The Southern California Regional Rail Authority Board of Directors, the governing body of Metrolink, unanimously elected Ventura County Transportation Commission (VCTC) representative Brian Humphrey as its chair during today’s regular meeting.
All three officers will serve one-year terms, but may serve a two-year term if re-elected in 2020.
As a resident of Ventura County, he is a 33-year member of the City of Los Angeles Fire Department. In addition to being a firefighter/paramedic, Humphrey currently serves as a LAFD public information officer and public safety ambassador for visiting dignitaries. Becoming a member of the Metrolink Board of Directors in 1997, he is the longest-serving current Metrolink Board member with more than two decades of experience representing VCTC.
“This is such an exciting time in Metrolink’s history, with the full implementation of Positive Train Control to couple with Metrolink’s unsurpassed commitment to safety,” Humphrey said. “Living in Ventura County and working in Los Angeles, I am a frequent commuter on Metrolink. I hope to bring that perspective above all, while making certain our Board and our agency continues to always place our riders first.”
Humphrey replaces the outgoing chair City of San Jacinto Mayor Pro Tem Andrew Kotyuk, who represents the Riverside County Transportation Commission.
“Speaking on behalf of the Board, I thank Andrew for his leadership and dedication to our agency and the Metrolink riders over the past two years as the chair,” Humphrey said. “I’ve had the pleasure of working with him for a number of years and will certainly lean on his expertise, while moving forward.
“The initiatives that Andrew led including Metrolink’s SCORE program, fuel hedging and marketing efforts, along with securing an outstanding new CEO, will have long-lasting impacts on Metrolink,” Humphrey added.
The Southern California Optimized Rail Expansion (SCORE) Program is a $10 billion plan to build infrastructure enabling a higher frequency of regional passenger rail service in time for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games.
In October, the California Transportation Commission (CTC) unanimously approved a $91.2 million allocation to Metrolink to advance design and work on the first projects in the SCORE Program. In all, through a CTC approved multi-year grant agreement, Metrolink will receive a total of $875.7 million over six years, which is the largest funding effort in the agency’s 26-year history.
Other benefits of SCORE will include better connections with other transit providers, along with enhanced rail safety.
First elected to the Glendale City Council in 2005, Najarian has served as the city’s mayor on three occasions, most recently in 2016. Najarian is the past chair of both the Metro Board of Directors and the San Fernando Valley Council of Governments. He first became a member of the Metrolink Board of Directors between 2007 and 2012. He was reappointed in 2013.
Najarian was recognized at Friday’s meeting for his 10 years of service as a Board member.
McCallon, who served as the chair of the Metrolink Board in 2014, was elected to the Highland City Council in November 2002 and served as the city’s mayor from 2011 to 2013. In 2015, he was elected by officials of San Bernardino County to the South Coast Air Quality Management District Governing Board, where he serves as the chair of the Mobile Source Air Pollution Reduction Review Committee. He is also a past president of the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG).
“Brian, Ara and Larry are long-serving Metrolink board members who have demonstrated commitment to safety and customer service in transportation,” said new Metrolink CEO Stephanie Wiggins. “I look forward to their guidance in my role.”
For more information about Metrolink and the service for the Rams playoff game, please visit www.metrolinktrains.com.
