Long Beach reps push for city to have own member
County leaders this summer may take up a vote to add a seat exclusively for Long Beach on the Los Angeles County Metro’s Board of Directors, the agency that oversees the nation’s second-largest transit system.on Tuesday, L.A.
County Supervisor Janice Hahn, whose district includes Long Beach, argued that many of the county’s 88 cities are underrepresented on the agency’s board, leading to planning and funding decisions that favor the city of Los Angeles at the expense of farther-flung municipalities. The board currently has 13 members who vote on contracts worth billions of dollars for construction, trains, computers and all the other hardware needed for a transit system to send riders from the coast to the Inland Empire.
County leaders this summer may take up a vote to add a seat exclusively for Long Beach on the Los Angeles County Metro’s Board of Directors, the agency that oversees the nation’s second-largest transit system.on Tuesday, County Supervisor Janice Hahn, whose district includes Long Beach, argued that many of the county’s 88 cities are underrepresented on the agency’s board, leading to planning and funding decisions that favor the city of Los Angeles at the expense of farther-flung municipalities.
“We have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to shape a Metro Board that better represents the diversity of our vast county as well as the needs of people who regularly rely on Metro,” Hahn said. “Long Beach is the second-biggest city in L.A. County and a regional powerhouse. It’s time that its almost half a million residents had a dedicated, permanent voice on this Board, and I’m hoping that my colleagues on the Ad Hoc Board Composition Committee agree.
” Hahn also recommended adding a board seat for someone who rides the train regularly, as well as allowing board members to designate alternate members who can vote in their absence. The board currently has 13 members who vote on contracts worth billions of dollars for construction, trains, computers and all the other hardware needed for a transit system to send riders from the coast to the Inland Empire.
Members include all five county supervisors, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and three seats she appoints. The remaining four seats are shared by 87 cities divided into four geographic areas: North County and San Fernando Valley, San Gabriel Valley, Southeast County and Long Beach, and Southwest Corridor.
Long Beach shares the Southeast sector with 26 other cities, even though it accounts for a quarter of the sector’s weighted voting power — given its population of more than 462,000 — which gives it an incredible sway in who is elected to the seat. , which consists of 26 city representatives, who cast votes based on their population. Long Beach has 46 of the 164 total votes.
Breaking off Long Beach into its own seat would serve a dual purpose, Hahn said, of giving not only Long Beach better representation but also a better chance for the smaller cities to vie for the seat. Several organizations expressed support for the new seat, including representatives from the Long Beach Chamber of Commerce, the city of Long Beach, the Downtown Long Beach Alliance, Congressman Robert Garcia and Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson.
This comes as Richardson was appointed to the seat on Tuesday, filling a vacancy left behind by outgoing Whittier City Councilman Fernando Dutra. Richardson is expected to join the MTA board officially in July. Talks to overhaul Metro’s leadership run parallel to other governance changes seen across Los Angeles County, which began with the voter-approved Measure G in 2024 to create an elected County CEO in 2028 and grow to a nine-member Board of Supervisors in 2032.
Given their schedule, the Metro Board could take the matter to a vote as early as July, though Hahn’s office says it may take time to iron out the details of the seat and how to handle its appointment process.by then state Sen. Tony Mendoza, D-Artesia, who tried to shake up leadership by lowering the board to two supervisor seats while adding eight members to the 14-member board, including representatives from Long Beach and other cities across the Southland. L.A.
Metro's police will work alongside ambassadors and other unarmed teams in what the agency is calling a holistic approach to public safety. Los Angeles Metro is beginning to recruit its first class of police officers to patrol trains, buses and stations and respond to emergencies alongside other unarmed teams on the system.
On Wednesday, the countywide transportation agency published job postings forEventually, once the department is built up, the agency will phase out its decades-old system of outsourcing policing of its buses and trains to regional police agencies. Metro’s Department of Public Safety will be made up of police officers, neon-green clad ambassadors and The entry-level position is open to anyone who is 21 years or older.
The minimum education requirements include a high school diploma, GED or “other high school equivalency test approved by the ,” according to the job description. Entry-level hires will start getting paid before they attend the police academy, according to Metro. The more experienced position is open to people who have already achieved basic state training certifications and have completed the probationary period as a police officer elsewhere in California.
