LOS ANGELES — The new mayor of Los Angeles, Eric Garcetti, announced on Thursday his three appointments to the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transit Authority board of directors. The new appointees are part of a massive shift occurring on Metro's board.
The new board will oversee the $5 billion budget approved for fiscal 2013-14 for the transit system's 1,433-square-mile area that serves 9.8 million Los Angeles County residents.
Garcetti appointed city council member Mike Bonin, city council member Paul Krekorian, and "Jackie" Dupont-Walker to the board saying that he wants to "make sure we're careful with our transportation dollars."
"That's the only way we're going to make a real difference in the traffic congestion that costs us billions of dollars in lost productivity and billions of hours in time away from our lives," Garcetti said in a prepared statement.
In May, L.A. voters elected a new mayor, more than half of the city council, a new controller and city attorney.
It would take a flow-chart to keep up with the shuffling going on in city departments.
In addition to Garcetti's appointments, the Metro board also elected a new chair on July 1.
Lakewood City Councilmember Diane Dubois was elected Metro Board chair replacing Los Angeles County Supervisor Michael Antonovich.
Dubois, a Lakewood City Council member since 2005, representing the city of 80,000 east of Long Beach, has served on the Metro board since 2009.
Garcetti said he plans to harness ongoing capital projects at Metro and leverage the work of Los Angeles city departments to stimulate economic development along transit corridors and station areas across the city.
"This is a critical moment in our pursuit of a seamless public transportation system that cost-effectively reduces congestion in the San Fernando Valley and all of Los Angeles, and I'm honored that the mayor has entrusted me with this responsibility," Krekorian said.
Krekorian, a Democrat, represents a San Fernando Valley district and is chair of the City Council's Budget and Finance Committee. Before being elected to the City Council, Krekorian served in the California State Assembly representing the 43rd District and was chair of the Assembly Select Committee on Renewable Energy and Assistant Majority Leader. Previously, he served as the president of the Burbank Board of Education.
"I'm excited to work with Mayor Garcetti to improve and increase bus and rail service in Los Angeles to cut congestion and make commutes faster," Bonin said in the release.
Bonin, a Democrat and former chief deputy for Councilmember Bill Rosendahl, was elected to Rosendahl's West Los Angeles seat in March. He also replaced Rosendahl as chair of the city council's transportation committee.
While working as Rosendahl's chief deputy, he was an alternate member on the Board of Directors of the Exposition Metro Line Construction Authority and a co-chair of the North Runway Safety Advisory Committee.
Bonin also was named in early July vice chair of the Exposition Metro Line Construction Authority Board of Directors, which is overseeing construction of the 15-mile light-rail line between downtown Los Angeles and Santa Monica. Santa Monica Mayor and former Metro Board Chair Pam O'Connor on July 12 was named the Expo board's new chair.
Dupont-Walker is the founding president of Ward Economic Development Corporation, a faith-based community development organization, and is chair of the USC Master Plan Advisory Committee where she represents the residents of the West Adams district. She is involved in numerous other civic organizations and serves as the AME Church International Social Action Officer and as the Social Action chair of Delta Sigma Theta — Century City.
