The Gateway Cities Council of Governments (COG) is actively seeking nominations to Metro’s Gateway Cities (GWC) Service Council. How it works: The COG makes nominations for the Service Council, and the Metro Board of Directors approves them — after which new members are sworn in and can begin their terms.
Service Council members serve three-year terms with no term limits. Annually, three of the seats on each Council expire on June 30. The term of the three expiring seats is from July 1, 2023 through June 30, 2026. The COG’s nominations will be taken to the Metro Board for their approval at their June 22 Board meeting.
Service Councils meet monthly to provide the public with opportunities to share their direct feedback on Metro programs, policies and service. They also hold public hearings for major bus and rail service changes, and send bus service change recommendations to the Metro Board.
Benefits of serving as a Councilmember include a Metro badge for unlimited use of Metro Rail and Bus, and a $100 stipend per meeting, for up to two meetings per month. To qualify, you must live in, work in, or represent the Gateway Cities – find a map of the region here to verify eligibility. More information about the Service Councils is available here.
Metro encourages nominations to the Service Councils that reflect the demographics of their regions. The demographics of Gateway Cities Service Council membership compared to the ridership and community of the region (2020 American Community Survey, 2019 Metro Ridership Survey) are:
| Demographics | Hispanic | White | Asian/ Pac Isl | Black | Native Amer | Other |
| Region | 64.5% | 14.8% | 10.0% | 8.1% | 0.2% | 2.0% |
| Regional Ridership | 66% | 6% | 3% | 21% | 0% | 4% |
| Current Membership/No. | 55.5%/5 | 33%/3 | 11%/1 | 11%/2 | 0% | 11%/1 |
Metro’s 2019 Understanding How Women Travel report found that more than half of all bus riders (54%) are women, and more than half (51%) of Metro rail riders are women. The current gender makeup of the GWC Service Council is follows:
| Gender | GWC Current Membership/No. | Los Angeles County |
| Men | 55% (5) | 49.7% |
| Women | 44% (4) | 50.3% |
The COG also seeks representation across the region. Areas currently represented on the Council are: Cerritos, Huntington Park, Lynwood, Maywood, South Gate, and Walnut Park.
If you or someone you know is interested in serving on the Gateway Cities Service Council, complete the application found here and send it to the Gateway Cities Council of Governments at 16401 Paramount Bl, Paramount, CA 90723 or via email at gcisneros@gatewaycog.org by Thursday, March 30. The COG will screen candidates and may interview them before making their selection. For more information, contact the COG at the email above or by phone at (562) 663-6850.
Categories: Transportation News