Chief Bill Scott, who heads the department, told the agency’s Board of Directors that he’s aiming to hire 52 sworn officers this upcoming fiscal year. Metro is advertising an $87,000 to $130,500 annual salary range for its entry-level officers. For the more senior position, Metro is offering $95,000 to $142,500. The positions come with retirement, insurance, paid time off and tuition reimbursement, among other benefits.
Former U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra at a gubernatorial forum in Sacramento on April 14, 2026. Billionaires, Big Oil and other interests are spending big to influence the California governor’s race, making for the most expensive primary campaign in state history. Campaign donations are both a measure of popular support and a sign of which candidates special interests believe they can influence. CalMatters analyzed campaign finance data in the California governor’s race.
It’s a record-breaking election when it comes to spending by corporations and special interest groups trying to influence who becomes the next governor. Outside groups, which unlike candidates can receive unlimited donations, reported spending $79 million so far — more than double the amount spent through the November 2018 general election when Gavin Newsom won his first term. Campaign donations are both a measure of popular support and a sign of which candidates special interests believe they can influence.
CalMatters analyzed campaign finance data in the California governor’s race. Here are five takeaways on where the money is coming from and where it’s going. It’s a record-breaking election when it comes to spending by corporations and special interest groups trying to influence who becomes the next governor.
Outside groups, which unlike candidates can receive unlimited donations, reported spending $79 million so far — more than double the amount spent through the November 2018 general election when Gavin Newsom won his first term. Billionaire Tom Steyer is the biggest target: A political spending committee called California Is Not For Sale, funded by the state Realtors association, the California Chamber of Commerce, Pacific Gas & Electric and the state’s electrical workers’ union poured $32 million into ads opposing him.by challenging PG&E’s monopoly in much of Northern California.
He’s also promised to pursue a ballot measure that would raise revenue for public services by requiring more accurate property tax assessments on business properties, a move that could upend the commercial real estate market. Some of the same groups spending against Steyer are running ads for Xavier Becerra. Those groups — along with organizations representing doctors, contractors and several labor unions — have spent $13 million through PACs to boost Becerra.
Chevron, McDonald’s, dialysis giant DaVita and one of the state’s largest oil drillers, California Resources Corp., are funding one of the largest pro-Becerra groups, with each of them contributing $500,000. Meta and AirBnB chipped in about $1 million each and health insurance corporation Centene, which runs California-based HealthNet, put in $100,000. Steyer is reveling in the spending against him, pointing to it as proof he’d stand up to utilities and big business.
A climate activist, Steyer has highlighted Becerra’s support from Chevron. The progressive unions California Nurses Association and United Domestic Workers have spent a comparatively modest $1.4 million on mailers and digital media boosting Steyer. Outside groups have also spent $1.8 million opposing Republican frontrunner Steve Hilton, a former Fox News host and British political strategist. California’s tech billionaires urged Mahan to run and backed him with millions in donations and two independent spending committees.
They were enamored with his platform of government efficiency and opposition to new taxes — positions that would shield them from the Legislature’s push to regulate tech and raise taxes on the wealthy. Donors included venture capitalists Michael Moritz and Brian Singerman, DoorDash CEO Tony Xu, Intuit founder Scott Cook, Google co-founder Sergey Brin and Los Angeles developer and former mayoral candidate Rick Caruso.
The committees spent nearly $22 million on ads supporting Mahan, significantly more than the $9 million his campaign has spent. But the money wasn’t enough to overcome his significant disadvantage in name recognition as the first-term mayor of a city that doesn’t get much attention. Strategists told the committees’ backers they needed at least $45 million to make a difference.
One of the PACs, California Back to Basics, last week returned $1 million from Netflix CEO Reed Hastings; Hastings cryptically posted on X that he hadn’t asked for the money back. The refund was an acknowledgement that the committee hadn’t succeeded in raking in a final $10 to $15 million the billionaire backers hoped to raise in the last weeks of the campaign, committee spokesperson Matt Rodriguez said.
