NO VALLEY FACES ON MTA BOARD HAHN'S NEW APPOINTMENTS ARE MEETING WITH CRITICISM.Byline: Lisa Mascaro and Rick Orlov Staff Writers Mayor James Hahn's decision to shake up his appointees to the MTA (1) (Message Transfer Agent or Mail Transfer Agent) The store and forward part of a messaging system. See messaging system. (2) See M Technology Association. 1. (messaging) MTA - Message Transfer Agent. board faced criticism Monday for excluding anyone from the San Fernando Valley San Fernando Valley Valley, southern California, U.S. Northwest of central Los Angeles, the valley is bounded by the San Gabriel, Santa Susana, and Santa Monica mountains and the Simi Hills. , which has long fought for local control over transportation programs. Hahn handed out the political plums to three City Council members - his one-time political opponent Antonio Villaraigosa Antonio Ramon Villaraigosa (born Antonio (Tony) Ramon Villar, Jr. on January 23, 1953) is the mayor of Los Angeles, California. He is the first Latino mayor of Los Angeles since Cristobal Aguilar in 1872. ; Villaraigosa's former staffer, Councilman Martin Ludlow Martin Ludlow (born 1964) was a member of the Los Angeles City Council, USA, from 2003 to 2005. He represented the 10th district. He was elected May 20, 2003 and resigned on June 30, 2005. ; and Councilman Tom LaBonge Tom LaBonge (b. Los Angeles 1953), member of the Los Angeles City Council representing the 4th district. He has served since 2001, taking over the position upon the death of John Ferraro. . Longtime Valley Councilman Hal Bernson Hal Bernson served as Los Angeles City Councilman for the 12th district. He was chair of the Transportation Committee. Prior to being on the City Council, he served in the Navy. Preceded by Robert M. , also a longtime Metropolitan Transportation Authority board member, had earlier wanted to remain on the board but ultimately stepped down. ``I think that the (Valley's) 1 1/2 million people are entitled en·ti·tle tr.v. en·ti·tled, en·ti·tling, en·ti·tles 1. To give a name or title to. 2. To furnish with a right or claim to something: to have one of the 13 people on the board,'' Bernson said. ``I would've been happier if we would've had a Valley representative there.'' Hahn, who controls the city's four votes on the 13-member MTA board, has been on the losing side of key issues over the past year and is trying to build relations with the new City Council. ``You can attract more flies with honey than vinegar, and there's no doubt the mayor's definitely got honey on his table as he continues to work with the council,'' said political consultant Joe Cerrell. ``I think this is the mayor trying to exert a little more influence, a little more control (at the MTA). Now he's got three strong allies.'' Hahn's three new appointees replace Bernson, who left the council two weeks ago due to term limits, along with University of California, Los Angeles UCLA comprises the College of Letters and Science (the primary undergraduate college), seven professional schools, and five professional Health Science schools. Since 2001, UCLA has enrolled over 33,000 total students, and that number is steadily rising. , graduate student and bus rider Allison Yoh and banker Paul Hudson
Paul David Hudson (born 27 February, 1971 in Goole, East Riding of Yorkshire) is a weather presenter for BBC Yorkshire and BBC Yorkshire and Lincolnshire, in . The new members are expected to take their seats in August. ``The mayor believes he needs to beef up the city's position on the MTA board by appointing experienced city officials to the posts,'' Deputy Mayor Matt Middlebrook said. Middlebrook said the Valley would continue to be represented - LaBonge's district includes Toluca Lake and North Hollywood. ``We think Tom LaBonge will represent the Valley as well as anyone from the Valley, and this mayor has the best interests of the Valley at heart.'' Villaraigosa expressed concerns over whether the Valley and other regions were having their transportation needs met. ``We have to make sure the transit dependent, those who have no other alternatives, are taken care of, and we have to make sure the entire region's transportation needs are met.'' Ludlow voiced similar views. ``If the secession movement taught us one thing, it's that people in the San Fernando Valley don't feel they are getting their fair share - and they aren't,'' Ludlow said. ``But the fact of the matter is, other parts of this city are being ignored as well.'' ``Traffic mobility and traffic safety are issues that affect Angelenos every day,'' LaBonge said, ``so it's the responsible thing to address these challenges now by tapping into the best practices the world over.'' Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky Zev Yaroslavsky (born December 21, 1948) is a Los Angeles County politician. He served on the Los Angeles City Council from 1975 until 1994, when he was elected to the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors. He was preceded in both offices by Edmund D. Edelman. , the new MTA chairman, said he believed the Valley would have representation through his office, as well as the other MTA board members whose districts include portions of the area and the mayor who ``represents the whole Valley.'' ``It'll be their challenge to be responsive to Valley interests, and I suspect they will be,'' he said. ``Shame on us if we can't be responsive to Valley transportation interests.'' Lisa Mascaro, (818) 713-3761 lisa.mascaro(at)dailynews.com |
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