Metro Board Hosts Listening Sessions On Board Of Directors Composition

LOS ANGELES, CA — Metro is in the midst of a series of listening sessions to hear from Los Angeles County residents about a proposal to alter the composition of its leadership board.

Since 1993, the Metro Board has been composed of 13 voting members, consisting of the five county supervisors, the L.A. mayor, and three mayoral appointees and four members representing the other 87 cities in the county by geographic area. In 2003, a non-voting member who represents the governor of California was added.

In 2024, voters approved Measure G, the county's Government Structure, Ethics and Accountability Charter Amendment, which established an elected county executive, an independent Ethics Commission and expanded the Board of Supervisors from five to nine members.

Metro is exploring potential changes to its board to reflect the changes at the county level. Metro is also examining whether the board should have one or several members representing daily riders.

Metro Board Chair and Whittier City Councilman Fernando Dutra established an Ad Hoc Board Composition Committee in February. The committee will review the current composition of the board, gather input from Metro riders and evaluate possible recommendations regarding board membership.

The committee will oversee preparation of a report with final recommendations by June 30.

Meetings are scheduled for the following days:

— Monday, April 13, at 5 p.m., Metro El Monte Division 9, 3449 Santa Anita Ave., El Monte. Meeting available via Zoom here;

— Wednesday, April 22, at 6 p.m., Community Advisory Council, Metro Headquarters, 1 Gateway Plaza, 3rd Floor Board Room. Meeting available via Zoom here;

— Wednesday, May 6, at 6 p.m., virtual town hall. Meeting available here.

The ad hoc committee is composed of directors Dutra, Jacquelyn Dupont- Walker, Glendale Mayor Najarian Ara Najarian, county Supervisors Lindsey Horvath and Kathryn Barger, and L.A. City Councilwoman Imelda Padilla.

Additional members include John Fasana, a Measure G Governance Reform Task Force member and former Metro board member, Terry Dipple, executive director of the Las Virgenes-Malibu Council of Governments, Tracy Hernandez, founding CEO of Los Angeles County Business Federation, Jeremy Oliver-Ronceros, vice president of Operations of DoGoodery, Ernesto Medrano, executive secretary of the LA/Orange County Building & Construction Trades Council, and Caltrans District 7 Director Gloria Roberts, who is a non-voting Metro Board member.

City News Service