Yet despite his opponents’ deep-pocketed donors, no one has matched the $213 million Steyer has spent on his own campaign, allowing him to blanket the airwaves with ads, That makes his the most expensive primary campaign in California gubernatorial history, exceeding that of former eBay executive Meg Whitman, a Republican who spent about $94 million in the June 2010 primary — about $142 million in today’s dollars — spending tens of millions more before losing to Jerry Brown in the general election. California gubernatorial candidates during a debate hosted by CBS Bay Area and the San Francisco Examiner in San Francisco on May 14, 2026.
DaVita, the California Medical Association and the California Professional Firefighters Association all supported former Rep. Eric Swalwell’s gubernatorial bid before he dropped out over sexual assault allegations. Small donors made a similar leap. The CalMatters analysis found that after Swalwell dropped out, more than 500 of his campaign donors went on to contribute to Becerra’s campaign.
No other candidate received that much support from former Swalwell donors. Swalwell, who has also since resigned from Congress, continues to use his gubernatorial campaign to pay more than $313,000 to attorney Sara Azari, who is defending him against the allegations. He has also refunded about $250,000 to nearly 50 donors. The Republican frontrunner amassed the highest number of campaign donors in the race: more than 20,000.
Nearly a quarter of them live outside California. , build housing on undeveloped suburban land and cut income taxes for the middle class. He received a slight uptick in donations after President Donald Trump endorsed him on April 6. Katie Porter, the Democratic former congressmember from Orange County and consumer protection attorney, had the second-highest number of donors, with more than 15,000.
She also has the highest share of donors outside California, reflecting her relative national fame from her headline-grabbing time grilling corporate CEOs in Congress. , who touts her reliance on grassroots donors and refusal to take corporate contributions. From April 18 through May 19 she brought in less money than Mahan. If you're enjoying this article, you'll love our daily newsletter, The LA Report.
Each weekday, catch up on the 5 most pressing stories to start your morning in 3 minutes or less. Crews clean the scene along Cesar E. Chavez and Eastern avenues, where gallons of crude oil spilled onto the street.
Officials said early reports indicated a boring crew conducting directional drilling for a fiber optic line struck the 16-inch petroleum pipeline, which sent an estimated 2,400 gallons of crude oil onto nearby streets and into storm drains and the Los Angeles River. Streets in the area reopened Thursday after days of closures that disrupted nearby residents, businesses and schools, though more soil remediation remains ahead.
Claims of damage believed to be caused by the spill can be submitted to PPS by calling 817-5465. Callers will be prompted to leave their name and contact information in a voicemail for a representative to return the call.
Officials said early reports indicated a boring crew conducting directional drilling for a fiber optic line struck the 16-inch petroleum pipeline, which sent an estimated 2,400 gallons of crude oil onto nearby streets and into storm drains and the Los Angeles River. Streets in the area reopened Thursday after days of closures that disrupted nearby residents, businesses and schools, though more soil remediation remains ahead.
In the hours after the spill, Boyle Heights Beat reporters witnessed a truck labeled Camarillo Drilling Inc. A Camarillo Drilling representative told the Beat they were seeking counsel and could not confirm if they were working at the site.from the state Department of Water Resources notes that Camarillo Drilling Company, in April 2020, punctured the Santa Ana Pipeline in Riverside “while performing directional and horizontal boring during installation of an underground communications cable.
” The Department of Water Resources filed a complaint against Camarillo Drilling in Riverside County Superior Court in April 2022, seeking damages of about $1.2 million to cover pipeline repair expenses and DWR staffing costs, according to the report. that HP Communications was behind the drilling of the fiber optic line. A representative with HP Communications told the Beat they could not comment or confirm that they were working at the site.
The plan involves building a network of high-capacity fiber lines that carry large amounts of data at high speeds over long distances,. About 10,000 miles of fiber optic cable is being installed throughout California, including more than 500 miles in Los Angeles County. The state owns and manages the system.
Another company that was awarded a contract for the plan is Arcadian Infracom, which in 2023, held a groundbreaking event in Boyle Heights for the California portion of its L.A. to Phoenix fiber route, LAist reported in 2024. The project will help serve residents in East L.A. and extend to communities in Barstow and Needles .
It’s not clear if the drilling that led to the pipeline rupture is linked to the Broadband for All effort. Arcadian Infracom has not returned a request for comment regarding any potential involvement with the pipeline puncture. The California Department of Technology did not respond to Boyle Heights Beat’s questions in time for publication. Pacific Pipeline System has also not responded to questions regarding the third-party companies involved.
