Meeting_Body
OPERATIONS, SAFETY AND CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE COMMITTEE
JUNE 20, 2024
Subject
SUBJECT: ANNUAL APPOINTMENTS TO METRO’S SERVICE COUNCILS
Action
ACTION: APPROVE RECOMMENDATION
Heading
RECOMMENDATION
Title
APPROVE nominees for membership in Metro’s San Fernando Valley, San Gabriel Valley, South Bay Cities, and Westside Central Service Councils.
Issue
ISSUE
Each Metro Service Council (MSC) is comprised of nine Representatives who serve terms of three years; terms are staggered so that the terms of three of each Council’s nine members expire annually on June 30. Incumbent Representatives can serve additional terms if re-nominated by the nominating authority and confirmed by the Metro Board.
Background
BACKGROUND
Metro Service Councils were created in 2002 as community-based bodies that improved bus service and promoted service coordination with municipal and local transit providers. The MSC bylaws specify that Representatives should live in, work in, or represent the region, have a basic working knowledge of public transit service within their area, and understand passenger transit needs. To do so, each Representative is expected to ride at least one transit service per month.
The MSCs are responsible for convening public hearings to receive community input on proposed service modifications, rendering decisions on proposed bus route changes, and considering staff’s recommendations and public comments. All route and major service changes approved by the MSCs will be brought to the Metro Board of Directors as an information item. Should the Metro Board decide to move an MSC-approved service change to an Action Item, the MSCs will be notified of this change before the next Service Council monthly meeting.
Discussion
DISCUSSION
The individuals listed below have been nominated by the Council’s nominating authorities. If approved by the Board, they will serve for the three-year terms specified. A brief listing of qualifications for new nominees and the nomination letters are provided in Attachments A and B.
For reference, the 2022 American Community Survey demographics and 2023 Metro Ridership Survey demographics for each region are compared to the seated membership, should these nominees be appointed.
*Note: In the tables providing sex/gender representation data for each Council, the Los Angeles County data is taken from the Census 2022 Quick Facts, which includes a question that intends to capture current sex, but does not include questions about gender, sexual orientation, or sex at birth.
San Fernando Valley Service Council
A. David Perry, Reappointment
Nominated by: Los Angeles County Fifth District Supervisor Kathryn Barger
Term: July 1, 2024 - June 30, 2027
B. Myung-Soo Seok, New Appointment
Nominated by: Cities of Burbank, Glendale, and San Fernando
Term: July 1, 2024 - June 30, 2027
One vacancy remains on this Council with a term of July 1, 2024 - June 30, 2027. The nominating authority for the vacant seat is Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass.
With the appointment of these nominees, the San Fernando Valley (SFV) Service Council membership will compare to the region and the region’s ridership as follows:
The gender makeup of the SFV Service Council will be as follows:
San Gabriel Valley Service Council
C. Benjamin Wong, Reappointment
Nominated by: San Gabriel Valley Council of Governments
Term: July 1, 2024 - June 30, 2027
D. Gabriela Eddy, New Appointment
Nominated by: Los Angeles County First District Supervisor Hilda L. Solis
Term: July 1, 2024 - June 30, 2027
One vacancy remains on this Council with a term of July 1, 2024 - June 30, 2027. The nominating authority for the vacant seat is the Cities of Arcadia, El Monte, and Temple City.
With the appointment of these nominees, the San Gabriel Valley (SGV) Service Council membership will compare to the region and the region’s ridership as follows:
The gender makeup of the SGV Service Council will be as follows:
South Bay Cities Service Council
E. Rochelle Mackabee, Reappointment
Nominated by: South Bay Cities Council of Governments
Term: July 1, 2024 - June 30, 2027
F. Donald Szerlip, Reappointment
Nominated by: San Gabriel Valley Council of Governments
Term: July 1, 2024 - June 30, 2027
One vacancy remains on this Council with a term of July 1, 2024 - June 30, 2027. The nominating authority for the vacant seat is the South Bay Cities Council of Governments.
With the appointment of these nominees, the South Bay Cities (SBC) Service Council membership will compare to the region and the region’s ridership as follows:
The gender makeup of the SBC Service Council will be as follows:
Westside Central Cities
G. Thomas Praderio, Reappointment
Nominated by: Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass
Term: July 1, 2024 - June 30, 2027
H. Pamela Sparrow, Reappointment
Nominated by: Los Angeles County Second District Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell
Term: July 1, 2024 - June 30, 2027
I. Martha Eros, Reappointment
Nominated by: Westside Central Cities Council of Governments
Term: July 1, 2024 - June 30, 2027
Two vacancies remain on this Council; the terms of the vacant seats are July 1, 2022 - June 30, 2025, and July 1, 2023 - June 30, 2026, respectively. The nominating authority for the vacant seats is Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass;
With the appointment of these nominees, the Westside Central Cities (WSC) Service Council membership will compare to the region and the region’s ridership as follows:
The gender makeup of the WSC Service Council will be as follows:
Determination_Of_Safety_Impact
DETERMINATION OF SAFETY IMPACT
Maintaining the full complement of representatives on each Service Council to represent each service area is essential, as each Representative is required to use public transit regularly, and each Council is composed of people from diverse regions and backgrounds. This enables each council to better understand the needs of transit riders, including the need for the safe operation of transit services and the safe location of bus stops.
Equity_Platform
EQUITY PLATFORM
Metro recommends appointing Service Council members who represent the diverse needs and priorities reflective of the demographics of each respective region. To encourage nominating authorities to nominate individuals who closely reflect the region and its ridership, staff shares regional ridership, resident, and Service Council membership race/ethnicity and gender demographics with each nomination request. This practice has resulted in the Service Councils becoming much more diverse in terms of both race/ethnicity and gender over the last several years. However, approximately half of LA County residents and Metro riders are women, and work still needs to be done to achieve gender equity in some of the Service Councils. Staff will continue to share demographic information and encourage nominating authorities to give weight to gender equity when considering individuals for nomination.
Implementation_of_Strategic_Plan_Goals
IMPLEMENTATION OF STRATEGIC PLAN GOALS
Approval of this recommendation supports the following Metro Strategic Plan Goal: 30 Enhance communities and lives through mobility and access to opportunity.
Alternatives_Considered
ALTERNATIVES CONSIDERED
The alternative to the recommendation would be for these nominees not to be approved for appointment. Doing so would reduce the effectiveness of the Service Councils, as it would increase the difficulty of obtaining the quorum necessary for this Service Council to formulate and submit its recommendations to the Board. It would also result in the Service Councils having a less diverse representation of their respective service areas.
Next_Steps
NEXT STEPS
Staff will continue to monitor the major contributors to the quality of bus service from the customer’s perspective and share that information with the Service Councils for use in their work to plan, implement, and improve bus service and the customer experience in their areas. Staff will also continue to work with the nominating authorities to recruit and identify potential candidates to fill the remaining vacancies.
Attachments
ATTACHMENTS
Attachment A - New Appointees Nomination Letters
Attachment B - New Appointees Biographies and Qualifications
Prepared_by
Prepared by: Dolores Ramos, Senior Manager, Regional Service Councils, (213) 922-1210
Reviewed_By
Reviewed by: Conan Cheung, Chief Operations Officer, (213) 418-3034
