Santa Clarita’s Patsy Ayala Joins the Metro Board
Santa Clarita Mayor Pro Tem Patsy Ayala becomes the newest member of the Metro board. She fills the board seat representing the North County/San Fernando Valley subregion. The position opened due to the retirement of longtime Metro Boardmember Glendale City Councilmember Ara Najarian.
At today’s City Selection Committee meeting Ayala pledged to act “not only from the boardroom perspective, but also from the perspective of the people using Metro every day.”
“I will ride Metrolink, Metro, the bus systems… Antelope Valley Transit Authority, Santa Clarita Transit, Glendale BeeLine, and others,” Ayala continued, “…to experience what our residents experience, and directly hear from the people who rely on these systems.”
For the 13-person Metro board, four subregion representatives are elected via the relatively obscure L.A. County City Selection Committee, where vote tallies are based on population. The remainder of the board represent either L.A. County or L.A. City.
In August, Ayala was elected by the twelve cities in her subregion. Today she was unanimously confirmed by a majority of representatives of cities throughout L.A. County.
When running for City Council Ayala expressed support for “Improving roadways, ensuring reliable public transit, and maintaining public spaces.” More recently she pledged her support for her area’s Metro projects, including NoHo-Pasadena Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), Metrolink Antelope Valley Line upgrades, Highway 14 expansion, and more.
Today Ayala stressed her experience working on transportation issues during her service as a state legislator staffer and as an elected Santa Clarita City Councilmember. She spoke of collaborating and building consensus through listening to the 12 cities in her subregion, and to broader L.A. County.
“I look forward to working with each of you, listening to your priorities, and making sure your communities have a strong voice when Metro makes decisions that affect our transportation future.”
Ayala credited Najarian for having served with distinction on the Metro and Metrolink boards. “He has left big shoes to fill,” noted Ayala, “I am honored for the opportunity to continue that regional work.”
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