Second District Supervisor Holly Mitchell and Mayor Karen Bass are actively seeking nominations to Metro’s Westside Central Cities (WSC) Service Council. How it works: each seat’s nominating authority submits candidates to serve on the Service Council, and the Metro Board of Directors appoints them, after which the new member is sworn in and can begin their term.
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 currently vacant seats is from July 1, 2021 through June 30, 2024, so the appointees would serve the remaining portion of the term. There are no term limits for Service Council members; many appointees serve multiple terms so the nominees could potentially be appointed to another three-year term after the conclusion of their first one. The nominations will be taken to a Metro Board as soon as possible for Metro Board approval.
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 Westside Central 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 Westside Central Cities Service Council membership compared to the region’s community (2021 American Community Survey) are:
| Demographics | Hispanic | White | Asian/ Pac Isl | Black | Native Amer | Other |
| Region | 42.4% | 30.7% | 13.7% | 9.1% | 0.2% | 3.9% |
| Membership as of July 1, 2023/No. | 42.8%/3 | 28.5%/2 | 14.2%/1 | 14.2%/1 | 0% | 0% |
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 gender makeup of the WSC Service Council as of July 1, 2023 will be is follows:
| Gender | WSC Current Membership/No. | Los Angeles County |
| Men | 57.2% (4) | 49.7% |
| Women | 42.8% (3) | 50.3% |
Metro also encourages representation across the region. Areas currently represented on the WSC Council are: Beverly Hills, Downtown LA, East Hollywood, Mid-City, Santa Monica, Sawtelle, and West Hollywood.
To apply, submit a cover letter and resume to either (or both) the offices of Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell and/or Mayor Karen Bass as follows:
Office of Mayor Karen Bass: myr-commissions@lacity.org.
Office of Second District Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell: KShamdasani@bos.lacounty.gov and LOBrien@bos.lacounty.gov.
Their offices will screen candidates and may contact them to interview them for an interview before making their selection. If you have questions regarding the Service Councils or the nomination and appointment processes, email servicecouncils@metro.net.
Categories: Transportation News