This is a summary of information about the MTA service sectors, created by MTA CEO Roger Snoble (left). Some information came from MTA's employee intranet.
The MTA has five service sectors: The first two began operations in July 2002 (San Fernando Valley and San Gabriel Valley). The remaining service sectors (Central City and Westside, the South Bay and the Gateway Cities in the southeastern part of Los Angeles County) started in September of that year. Each of these areas was identified by its cohesiveness as a group of communities, as well as by the trip generators and transit service patterns.
The MTA Board of Directors approved the creation of Sector Governance Councils to oversee the planning and implementation of service within their area. Their responsibilities include approval of the sector General Manager's budget; proposals for the Chief Executive Officer's consideration and recommendation to the MTA Board; calling and conducting public hearings for sector bus lines; approval and evaluation of sector programs; implementing service changes; reviewing and developing policy recommendations for MTA Board approval; ensuring compliance with all MTA policies and procedures and legal agreements (e.g. collective bargaining agreements, Consent Decree); providing input into the Sector General Manager’s performance review; and participating in annual meetings with the MTA Chief Executive Officer, Deputy Chief Executive Officer and the other Sector Governance Councils and General Managers.
The MTA Board retains all mandated responsibilities in accordance with Public Utilities Code 130051, such as hiring of the Chief Executive Officer and other Board appointees; approval of the agency budget and capital plan; negotiation of collective bargaining agreements; setting fare and service policies; establishing and monitoring agency programs; conducting public hearings for fare changes and service changes to corporate bus lines, Metro Rapid and Metro Rail service; conducting major procurements; managing construction projects, setting regional policies and having ultimate responsibility for resolving disputes regarding agency matters.
The Board confirms the appointment of members to the Service Sector Councils from the names submitted by local nominating coalitions (comprised of Councils of Governments, Interim Joint Powers Authorities, and any cities and unincorporated county areas in each sector). Councilmembers reflect a broad spectrum of interests and geographic areas of the sector, and may be elected officials or private citizens. One-half of each Council's members must be users of transit service (and all members must reside or work within the Service Sector boundaries); however, MTA Board members and employees may not serve on any Council. This staff report from when the councils were created includes the sector governance policy (scroll down to "Attachment A" at page 5), the nomination responsibility matrix for the initial councils' creation ("Attachment B" at page 9), the nomination process schedule and timing of tasks required to nominate an individual to the Service Sector Council ("Attachment C" at page 10) and the nomination process flowchart ("Attachment D" at page 11). (Adobe Reader required.)
The Metro San Fernando Valley Sector Governance Council -- which replaced the Interim Joint Powers Authority (IJPA) for the San Fernando Valley Transit Zone -- consists of four appointees from the City of Los Angeles, two appointees from the County of Los Angeles, two appointees from the San Fernando Valley East cities, and one appointee from the San Fernando Valley West cities. The original governance councilmembers were confirmed by the MTA Board of Directors February 27, 2003:
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David Armijo |
Richard Hunt |
Roger Snoble defined success for a service sector as "providing high-quality, on-time, safe and efficient customer-responsive service at a cost that saves money for the taxpayers ... what those who have advocated transit zones said they wanted".
MTA Headquarters remained responsible for Tier One transit services -- lines that link major regions of the county -- until September 29, 2005, when responsibility for all lines other than Metro Rail, Metro Rapid, and Metro Liner was transferred by the MTA board to the appropriate sectors (prior to that, the sectors had de facto control of all such lines that operated entirely within their boundaries). Remaining at Headquarters is Metro Construction and Countywide Planning, along with portions of the administrative and financial, Human Resources, ITS, communications, customer and government relations, Board-related activities and other functions that support the service sector operations (including the Bus Operations Control Center). Each sector employs between 1,100 and 1,300 staff members, including bus operators and maintenance personnel, and operate a fleet of approximately 400 to 600 buses.
The former golf pro shop of a Chatsworth driving range was renovated for use as offices for the San Fernando Valley Service Sector; the 6,000-square-foot building (shown at left) stands on some eight acres of MTA-owned property at the intersection of Topanga Canyon Blvd. and Marilla St., less than a mile northwest of Chatsworth Division 8.
Map on this page
The MTA staff report from 2002 is formatted in PDF Format.
