Meeting_Body
OPERATIONS, SAFETY AND CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE COMMITTEE
SEPTEMBER 19, 2024
Subject
SUBJECT: APPOINTMENTS TO METRO’S SERVICE COUNCILS
Action
ACTION: APPROVE RECOMMENDATION
Heading
RECOMMENDATION
Title
APPROVE nominees for membership on Metro’s San Fernando Valley, San Gabriel Valley, South Bay Cities, and Westside Central Service Councils.
Issue
ISSUE
The San Fernando Valley, San Gabriel Valley, South Bay Cities, and Westside Central Service Councils have vacancies that were not filled in the annual Service Council appointment cycle. Representatives on the South Bay Cities and Westside Central Service Councils resigned in late June 2024 due to other commitments, creating additional vacancies.
Background
BACKGROUND
Metro Service Councils (MSCs) 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 Council’s nominating authorities have nominated the individuals listed below. If approved by the Board, they will serve for the three-year terms specified. Attachments A and B provide a brief listing of qualifications for new nominees and the nomination letters.
For reference, should these nominees be appointed, the 2022 American Community Survey demographics and 2023 Metro Ridership Survey demographics for each region are compared to the seated membership.
*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 intended to capture current sex but does not include questions about gender, sexual orientation, or sex at birth.
San Fernando Valley Service Council
A. David Ramirez, New Appointment
Nominated by: Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass
Term: July 1, 2024 - June 30, 2027
With the appointment of this nominee, 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
B. Ed Chen, New Appointment
Nominated by: Cities of Arcadia, El Monte, and Temple City
Term: July 1, 2024 - June 30, 2027
With the appointment of this nominee, 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
C. Courtney Miles, New Appointment
Nominated by: South Bay Cities Council of Governments
Term: July 1, 2022 - June 30, 2025
D. Jon Kaji, New Appointment
Nominated by: South Bay Cities Council of Governments
Term: July 1, 2024 - June 30, 2027
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
E. Chelsea Byers, New Appointment
Nominated by: Westside Cities Council of Governments
Term: July 1, 2022 - June 30, 2025
With the appointment of this nominee, 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:
Note that the Westside Central membership percentages reflect appointed Councilmembers; two vacancies remain on this Council. Nominations to fill the remaining two vacancies are tentatively scheduled to be brought to the October Board meeting for appointment.
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, the 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 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 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.
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 continue working 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
