Meeting_Body
OPERATIONS, SAFETY AND CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE COMMITTEE
SEPTEMBER 16, 2021
Subject
SUBJECT: MEMBERSHIP ON METRO’S SAN FERNANDO VALLEY AND SOUTH BAY CITIES SERVICE COUNCILS
Action
ACTION: APPROVE RECOMMENDATION
Heading
RECOMMENDATION
Title
APPROVE nominees for membership on Metro’s San Fernando Valley and South Bay Cities Service Councils.
Issue
ISSUE
Each Metro Service Council (MSC) is comprised of nine Representatives that 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 tasked with improving bus service and promoting 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 region, and understand passenger transit needs. To do so, each representative is expected to ride at least one transit service per month.
The MSC is responsible for convening public hearings to receive community input on proposed service modifications and rendering decisions on proposed bus route changes considering staff’s recommendations and public comments. All route and major service changes that the MSC approves 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 MSC will be notified of this change prior to the next Service Council monthly meeting.
Discussion
DISCUSSION
The individuals listed below have been nominated to serve the remainder of the terms of their Councils’ vacant seats by the Councils’ appointing authority. If approved by the Board, these appointments will serve out the remainder of the seat’s three-year term. A brief listing of qualifications for the new nominees and the nomination letters from the nominating authorities is provided in Attachments A and B.
For reference, the 2019 American Community Survey demographics and 2019 Metro Ridership Survey demographics for each region are compared to the membership, should these nominees be appointed.
San Fernando Valley
A. Felipe Escobar, San Fernando Valley Service Council, New Appointment
Nominated by: Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti
Term: July 1, 2021 - June 30, 2024
Should this nominee be appointed, the San Fernando Valley (SFV) Service Council membership will compare to the region and the region’s ridership as follows:
|
% Region Total |
Hispanic |
White |
Asian |
Black |
Native Amer |
Other |
|
SFV Council Region |
41.0% |
41.1% |
11.2% |
3.7% |
0.1% |
2.9% |
|
SFV Region Ridership |
63% |
13% |
9% |
9% |
1% |
5% |
|
SFV Membership/No. |
44% / 4 |
44% / 4 |
0% / 0 |
11% / 1 |
0% / 0 |
0% / 0 |
The gender makeup of the SFV Service Council will be as follows:
|
Gender |
SFV Membership/No.* |
Los Angeles County |
|
Male |
66.6% / 6 |
49.7% |
|
Female |
33.3% / 3 |
50.3% |
South Bay Cities
B. Charles Michel Deemer, South Bay Cities Service Council, New Appointment
Nominated by: South Bay Cities Council of Governments
Term: July 1, 2021 - June 30, 2024
C. Bob Wolfe, South Bay Cities Service Council, New Appointment
Nominated by: South Bay Cities Council of Governments
Term: July 1, 2020 - June 30, 2023
Should these nominees be appointed, the South Bay Cities (SBC) Service Council membership will compare to the region and the region’s ridership as follows:
|
% Region Total |
Hispanic |
White |
Asian |
Black |
Native Amer |
Other |
|
SBC Region |
44.6% |
21.6% |
13% |
17% |
0.2% |
3.7% |
|
SBC Region Ridership |
64% |
5% |
6% |
22% |
1% |
3.7% |
|
SBC Membership/No. |
22% / 2 |
33% / 3 |
22% / 2 |
22% / 2 |
0% / 0 |
0% / 0 |
The gender makeup of the South Bay Cities Service Council will be is as follows:
|
Gender |
SBC Membership/No. |
Los Angeles County |
|
Men |
66.6% / 6 |
49.7% |
|
Women |
33.3% / 3 |
50.3% |
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 to be a regular user of public transit, and each Council is composed of people from diverse areas and backgrounds, this enables each Council to better understand the needs of transit consumers including the need for the safe operation of transit service and safe location of bus stops.
Equity_Platform
EQUITY PLATFORM
Metro seeks to appoint Service Council members that represent the diverse needs and priorities reflective of the demographics of each respective region.
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 approving these appointments would be for these nominees not to be approved for appointment. To do so would result in reduced effectiveness of the Service Councils, as it would increase the difficulty of obtaining the quorum necessary to allow the Service Council to formulate and submit recommendations to the Board. It would also result in the Service Council having less diverse representation of their respective service areas.
Next_Steps
NEXT STEPS
A Westside Central Service Council member resigned effective May 12, 2021, which created one (1) vacancy on this Council. Staff is working with the nominating authority to identify a replacement candidate and will submit the nomination for Board approval in the near future.
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 and to implement and improve bus service in their areas and the customer experience using our bus service.
Attachments
ATTACHMENTS
Attachment A - Nominee Listing of Qualifications
Attachment B - Nomination Letters
Prepared_by
Prepared by: Conan Cheung, Sr. Executive Officer, Service Development, Scheduling
and Analysis, (213) 418-3034
Dolores Ramos, Manager, Regional Service Councils, (213) 598-9715
Reviewed_By
Reviewed by: James T. Gallagher, Chief Operations Officer, (213) 418-3108
