At MTA meeting, Najarian rebukes effort to unseat him from the board

Glendale Councilman Ara Najarian on Thursday publicly slammed efforts to unseat him from the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, calling them “an outrage” that threatened to throw the board into chaos.

Najarian’s comments came during the first MTA meeting since failing earlier this month to get enough votes from a committee that makes appointments to the board -- an outcome he claimed was “orchestrated” by officials upset by his opposition to a 710 Freeway extension through Pasadena.

He blasted John Fasana, a fellow MTA member and mayor of Duarte, and Alhamba Mayor Barbara Messina -- both members of the City Selection Committee -- for urging other committee members to vote against him even though representatives from the North Cities sector, including Glendale and Burbank, nominated him for another four-year term.

With Fasana seated next to him at the MTA board meeting Thursday, Najarian threatened to file a censure motion during the heated rebuke.

“I have a censure motion I was going to put forth against John Fasana,” Najarian said as he held up a document, with some audience members clapping and one shouting, “Do it.”

“But in the efforts of dignity, I decided not to do that because this board will break down into further chaos,” Najarian added.

Representatives from cities throughout Los Angeles County voted against Najarian, but a concentration of the nays came from cities in the San Gabriel Valley.

Najarian, whose current term expires on Jan. 1, has vowed to rally support at the next selection committee meeting in January, when he says he should have adequate support to be nominated for a second term.

-- Mark Kellam, Times Community News

Follow Mark Kellam on Twitter: @LAMarkKellam