BILL ANALYSIS Ó
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|SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | SB 1472|
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THIRD READING
Bill No: SB 1472
Author: Mendoza (D) and Lara (D)
Amended: 6/1/16
Vote: 21
SENATE TRANS. & HOUSING COMMITTEE: 6-3, 4/19/16
AYES: Beall, Cannella, Leyva, McGuire, Mendoza, Wieckowski
NOES: Allen, Gaines, Galgiani
NO VOTE RECORDED: Bates, Roth
SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE: 5-1, 5/27/16
AYES: Lara, Beall, Hill, McGuire, Mendoza
NOES: Nielsen
NO VOTE RECORDED: Bates
SUBJECT: Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation
Authority
SOURCE: Author
DIGEST: This bill expands the governing board of the Los
Angeles Metropolitan Transportation Authority (METRO) from 14 to
22 members, as specified.
ANALYSIS:
Existing law:
1)Establishes the County Transportation Commissions Act, which
provides for the creation of county transportation commissions
in the Counties of Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San
Bernardino, and Ventura, with various powers and duties
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relative to transportation planning and funding, as specified.
2)Establishes METRO, which is the successor agency to the
Southern California Rapid Transit District and the Los Angeles
County Transportation Commission.
3)Provides METRO with specified powers and duties relative to
transportation planning, programming, and operations in the
County of Los Angeles.
4)Specifies the METRO Board of Directors is comprised of 14
members consisting of:
a) Five members of the Los Angeles Board of Supervisors
b) The Mayor of Los Angeles
c) Two public members and one Los Angeles City Council
Member, appointed by the Mayor of Los Angeles
d) Four members selected by the Los Angeles County City
Selection Committee
e) One non-voting member appointed by the Governor
This bill:
1)Expands the METRO governing board from 14 to 22 voting
members, specifically adding the following members:
a) An additional public member appointed by the Mayor of
Los Angeles
b) The Mayor from the City of Long Beach
c) Four additional members selected by the Los Angeles
County City Selection Committee
d) One member appointed by the Speaker of the California
State Assembly and one member appointed by the Senate Rules
Committee
2)Requires that the two appointed board members by the State
Legislature reside in Los Angeles County and are not to hold
residence in the same city as any other METRO Board member at
the time of appointment and further specifies the appointed
board members are to be selected from a list of candidates
provided by the Los Angeles County City Selection Committee.
Background
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METRO is a multimodal transportation agency providing a variety
of transportation-related services and functions for Los Angeles
County. These services/functions include transportation
planning, transit services (both bus and light rail), capital
construction projects, and administering several local sales tax
measures.
Comments
Purpose. The author notes, "As the regional transportation
planner for all of Los Angeles County, METRO serves more than
9.6 million people - nearly one-third of California's residents
- who live, work, and play within its 1,433-square-mile service
area. METRO develops and oversees transportation plans,
policies, funding programs, and both short-term and long-range
solutions that address the County's increasing mobility,
accessibility, and environmental needs. It is critical that the
Board delivers on the needs of residents across the entire
county. Currently, transportation decisions and investments
made by the METRO must be aligned with the California
Transportation Plan in an effort to meet statewide
transportation needs. Under current law, METRO must seek
authority from the state to impose, with voter approval,
additional sales tax revenues for transportation projects and
programs because L.A. County has reached its transactions and
use tax limit."
Other local transportation boards. The governing boards of
local transportation agencies vary across the state. For
example, the Orange County Transportation Authority is comprised
of 18 board members that include members from the County Board
of Supervisors; members selected by the city selection
committee, with several board members selected based on
population and several others based on city representation; two
public members appointed by the board; and the State Department
of Transportation (Caltrans) district director (non-voting
member). Whereas the Bay Area Metropolitan Transportation
Commission (MTC) is comprised of 21 commissioners that include
members from various Bay Area counties and cities; Mayor's
appointees from the cities of Oakland, San Francisco, and San
Jose; a member representing the Council of Governments; and the
Caltrans district director for the region (non-voting member).
Thus, the board composition of these respective agencies is
reflective of the regional needs and functions they carry out
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and is typical of other local transportation agencies throughout
the state.
State's existing role. Governing boards for local county
transportation commissions (CTC) and regional transportation
planning agencies (RTPA) are identified in statute and primarily
consist of locally elected officials and public members who are
either appointed by an elected official, selected by a
county/city selection committee, or who have a designated seat
specified in statue (e.g., Mayor of Los Angeles). While the
Governor does have a designated appointment on most CTCs and
RTPAs throughout the state, those appointments are non-voting
(ex officio) board members and are typically the State
Department of Transportation's (Caltrans) district director for
that specific region/county. Currently, there is not a local
transportation or transit governing board that has a
state-appointed voting board member.
Legislature's role. Presently, both the Assembly Speaker and
Senate Rules Committee do in fact have the authority to appoint
members to various state boards and commissions. For example,
both have the authority to appoint a member to the California
Transportation Commission. Under the existing framework, the
Governor appoints nine members to the Commission, while the
Senate Rules Committee and Assembly Speaker each appoint one
member. In addition to these 11 voting members, two ex officio,
non-voting members sit on the CTC, which are the Chairs of the
Senate and Assembly Transportation Committees.
This bill, in addition to the new locally appointed and selected
members, expands the Legislature's role by authorizing the
Speaker of the State Assembly and the Senate Rules Committee to
each appoint a governing board member with voting authority to
METRO, a local transportation agency. This bill further
specifies that these appointments are to be selected from a
designated list generated by the Los Angeles County City
Selection Committee.
FISCAL EFFECT: Appropriation: No Fiscal
Com.:Yes Local: Yes
According to the Senate Appropriations Committee:
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1)There would be unknown local costs, some of which may be
reimbursable by the state General Fund.
2)Potentially reimbursable costs could be in the low hundreds of
thousands in a given year.
3)If METRO were to submit a reimbursement claim, actual costs
would depend upon a determination by the Commission on State
Mandates (Commission) regarding what expenses incurred by
METRO are deemed to be subject to state reimbursement.
SUPPORT: (Verified 6/1/16)
City of Bellflower
City of Buena Park
City of Downey
City of Pico Rivera
City of Torrance
Eco-Rapid Transit Board of Directors
OPPOSITION: (Verified 6/2/16)
Ara Najarian, Councilmember, City of Glendale
City of Los Angeles
Honorable Eric Garcetti, Second Vice-Chair, METRO Board of
Directors
Honorable John Fasana, First Vice-Chair, METRO Board of
Directors
Honorable Mark Ridley-Thomas, Chair, METRO Board of Directors
International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Local 11
Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors
Los Angeles and Orange County Building and Construction Trades
Council
Hilda Solis, Los Angeles County Supervisor, First District
Mobility 21
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Prepared by:Manny Leon / T. & H. / (916) 651-4121
6/2/16 11:55:31
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