July 10, 2024

Los Angeles, CA– Today, Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn assumed the Chair of the Metro Board of Directors and delivered a speech outlining her priorities for her year-long term with a focus on safety.

“We know that new lines and stations will ultimately fail if riders’ top concern isn’t whether the Metro system goes where they need it to — but whether they will reach their destination safely,” said Chair Hahn, to an audience of elected leaders and Metro employees.

Hahn spoke about the importance of law enforcement visibility on buses, trains and at Metro stations and praised the recent surge of police and Sheriff’s deputy presence on the system in response to violent crimes.

On top of safety, Hahn laid out additional priorities: helping unhoused people find shelter and assistance off the Metro system, focusing on the rider experience, and supporting Metro’s workforce.
She also spoke about her plan to ride Metro more often as Chair.

“When my father was a Supervisor, he would take a different route to the office through his district every day. And every time he came across a pothole, he would report it to his staff and tell them that, the next time he drove that road, he expected it to be fixed,” said Hahn. “So, I am going to take a page out of my dad’s book. I haven’t ridden Metro as much as I should have in the past, but I am going to make it a point to ride more while I am Chair. And at our Board meetings, I am going to talk about what I experience as a Metro rider. That will mean calling out problems I see — as well as praising the things that go right.”

At the event, the former chair Mayor Karen Bass formally passed the gavel to Hahn. The chair of Metro rotates annually between the Mayor of Los Angeles, a member of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, and one of the City Selection Committee Members.

Hahn has served on the Metro Board of Directors since her election to the Board of Supervisors in 2016 and has championed building the Southeast Gateway Line from Artesia to Downtown, the preservation of the Dodger Stadium Express, and providing better mental health outreach to people in need on the Metro system.

Watch full speech: https://fb.watch/teJylJr1Db/ (Starts at 57:15)
Read full transcript of Hahn’s speech here.