Meeting_Body
OPERATIONS, SAFETY, AND CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE COMMITTEE
MAY 21, 2026
Subject
SUBJECT: ANNUAL APPOINTMENTS TO METRO’S SERVICE COUNCILS
Action
ACTION: APPROVE RECOMMENDATION
Heading
RECOMMENDATION
Title
APPROVE nominees for membership on Metro’s Gateway Cities, San Fernando Valley, San Gabriel Valley, South Bay Cities, and Westside Central Service Councils (Attachment A).
Issue
ISSUE
Each Metro Service Council (MSC) is comprised of nine Representatives who serve 3-year terms. The terms of three of the five Council’s nine seats expire annually on June 30; incumbent Representatives can serve additional terms if re-nominated by the nominating authority, or new nominees may be forwarded. All nominations are confirmed by the Metro Board.
Background
BACKGROUND
MSCs were created in 2002 as community-based bodies that improve bus service and promote service coordination with municipal and local transit providers. The MSC bylaws specify that representatives who live, work, or represent the region should 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 for proposed bus route changes, and considering staff recommendations/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. If the Metro Board moves 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 each of the Councils’ nominating authorities. If approved by the Board, they will serve for the three-year terms specified below. A brief listing of qualifications for new nominees and the nomination letters are provided in Attachments A and B. Membership of the Councils with these appointees compared to the regions’ demographics and ridership are provided in Attachment C. Lastly, the original date of appointment and attendance record over the previous July 1, 2023-June 30, 2026 term is provided for all incumbent candidates; the May and June 2026 Service Council meetings had not yet been held at the time this report was prepared.
Gateway Cities Service Council
A. Frank Garcia, New Appointment
Nominated by: Gateway Cities Council of Governments
Term: July 1, 2026 - June 30, 2029
B. Samuel Peña, Reappointment
Nominated by: Gateway Cities Council of Governments
Term: July 1, 2026 - June 30, 2029
Attendance: Councilmember Peña has served on this Service Council since March 2016. Of the 28 meetings held during his most recent term, he attended 28 (100%).
San Fernando Valley Service Council
C. Myung-Soo Seok, New Appointment
Nominated by: City of Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass
Term: July 1, 2026 - June 30, 2029
D. Victoria Dochoghlian, New Appointment
Nominated by: City of Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass
Term: July 1, 2026 - June 30, 2029
E. Michael Menjivar, Reappointment
Nominated by: Cities of Burbank, Glendale, and San Fernando
Term: July 1, 2026 - June 30, 2029
Attendance: Councilmember Menjivar has served on this Service Council since September 2025. Of the 6 meetings held during his most recent term, he attended 2 (33%).
Note: A member of the San Fernando Valley Service Council resigned in January 2026, creating an additional vacancy. City of Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass has nominated the current appointee of a seat nominated by the Cities of Burbank, Glendale, and San Fernando to fill that vacancy, thus creating an additional vacancy for the Cities of Burbank, Glendale, and San Fernando. Nominations from the Cities of Burbank, Glendale, and San Fernando for their two seats on this Council are pending.
San Gabriel Valley Service Council
F. Gary Floyd, Reappointment
Nominated by: Cities of La Cañada-Flintridge, Pasadena, and Sierra Madre
Term: July 1, 2026 - June 30, 2029
Attendance: Councilmember Floyd has served on this Service Council since July 2020. Of the 28 meetings held during his tenure, he attended 18 (64%).
G. John Wu, Reappointment
Nominated by: Cities of Alhambra, San Gabriel, San Marino, and South Pasadena
Term: July 1, 2026 - June 30, 2029
Attendance: Councilmember Wu has served on this Service Council since June 2025. Of the 9 meetings held during his tenure, he attended 9 (100%).
Note: The San Gabriel Valley Council of Governments has a nomination pending for one of its three seats.
South Bay Cities Service Council
H. David Mach, Reappointment
Nominated by: South Bay Cities Council of Governments
Term: July 1, 2026 - June 30, 2029
Attendance record: Councilmember Mach has served on the Council since July 2020. Of the 28 meetings held during his current term, he attended 26 (90%).
I. Melissa Molina, Reappointment
Nominated by: South Bay Cities Council of Governments
Term: July 1, 2026 - June 30, 2029
Attendance record: Councilmember Molina has served on the Council since July 2023. Of the 28 meetings held during her current term, she has attended 22 (79%).
J. Bob Wolfe, Reappointment
Nominated by: South Bay Cities Council of Governments
Term: July 1, 2026 - June 30, 2029
Attendance record: Councilmember Wolfe has served on the Council since October 2021. Of the 28 meetings held during his current term, he has attended 28 (100%).
Westside Central Service Council
K. Jennifer Nazario, Reappointment
Nominated by: City of Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass
Term: July 1, 2026 - June 30, 2029
Attendance: Councilmember Nazario has served on this Service Council since November 2024. Of the 15 meetings held during her tenure, she attended 12 (80%).
L. David Feinberg, Reappointment
Nominated by: Westside Cities Council of Governments
Term: July 1, 2026 - June 30, 2029
Attendance record: Councilmember Feinberg has served on the Council since April 2014. Of the 28 meetings held during his current term, he attended 22 (79%).
M. Dan Wentzel, Reappointment
Nominated by: Third District Supervisor Lindsey P. Horvath
Term: July 1, 2026 - June 30, 2029
Councilmember Wentzel has served on the Council since July 2023. Of the 28 meetings held since Councilmember Wentzel was appointed, he attended 27 (96%).
Equity_Platform
EQUITY PLATFORM
Staff recommends appointing Service Council members who represent the diverse needs and priorities of the respective region’s demographics. To further encourage nominating authorities to nominate individuals who closely reflect the region and its ridership, Metro staff shares the Service Council membership race/ethnicity and gender demographic makeup compared to that of the residents with each nomination request. Membership of the Councils with these appointees, compared to the regions’ demographics and ridership, is provided in Attachment C. This practice has resulted in greater diversity of race/ethnicity and gender of the Service Councils over the last several years. However, approximately half of LA County residents and Metro riders are women, and work is still required to achieve gender equity on some of the Service Councils. Staff will continue to share race/ethnicity and gender demographic information and encourage nominating authorities to consider these factors when selecting individuals for nomination.
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 Goal: 30 Enhance communities and lives through mobility and access to opportunity.
Alternatives_Considered
ALTERNATIVES CONSIDERED
The alternative to the recommendation would be for the nominees not to be approved for appointment. This would reduce the effectiveness of the Service Councils, as it would increase the challenge of obtaining a necessary quorum for the Service Councils to formulate and submit recommendations to the Board. It would also result in the Service Councils having a less diverse representation of its 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 as well as the customer experience in their areas. Staff will also continue to work with the nominating authorities to obtain nominations for the remaining vacant seats.
Attachments
ATTACHMENTS
Attachment A - New Appointee Nomination Letters
Attachment B - New Appointee Biography and Qualifications
Attachment C - Service Councils Demographic Information
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
