Bernard Parks steps down from MTA board

Word arrived today that Los Angeles City Councilman Bernard C. Parks resigned from the board of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority earlier this month. Parks was not at the MTA board meeting last week, nor had there been a public announcement of his resignation.

"I thank you for your appointment to this very worthwhile position and hope that my departure, after almost four years, will give someone else an opportunity to become involved in resolving our county's all-too-important transit needs," Parks wrote in his resignation letter, dated Jan. 8.

In November, Parks lost his bid for county supervisor to Mark Ridley-Thomas, who as a supervisor now serves on the MTA board. The 13-member board oversees the agency, deciding how to spend more than $3 billion annually on bus and train service in Los Angeles County. The board also gets to decide which big transit projects get built next.

Parks was appointed to the board by Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa in 2005. The mayor gets to appoint three board members, and he will choose Parks' replacement. The mayor's two other appointees are David Fleming and Richard Katz, both of whom live in the San Fernando Valley.  By law, one of his appointees must be a member of the City Council.

Because the appointment is likely to come from outside the Valley, likely candidates who have shown some interest include Tom LaBonge, Bill Rosendahl, Herb Wesson and Jose Huizar, according to sources. One thing is certain: Villaraigosa will not, under any circumstances, appoint someone who doesn't support his goals — by which I mean building the Westside subway extension sooner rather than later.

-- Steve Hymon

Photo: Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa (R) apppointed LA City Councilman Bernard C. Parks (L) to the MTA post that he has recently vacated. Credit: Al Seib / Los Angeles Times

Comments

[Roger Christensen]

So with Parks gone does the Expo Line finally become the Aqua Line? This was the Metro staff choice and preferred by supporters like Friends for Expo.
It suggests the ocean at the terminus and is derivative of Blue for which it shares tracks downtown. Parks strangely opposed it (rumoured because his wife didn't like it). Now can we move on and finally give Expo a color?

[Bob Zwolinski]

Does this mean the Expo line will finally receive the “aqua” color designation rather than it’s current dashed black line on most Los Angeles transit maps?
The list of his likely replacements are all reputable!

[Dan W.]

I'm all for Rosendahl. He's got a good understanding of the issues and it pro-transit, supporting both expanded rail and bus-only lanes all over the city.

[Anonymous Person]

The name "aqua" suggests the ocean? Which ocean? This isn't the Caribbean. Maybe brown or green is more appropriate, and since green is already taken, it's the Brown Line :)

[Ken Alpern]

Bill Rosendahl is the most visioned, aggressive and pro-transit/transportation member of the Council, and he's clearly the best man for the job!

[Francine Hill]

Please provide us with some flushing toilets at the 3, day festival, and please have the permanent toilets, cleaned and refreshed, someone should check to make certain they are sanitary. The outhouses make me sick; the venders would make more money if we didn't have to look at poop going in.