New Metro Chair Hahn say safety is ‘top concern’

Amid an ongoing surge in violence on public transit in Los Angeles, incoming Chair of the Los Angeles Metro Board of Directors Janice Hahn said safety is a top priority for the agency.

Mayor Karen Bass, who presented the State of the Agency speech Wednesday morning, also handed over the reins to Hahn, a Los Angeles County supervisor, after Bass’ one-year term at the helm.

Hahn steps into a period of increased scrutiny for Metro. A litany of violent incidents have left several people dead and wounded, including both passengers and Metro employees.

“We know that new lines and stations will ultimately fail if riders’ top concern isn’t whether the Metro system goes where they need it to — but whether they will reach their destination safely,” said Hahn.

Hahn added that she will follow the footsteps of her father, former L.A. City Councilman and County Supervisor Kenneth Hahn, in using the transit infrastructure of which she is in charge and personally ensuring it lives up to its potential.

“When my father was a Supervisor, he would take a different route to the office through his district every day. And every time he came across a pothole, he would report it to his staff and tell them that, the next time he drove that road, he expected it to be fixed,” Hahn said. “So, I am going to take a page out of my dad’s book. I haven’t ridden Metro as much as I should have in the past, but I am going to make it a point to ride more while I am Chair. And at our Board meetings, I am going to talk about what I experience as a Metro rider. That will mean calling out problems I see — as well as praising the things that go right.”

In addition to safety concerns, Metro officials also must prepare for the 2028 Olympic Games and other high-profile sporting events coming to Southern California, as well as handle expansion projects like the Purple Line Extension making its way west and a proposed route that would service West Hollywood.

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