Meeting_Body
REGULAR BOARD MEETING
JUNE 23, 2022
Preamble
Motion by:
DIRECTORS SOLIS AND GARCETTI
Norman Y. Mineta Station Dedication Motion
On May 3, 2022, Secretary Norman Yoshio Mineta passed away at his home in Edgewater, Maryland at the age of 90.
Secretary Mineta was a giant in local and national transportation policy. He will always be remembered as an authentic and kind public servant dedicated to treating every person with dignity and respect.
Born on November 12, 1931, in San Jose, California, Secretary Mineta’s early life was marked by injustices. A child of Japanese immigrants, the Asian Exclusion Act barred his parents from becoming American citizens at that time. Then, during World War II, the Mineta family was interned for several years at the Heart Mountain internment camp in Wyoming. The prejudice and discrimination Secretary Mineta experienced as a child influenced his public service career as a champion for equity.
Throughout Secretary Mineta illustrious career as a Mayor and Councilmember of San Jose, member of the House of Representatives, United State Secretary of Commerce, and United State Secretary of Transportation, he championed legislation promoting and furthering justice. Today, all public transit buses are universally accessible because of his leadership in shaping the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). He was also instrumental in the fight for the United States government’s recognition of their treatment of Japanese Americans in the 1940s and efforts to rectify the historical transgressions. As co-sponsor of the Civil Liberties Act of 1988, Secretary Mineta helped provide internees with justice and reparations.
In many ways, including becoming the first Asian-American secretary in the White House, Secretary Mineta has broken many glass ceilings. A national treasure and dedicated member of the Japanese American and Little Tokyo communities, including having served as Chairman of the Japanese American National Museum’s board of Trustees, Secretary Mineta’s legacy will carry on. This motion, drafted in coordination with Little Tokyo residents and community groups, honors that legacy.
The Metro Property Naming Policy states that the Board may dedicate 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 the Little Tokyo/ Arts District Station to Secretary Norman Yoshio Mineta in honor of his contributions to Los Angeles’ transit system, the Japanese American community, the Little Tokyo community, and his prolific career as a public servant.
Subject
SUBJECT: NORMAN Y. MINETA STATION DEDICATION MOTION
Heading
RECOMMENDATION
Title
APPROVE Motion by Directors Solis and Garcetti that the Board directs the CEO to:
A. Prepare a plan dedicating the Little Tokyo/ Arts District Station in honor of the late Secretary Mineta; and
B. Report back on the above at the Executive Management Committee meeting in September 2022.