Najarian chosen to lead San Fernando Valley coalition

Glendale City Councilman Ara Najarian has been elected to lead the San Fernando Valley Council of Governments as the nascent coalition sets out to implement its agenda.

Najarian -- who also serves on the board of directors for Metrolink and the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority -- takes over the post held by L.A. County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky [Update: An earlier version incorrectly stated Yaroslavsky was an L.A. councilman].

The council was established to give cities in the San Fernando Valley region a unified voice in lobbying for state and federal entitlements, and to coordinate regional infrastructure projects.

In a statement, Executive Director Robert Scott said the fact that the group only meets quarterly slows progress on moving issues forward, so he planned to tap what he called a “powerful and energetic” board to “make the most of their time.”

The coalition of cities has spent much of its first year hammering out an agenda that will likely focus on coordinating transit projects and stoking growth in intersecting business sectors to maximize job creation.