TITLE
Recommendation to direct City Manager to support State legislation that would add a permanent seat to the Los Angeles Metropolitan Transportation Agency Board of Directors for the City of Long Beach without disproportionately affecting representation from the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors or adding more than four new voting members to the Board, bringing Board membership up to no more than 17 voting members.
DISCUSSION
After a focused discussion on the need for permanent representation for the City of Long Beach on the Los Angeles Metropolitan Transportation Agency (Metro) Board of Directors by the State Legislation Committee on February 3, 2015, the Long Beach City Council adopted a State Legislative Agenda that states the City shall, "Monitor or sponsor State legislation that proposes to change the structure of State and regional boards on which Long Beach is represented, and maximize the City's representation."
Metro serves as the largest metropolitan transportation planning organization in the nation and is comprised of 13 voting members and one ex-officio member. Metro does not include a permanent seat for the City of Long Beach. As the second largest city in Los Angeles County, inclusive of the Port of Long Beach, Long Beach shares representation with 25 cities, mostly from the Gateway Council of Governments, but also from the surrounding area as part of the Southeast Long Beach Sector.
Current State law prescribes membership on the Metro Board of Directors to be:
• Five members of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors.
• The Mayor of the City of Los Angeles.
• Two public members and one member of the City Council of the City of Los Angeles appointed by the Mayor of the City of Los Angeles.
• Four members, each of whom shall be a mayor or a member of a city council, appointed by the Los Angeles County City Selection Committee. For purposes of the selection of these four members, the County of Los Angeles, excluding the City of Los Angeles, shall be divided into the following four sectors:
• North County/San Fernando Valley Sector
• San Gabriel Valley Sector
• Southeast Long Beach Sector
• Southwest Corridor Sector
• One member of the Board includes a nonvoting member appointed by the Governor.
Mayor Robert Garcia was nominated by members of the Southeast Long Beach Sector, and confirmed by the Los Angeles City Selection Committee to the Metro Board of Directors in January 2017. In one of the Mayor's first meetings on the Metro Board, the Board unanimously voted to contract with the Long Beach Police Department (LPBD) to patrol the Blue Line and the eight stops through the City of Long Beach. The LBPD has traditionally not had jurisdiction over the Blue Line. This $30 million multi-year contract will allow Long Beach to hire approximately 30 new police officers and personnel to patrol the Blue Line and response times will improve dramatically as Metro predicts they could fall from 14 minutes to less than five. The Mayor's success on this issue is representative of the many reasons why the City of Long Beach needs a permanent seat on the Metro Board of Directors.
A permanent seat on the Metro Board of Directors would provide Long Beach with an opportunity to establish a consistent presence at Metro. Key issues impacting Long Beach that come before the Metro Board of Directors include funding for infrastructure improvements and safety along the Metro Blue Line and at Blue Line Stations located within the City, as well as funding for municipal operators, including Long Beach Transit. The Metro Board of Directors is also responsible for administrating Measure M funding, which was recently approved by voters to fund transportation projects countywide to ease traffic congestion, expand Metro's rail and rapid transit system, repave local streets and roads, as well as make public transportation more accessible.
FISCAL IMPACT
This item has no fiscal impact.
SUGGESTED ACTION
Approve recommendation.
Respectfully Submitted,
AL AUSTIN
COUNCILMAN, EIGHTH DISTRICT
LENA GONZALEZ
COUNCILWOMAN, FIRST DISTRICT
DEE ANDREWS
COUNCILMAN, SIXTH DISTRICT