Many tips, but no solid leads
Phil Washington will oversee a massive expansion of L.A.’s rail system
The search widens for a missing woman who vanished near Cal State San Bernardino.
Los Angeles County transportation officials on Thursday chose the leader of Denver’s transit agency to guide the Metropolitan Transportation Authority through the next phase of a multibillion-dollar expansion of its rail system and efforts to eliminate projected budget shortfalls in coming years.
In an 11 to 0 vote, with two members absent, Metro’s board of directors agreed to hire Phil Washington, who spent 16 years with Denver’s Regional Transportation District, including six years as general manager.
Washington replaces Art Leahy, who announced in January he would step down after six years as Metro’s chief executive.
“We can further transform this county and this region through transportation infrastructure investment, and that is what I look forward to doing,” Washington said at a press conference Thursday outside Metro headquarters in downtown Los Angeles.
Washington comes to Metro at a crucial time, as the agency is in the midst of a rail-building boom that has the potential to reshape commuting habits, development patterns and residential density along transit corridors. Nearly a decade after voters approved a sales-tax increase to fund $35 billion in transportation projects, five rail lines currently are under construction and officials are considering asking voters to approve an additional commitment of tax revenue for a dozen more system extensions.
Washington said he will prioritize a “clean, efficient, reliable, accessible and costeffective service” for riders, and be “laser-focused” on delivering projects on time and on budget. Several new rail projects are scheduled to begin service near the end of the decade, including a downtown regional connector, a westward subway extension under Wilshire Boulevard and the Crenshaw Line, which is currently several months behind schedule.
“He is here to bring this county together, to make it more mobile for our goods and our people,” said Duarte Councilman John Fasana, a Metro board member.
Washington will supervise a fleet of more than 2,200 buses and 300 trains.
“Here in the car capital of the world, we are changing things,” said Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, who chairs Metro’s board. As Los Angeles tries to move more people out of cars and onto public transportation, Washington is the “right person to lead that vision forward,” Garcetti said.
The MTA faces financial challenges, including a projected $83-million deficit in 2018, which could worsen to $248 million by 2023 as pension costs rise and new rail lines begin operating. In the last five years, the share of operational costs covered by fares has fallen from 29% to 26%, one of the lowest rates of any major transit agency in the world.
In Denver, Washington secured more than $1 billion in federal grants for transit expansion. Much like Leahy, he managed a rapidly growing system. A decade ago, Colorado voters approved a sales tax to build 140 miles of rail and bus rapid-transit service. Next year, the Denver agency is expected to dedicate four new rail lines and a bus rapid-transit line.
Washington was the front-runner during the search for the next chief executive and was courted by Garcetti’s office for nearly a year, sources familiar with the process said. Garcetti spoke with Washington over the phone and met with him in person the week after Leahy announced his resignation, according to the mayor’s public calendars.
Washington also oversaw Denver’s first public-private partnership for transit, a $2.2-billion commuter rail network that will be built, paid for and operated by a private company. That made him a strong candidate for the Metro job, sources said, because agency officials may seek privatesector financing for some ambitious projects, including a proposed transit tunnel through the Sepulveda Pass on the Westside.
Washington will start by May 29. He will be paid about $327,000 annually, but the full cost and details of his contract are not yet available, a Metro spokesman said. In Denver, his total compensation was $350,000 annually, including salary and benefits, according to his contract.
Leahy’s contract with Metro expires April 5. He is expected to be hired Friday as the chief executive of Metrolink, Southern California’s troubled commuter rail agency.