Meeting_Body
REVISED
REGULAR BOARD MEETING
JANUARY 28, 2021
Preamble
Motion by:
DIRECTORS GARCETTI, KUEHL, HAHN, AND SOLIS
Councilmember Tom LaBonge Station Dedication
On Thursday, January 7, 2021 former Metro Board Director and Los Angeles City Councilmember Tom LaBonge passed away at his home.
In a region of millions of Angelenos, Tom LaBonge was Mr. Los Angeles. He will be forever remembered as an authentic public servant who was never afraid to roll up his sleeves when a constituent needed help. No one knew more Angelenos, no person gave more waking hours to L.A., and no one was a greater cheerleader for the region than Tom. Tom LaBonge loved Los Angeles, and Los Angeles loved him right back.
In February 2005, as a member of the Metro Board of Directors, Tom authored the motion that restarted planning on the long-stalled Wilshire Subway. At a time when L.A. had all but given up on a Westside Extension, Tom believed in the project and led the charge to get it moving. He saw clearly that the only path out of traffic congestion was to invest in transit. Today, Metro is far along on construction of the Purple Line Extension, which will serve L.A. County for generations to come-in large part thanks to Tom LaBonge.
Moreover, Tom LaBonge understood the need for regional investment. In a 2005 interview, Tom argued that Metro should bring rail not just to the Wilshire Corridor, but the San Fernando Valley, LAX, the Eastside, the San Gabriel Valley, and beyond. As he said at the time, "We are all in it together." Tom's comments foreshadowed the regional approach that yielded the broad success of Measure M.
The Metro Property Naming Policy states that the Board may dedicate a property to honor an individual who has "demonstrated a unique and extraordinary degree of service to public transportation in Los Angeles County."
In accordance with the Property Naming Policy, the Board of Directors should dedicate Wilshire/La Brea Station to Tom LaBonge in honor of h...
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