A state investigation into how the pipe was struck remains ongoing. Supervisor Hilda Solis on Thursday said she’d work with the Board of Supervisors to ensure “every responsible party is held accountable and advancing stronger protections for impacted residents, communities, and small businesses. ”Claims of damage believed to be caused by the spill can be submitted to PPS by calling 817-5465.
Callers will be prompted to leave their name and contact information in a voicemail for a representative to return the call. PPS will request contact information and a description of the claimed damages. The timeline for any potential compensation depends on the urgency of the claim, according to the spokesperson.
To report excessive odors, smoke, dust and other air contaminants, East Yard Communities for Environmental Justice advises residents to contact the South Coast Air Quality Management District by calling CUT SMOG or 288-7664. To report health concerns related to odors, residents can also contact the L.A. County Department of Public Health by calling 430-9821 or by emailing DPH-OEJCH@ph.lacounty.gov.
The FIFA World Cup 2026 Los Angeles logo is displayed during a media event for the upcoming FIFA World Cup at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Tuesday, May 12, 2026. LAist prepared the following guide to help folks get to and from the stadium, L.A. city watch parties and tips on using bikes and scooters to get around the region. L.A.
Metro is providing direct shuttle service from several locations in L.A. and Orange Counties to SoFi Stadium, where countries from around the world will face off in the eight local FIFA World Cup 2026 matches. There will be free watch parties in the city of L.A. Some of the locations are directly accessible via Metro rail.
You might have braved the process to get a seat at SoFi Stadium for one of the eight FIFA World Cup 2026 matches in L.A. , or maybe you’re gearing up to head to a community watch party. LAist prepared the following guide to help folks get to and from the stadium, L.A. city watch parties and tips on using bikes and scooters to get around the region. L.A.
Metro is the countywide transportation agency and is the official public transit provider for the World Cup matches in the city. It’s partnering with more than 10 regional transportation and charter providers to get people to and from the stadium. All eight of the matches will be at SoFi Stadium, or L.A. Stadium, as it will be called during the World Cup.
The address is 1001 S. Stadium Dr., Inglewood, CA 90301. Shuttles to the stadium begin service at least three hours before kick-off depending on which location you’re leaving from, and they’ll run up to 90 minutes after the matches end. The shuttles will generally run every 10 minutes. For the Pierce College Station and Newport Transportation Center, the shuttles will run every 30 minutes.
You can tap the fare machines directly with your credit or debit card. Or you can go old-school and use a physical or digital TAP card. There are several ways to get a TAP card, including using your smartphone or picking one up at a Metro station. Here is aThe only pick-up and drop-off location that doesn’t have any kind of vehicle access, including rideshare, is the LAX Metro Transit Center.
But that station is accessible by five different Metro bus lines and two rail lines. If you’re looking for a souvenir to commemorate your time on transit during the World Cup in L.A. , make sure to pick up a special TAP card. You can see the designs and where to find each oneThere are going to be more than 100 free watch parties in the city of L.A. at different park locations.
It’s part of an initiative called Kick it in the Park. You can find out more about the watch partiesThe A line stops at the Southwest Museum Station, which is less than half a mile from Sycamore Grove. to learn which Metro, L.A. Dash or other regional transit can take you to the Kick it in the Park events.
Taking a bike share or scooter could be helpful to get to and from transit stations or to go a short distance that isn’t well-served by transit. There are a few different options here:. Metro operates a fleet of regular and electric bikes that you can find at docking stations throughout L.A. Use the L.A.
Metro app to find docking stations near you that have available bikes or to find stations where you can return the bike when you’re done using it. There are different prices depending on how long you anticipate needing a bike, and you can pay with your TAP card. The private scooter and bike-share company recently expanded into the Valley and now offers a total of 15,000 vehicles in the city of L.A.
Its vehicles are also accessible in West Hollywood and Long Beach. You can use theThe company is launching a “fan pass” this summer that includes 90 minutes of riding over the course of five days for about $13. You can purchase the fan pass more than once. It’ll be available between June 5th through July 19th.
If you don't have access to the internet on your phone but still want to use a Lime vehicle, you can text"Unlock" to 415-463-3473. You will receive a text back with instructions on how to proceed from there.
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