Citing His Mayoral Candidacy, Villaraigosa Quits MTA Board

Los Angeles Councilman Antonio Villaraigosa has resigned from the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s board because he is running for mayor against the man who appointed him, James K. Hahn.

Villaraigosa notified Hahn by letter Friday that he was leaving the 13-member board of the MTA, which operates Los Angeles County’s largest bus and rail system, effective immediately.

“As the mayor’s appointee, I feel it is appropriate to step down,” Villaraigosa said in a statement.

The move frees the Eastside councilman from a state law that bars MTA directors from soliciting or receiving campaign contributions of more than $10 from individuals, contractors or other companies that do business with the agency.

State lawmakers imposed the limit in 1997 in response to allegations that campaign contributions had influenced the awarding of contracts for construction of Los Angeles rail projects.

To avoid conflicts of interest, any MTA board member who received more than $10 in campaign contributions from MTA contractors during the last four years was barred from voting on matters involving that donor except in special circumstances.

In his letter to Hahn, Villaraigosa said he “greatly enjoyed the last year” on the MTA board. Villaraigosa said he was proud of his role in helping to resolve a five-week strike that shut down the nation’s second-largest transit system last fall.

Villaraigosa, Hahn and Los Angeles Councilman Martin Ludlow were initially barred from participating in contract negotiations because they had received campaign contributions from MTA unions.

But a state court sided with Villaraigosa and ordered that they be allowed into the talks.

In his letter of resignation, Villaraigosa also said he was proud to support diversity in MTA contracting and bond underwriting and to comply with a federal consent decree to improve bus service.