MTA'S MOLINA VOWS AGENCY TURNAROUND.

Byline: RACHEL URANGA Staff Writer

As newly appointed chairwoman of the MTA, Supervisor Gloria Molina has inherited a financially troubled agency that faces growing pressure to raise fares and overhaul its bus system.

With her sharp tongue and intense focus, observers say, Molina has the ability to turn a corner on the $3 billion-a-year agency by demanding financial accountability -- an issue that her camera-ready predecessor, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, was able to postpone.

But critics say she can be too procedurally oriented and also lacks the political finesse of Villaraigosa, who helped ease the MTA's labor problems and also built a coalition in Sacramento that could ultimately bring the agency millions in bond money.

``Gloria has a big mountain to climb if she is going to keep up with Antonio,'' said Bart Reed, executive director of the grass-roots Transit Coalition. ``She has a lot of challenges and we don't know if she has the same level of vision.''

Known for her hard-nosed approach, the trailblazing politician was the first Latina elected to the state Assembly, Los Angeles City Council and Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors.

In an interview Tuesday, she promised to use the high-profile position to set the MTA's financial house in order and ensure that priorities are clearly set.

``I don't see myself as a great innovator at the MTA, but as a facilitator who gets my colleagues to goal,'' Molina said. ``This is not about showboating, showcasing and saying how much I brought home.''

Molina, known for her harsh questioning of department managers who veer from procedures, said she will not be swayed by politics on the MTA board -- lining up votes and cutting the kinds of backroom deals for which Villaraigosa is well-known.

Instead, she plans to set policy that can be vetted in public and force the board to take more responsibility for its actions.

During her one-year tenure as board chairwoman, she plans to create a lengthy budget process -- one that brings the board in early on -- a thorough performance review of CEO Roger Snoble and setting priorities for projects.

``I think all bureaucracies need to be scrutinized, analyzed and held to task,'' she said. ``(Board members) are not just going to hijack items on the agenda and pad them with things they need. I want there to be integrity in the process.''

By this time next year, the public could see a major shift in the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

``This year is going to have a lot of potential for shaping the future of the MTA for the coming decade,'' said Michael Cano, transportation deputy for Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich. ``And she is setting the tone very strongly -- that she is going to demand process, accountability and that she is going to be her own person and will apply her vision as chair.''

MTA officials are preparing for a nearly $20 billion transportation bond measure on the Nov. 7 ballot that could generate millions for the Los Angeles area and set off a grab for local projects -- including Villaraigosa's highly touted extension of the Red Line subway from West L.A. to Santa Monica.

As chairwoman, Molina will have to balance those projects at the risk of alienating some communities.

She will also oversee the board as Snoble, the MTA's chief executive officer, comes up for a renewal of his $300,000-a-year contract. Some have criticized Snoble's leadership, saying he's failed to provide the MTA with a strong national face.

Each of those issues, Molina said, will be tackled transparently.

But perhaps the stickiest and most politically fraught issue is the consent decree imposed a decade ago to ease overcrowding on city buses used mostly by minorities.

The agreement, reached as a result of a lawsuit filed by the Bus Riders Union, is set to expire in October.

Claiming that the MTA spent lavishly on suburban riders at the expense of bus services for the poor, the decree forced the agency to spend $1.2 billion to expand bus lines. But, it also suppressed fare increases - a move critics believe pushed the agency into deep financial woes creating a largely subsidized and inefficient system.

If the decree is not extended, the MTA might be inclined to overhaul the bus system, possibly cutting some routes and increasing fares.

``If they say they are going to raise the fares, they know they are going to have a war on that question but (Molina) has the ability to stop that from happening,'' said Manuel Criollo, lead organizer for the Bus Riders Union.

``We expect her most progressive side,'' he said.

But Molina, known for an independent streak, said she will not make promises either way.

``She doesn't suffer fools lightly. She wants to get from point A to point B in a straight line; some people prefer to zigzag and she won't zigzag,'' said Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky.

rachel.uranga(at)dailynews.com

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