTA to decentralize.

David Fleming, who chairs a Valley committee that is reviewing Snoble’s plan, said independence backers might even end up supporting the sectors, if the MTA grants them meaningful control over bus service.

“We’re going to sit down with [MTA executives] and see if we can come up with a [sector] system that would give the Valley autonomy,” Fleming said.