July 16, 2026

Los Angeles, CA — Los Angeles County Supervisor and Metro Director Janice Hahn announced that she will introduce a proposal to add a dedicated Metro rider to the Los Angeles Metro Board of Directors, giving the people who rely on the transit system every day a direct voice in the agency’s highest decision-making body.

“The Metro Board needs a Metro rider,” said Hahn. “I’ve started riding Metro more often, and it has made me a better Metro Director—but I’m not an everyday rider. We should have someone on the dais who experiences the system day in and day out and can tell us what’s working, what’s not, and how our decisions affect the people who depend on our trains and buses.”

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority Board of Directors is currently composed of elected officials and representatives appointed by elected leaders representing jurisdictions across Los Angeles County. The voting membership includes the five members of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, the Mayor of the City of Los Angeles, three additional representatives appointed by the Mayor of Los Angeles, and four representatives selected through the City Selection Committee process. In addition, the Board includes one non-voting member appointed by the Governor of California.

Hahn will introduce the motion for a vote at the July 23, 2026 meeting of the full Metro Board. If approved, Metro staff would work with community advisory councils, community-based organizations, and other stakeholders to develop a transparent process for selecting a rider representative and recommend the staff and resources needed to ensure they can fully participate as a Board member.

Supervisor Hahn made a pledge to ride Metro more often when she became Chair of the Metro Board of Directors in 2024. She continues to ride Metro to her Metro Board meetings.

Hahn’s proposal comes while Metro is already examining the future makeup of the governing board following the passage of Measure G, which expands the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors from five members to nine.

Metro’s own public outreach found overwhelming support for rider representation. Through presentations to 25 stakeholder organizations, nine listening sessions, a countywide town hall, transit station outreach, and nearly 900 survey responses, the most consistent message was that Metro’s governing board should include someone who understands the day-to-day experience of riding the system.

Other major transit agencies have already embraced rider representation. Both the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority and the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority include voting rider representatives on their governing boards, demonstrating that giving transit users a seat at the table is both feasible and effective.