Citizens’ Advisory Council General Meeting

Wednesday, September 26, 2007

Draft General Meeting Minutes

 

Meeting called to order at 6:32pm.  Members in attendance: Roger Christensen (Chairperson), Kymberleigh Richards (Secretary), Bill Latto (Chair Emeritus), Neil Bjornsen, Russ Davies, Howard Sachar, Peter Schick, Wally Shidler.

 

Public comment received from Ken Ruben on Blue Line vendors, and from Dana Gabbard on the future Metro LAX division and the need for hybrid buses at Division 6 in the interim.  The Chair also read a written statement from Councilmember Tony Banash regarding motorist hostility toward cyclists.

 

Chair Christensen commented on the proposed transit-oriented development project to be considered by the Metro Board of Directors at the September 27 meeting, on the recently opened Ralphs supermarket in downtown Los Angeles being the largest revenue producer for the chain, on the impact of the Metro fare increase on bus and rail ridership, and the status of the Waxman bill in Congress to remove the restriction on tunneling underneath Wilshire Blvd.

 

Michael Turner, Government Relations Manager, gave an update on the State budget and related matters:

·         Budget misdirection and its impact on the Public Transportation Account

·         Funding for the Expo light rail line has only been guaranteed for the first year of construction

·         Legal action being brought by the California Transit Association against the state for some of the Governor’s actions, noting that the state lost a similar lawsuit brought by the State Teachers’ Retirement Fund

·         SB 717 (Perata) awaiting Governor Schwarzenegger’s signature to continue funding the State Transportation Account (STA) with Proposition 42 funds after the Transportation Congestion Relief Program ends in 2009, which would increase funding for public transit

·         Unfair calculation of State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP) distribution based on highway “center line” mileage rather than lane mileage (gives rural counties funds they cannot use while denying urban counties a proportional amount)

·         Explanation of  how the Public Transportation Account (STA and STIP) are funded

·         The need to “go political” in the future to balance the budget – telling legislators they cannot have new transportation projects unless funding is guaranteed

·         Possibility of a Constitutional amendment in the future to change allocations so they go directly to each county’s Regional Transportation Planning Agency

·         Disproportionate amount of federal transportation funds based on taxes paid in

·         Question of funding high speed rail while transportation funding problems exist for other modes

·         Negative comments by the state administration on public transportation

 

Minutes of August 15, 2007 General Meeting approved.  (Motion: Shidler, Second: Davies)

Chair Christensen appointed Councilmembers Bjornsen, Sachar and Davies to an ad hoc “Person of the Year” selection committee. Councilmember Sachar reviewed the process for selecting a Person of the Year. Secretary Richards was directed to e-mail all CAC members requesting submission of nominations to the committee, with the committee to recommend a nomination at the October 5 Executive Committee meeting and the CAC membership to vote on the committee’s recommendation at the October 24 General Meeting.

 

Meeting adjourned at 7:57pm.

 

Submitted by Kymberleigh Richards, CAC Secretary