Meeting_Body
OPERATIONS, SAFETY, AND CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE COMMITTEE
JULY 16, 2026
Subject
SUBJECT: REVISION OF METRO SERVICE COUNCIL BYLAWS
Action
ACTION: APPROVE RECOMMENDATION
Heading
RECOMMENDATION
Title
ADOPT the revised Service Council Bylaws.
Issue
ISSUE
The Bylaws of Metro’s Service Councils were last updated in October 2024. Since then, state legislation has been adopted that affects the operation of the Service Councils. This update incorporates the changes made with the adoption of AB 3123 and SB 827. Service Council Members also requested additional updates to their Bylaws.
The Service Council Bylaws state that amendments are subject to Metro Board approval.
Background
BACKGROUND
The Metro Board created the Governance Councils in 2002 to guide the Service Sectors. The primary role of the Governance Councils was to conduct public hearings and to review and approve proposed bus service changes to bus routes operating within the divisions overseen by their General Managers, regardless of where those routes operated.
In fiscal year 2010, the functions performed by the Service Sectors were recentralized. These changes were memorialized in the 2011 update to the Bylaws, which reflected those changes, including oversight of the General Managers, removing their duties and budgets, and re-centering the five Service Sector staffing and headquarters in Metro Gateway headquarters. Operations, Service Planning, Scheduling, Labor Relations, and Safety functions were realigned, and the primary role of the Councils was preserved, as were the requirements for membership and the nominating authorities and process.
In October 2024, the Bylaws were revised to incorporate changes such as the adoption of Metro’s Advisory Body Compensation Policy, allocation of bus lines to each region to reflect the NextGen Bus Network, clarify the definitions for the primary and secondary authority of bus lines, and update items such as staff position references, and formalize requirements and processes for public meetings, hearings, and events convened by the Service Councils to better reflect actual practices.
Service Council Bylaws are updated as needed. This update incorporates recent legislation and other developments since the last update in 2024.
Discussion
DISCUSSION
The Bylaws state that each of the five Councils must approve changes to the Bylaws by a supermajority vote, and the changes must then be brought to the Board for approval. Staff periodically reviews the Bylaws to incorporate relevant updates, then places a review of the Bylaws on each Council's agenda for approval.
This revision of the Service Council Bylaws incorporates the following changes:
• The adoption of AB 3123, which amended the California Public Utilities Code applicable to Metro and Metro’s Board Code of Conduct.
• Updates provided by the Ethics Department, including:
o Clarifies the Ethics Department’s independence and authority in certain areas.
o Repeals outdated and redundant sections that are already governed by state law and Metro administrative code related to honoraria, travel, and behavior during meetings.
o Minor language changes for consistency with current Metro practice and additions that are used in peer agency codes.
o Remove the requirement for filing Metro Addendums, which required the reporting of financial interest outside of LA County.
§ The amendment aligns Metro with other local officials, where only Form 700s are required.
o Further clarify eligibility to serve on a Service Council
o The adoption of SB 827 Fiscal and Financial Training.
• More accurately reflect the actual practices of Service Council records being maintained by Service Council Staff rather than the Office of the Board Clerk.
• Clarification of nomination process for those seats that are nominated by multiple nominating authorities (city clusters);
• Add the ability of the Service Councils to form short-term advisory committees to study and make recommendations to their Council(s) around specific issues.
• Assignment of primary and secondary regional authority of Metro Bus lines to reflect the current bus network.
The proposed changes were preliminarily shared with the Service Councils at their Quarterly Meet and Confer in December 2025 and again in February 2026 to provide their feedback. Before requesting formal approval by each of the five Service Councils, staff circulated the proposed Bylaws to the Office of the County Counsel, the Office of Civil Rights, Racial Equity, and Inclusion, the Board Clerk, and the Chief Operations Officer. Their edits and suggestions were incorporated into the document, then taken to each of the Service Councils for approval. Each of the five Service Councils reviewed and approved the revised Bylaws at each Council’s May 2026 meetings by at least a two-thirds supermajority.
Determination_Of_Safety_Impact
DETERMINATION OF SAFETY IMPACT
There is no safety impact from this action.
Financial_Impact
FINANCIAL IMPACT
There are no financial impacts associated with these changes to the Service Council Bylaws.
Equity_Platform
EQUITY PLATFORM
This update to the Service Council Bylaws addresses the Metro Equity Platform pillar of Listen and Learn: Supporting More Equitable Community Engagement by further clarifying and formalizing the requirements for Service Council membership around geographic diversity, the nomination process, and eligibility to serve. The inclusion of this goal will support broader representation on each Service Council.
The purpose of Metro’s Service Councils is to improve bus service and promote service coordination, benefiting the communities where those services are operated and supporting the “Focus and Deliver” pillar of the Equity Platform, which recognizes Metro’s role as a partner in advancing equitable outcomes. This update to the Service Council Bylaws allows Service Councils to create ad hoc advisory committees as needed to further study topics related to their work, enabling them to make more informed decisions as a Council.
Vehicle_Miles_Traveled _Outcome
VEHICLE MILES TRAVELED OUTCOME
VMT and VMT per capita in Los Angeles County are lower than national averages, the lowest in the SCAG region, and on the lower end of VMT per capita statewide, with these declining VMT trends due in part to Metro’s significant investment in rail and bus transit.* Metro’s Board-adopted VMT reduction targets align with California’s statewide climate goals, including achieving carbon neutrality by 2045. To ensure continued progress, all Board items are assessed for their potential impact on VMT.
This item supports Metro’s systemwide strategy to reduce VMT through operational activities that will improve and further encourage transit ridership, ridesharing, and active transportation. Metro’s Board-adopted VMT reduction targets were designed to build on the success of existing investments, and this item aligns with those objectives.
*Based on population estimates from the United States Census and VMT estimates from Caltrans’ Highway Performance Monitoring System (HPMS) data between 2001-2019.
Implementation_of_Strategic_Plan_Goals
IMPLEMENTATION OF STRATEGIC PLAN GOALS
Approval of this recommendation supports the following Metro Strategic Plan Goals:
2) Deliver outstanding trip experiences for all users of the transportation system
3) Enhance communities and lives through mobility and access to opportunity
Alternatives_Considered
ALTERNATIVES CONSIDERED
One option is not to approve these revisions to the Metro Service Council Bylaws. This option is not recommended, as the Bylaws will not comply with legislative changes adopted since the October 2024 iteration of the Bylaws, and with the Service Councils’ processes and functions as reflected in practice.
Next_Steps
NEXT STEPS
Upon adoption, staff will distribute a copy of the adopted Bylaws to all Service Council Members and nominating authorities. Staff will continue to work with the Service Councils to ensure they monitor the major contributors to bus and service quality from the customer’s perspective. Staff will also share that information with the Service Councils to plan, implement, and improve bus service in their areas, as well as the customer experience using our bus service.
Attachments
ATTACHMENT
Attachment A - Revised Service Council Bylaws
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
