BILL TO DECREASE L.A.'S MTA CLOUT IS SHELVED.

Byline: HARRISON SHEPPARD Sacramento Bureau

SACRAMENTO -- A bill that would decrease the city of Los Angeles' clout on the Metropolitan Transportation Authority board was shelved after the city belatedly expressed its opposition to the measure.

The action followed an embarrassing episode last month in which the city and the MTA failed to send a representative to a hearing on the bill or express opposition in writing, allowing the bill to sail through its first committee on a nearly unanimous vote.

SB1507, by Sen. Bob Margett, R-Arcadia, would have shifted one of Los Angeles' four seats on the 14-member MTA board to the booming South Bay region.

Margett said he agreed to put the bill aside after Los Angeles and several other MTA cities later expressed opposition.

``We had a hearing on this and there was nobody who was there as witnesses to be for it, nor against it,'' Margett said. ``So the facts were presented and I was of the opinion that we had consensus on this.

``Then, lo and behold, when those who were opposed to it found out what was happening, (they said) `Wait a minute, what are you doing?'''

Margett placed the bill in the Senate's inactive file, though he said he would consider reviving it if the cities in the MTA come to an agreement on the issue on their own.

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa sent a letter of opposition to Margett after the Daily News reported the city was absent from the initial hearing.

The letter noted that the city makes up 39 percent of the county's population, yet has only 31 percent of the seats. It also noted that current law allows one seat to move from Los Angeles to the other cities in the event its share of the county population drops below 35 percent, but that is not expected to happen for at least 25 years.

harrison.sheppard(at)dailynews.com

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