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AND ANOTHER THING - Los Angeles Metro has once again distinguished itself — and not in the way taxpayers might hope. The Independent Institute recently awarded LA Metro its California Golden Fleece Award, citing what many riders, watchdogs, and frustrated Angelenos already know: Metro has become one of the most dangerous, ineffective, and costly public transit systems in the United States.
This isn’t hyperbole. LA Metro currently holds the highest cost per rider of any major transit system in the nation. For a region that once dreamed of world-class mobility, the reality is a system in crisis — one plagued by mismanagement, spiraling costs, dwindling ridership, and safety concerns that keep many Angelenos far from the platforms.
The question is no longer what went wrong, but rather: How has Metro’s leadership allowed this to happen?
Leadership Without Accountability
Metro’s executive suite has become emblematic of bureaucratic drift — high salaries, low performance, and little accountability. Meanwhile, the Metro Board, entrusted with oversight and fiduciary responsibility, too often behaves as a ceremonial body, rubber-stamping staff proposals with minimal scrutiny.
With the possible exception of Councilmember Traci Park, the Board appears more like a row of concrete pillars than a governing body capable of steering a multibillion-dollar agency back toward public trust. The Mayor controls four seats on the Board, yet meaningful executive leadership has been notably absent. Angelenos deserve more than disengagement from the city’s chief executive — they deserve competence, vision, and accountability.
The STC Fantasy
A prime example of Metro’s disconnect from reality is the Sepulveda Transit Corridor (STC). Supporters speak about it as if it were an inevitability; in truth, it sits closer to fantasy.
The cost is projected to exceed $40 billion, the timeline is likely over 20 years, and by the time it’s completed, the technology and assumptions behind it may already be outdated. Add to that the political, environmental, and financial hurdles — not to mention community opposition — and the project seems more aspirational than achievable.
Public agencies should dream big, but they also have a responsibility to stay tethered to fiscal reality. Angelenos cannot afford another megaproject that drains resources while delivering little.
If Metro wants to spend tens of billions tunneling, the message from affected neighborhoods is clear: Do it under the 405 — not through our communities.
A Holiday Wish for Metro: Competence
In the holiday spirit, it’s tempting to imagine a tongue-in-cheek version of “The Twelve Days of Christmas” — except in this rendition, each day brings the dismissal of one of Metro’s top underperforming executives.
Day one: leadership change at the top. Day two: a shake-up in operations. And so on, until Angelenos can finally hope for the professional, accountable transit agency they deserve.
It shouldn’t require a seasonal miracle for Metro to function effectively. But after years of spiraling costs, mismanagement, and eroded public trust, many in Los Angeles feel like that may be exactly what it would take.
At The End of The Day
Los Angeles deserves a transit system that works — one that is safe, efficient, affordable, and well-managed. Instead, we have an agency too often disconnected from riders, detached from fiscal reality, and devoid of the leadership required to deliver meaningful improvement.
The Golden Fleece Award should serve as a wake-up call.
Whether our elected leaders heed it — or continue sleepwalking through Metro governance — will determine whether this city moves toward a better future, or remains stuck in gridlock both on the freeways and inside its own public institutions.
The citizens of Los Angeles have had enough and deserve better. It’s time for the exhausted majority to have its voice heard.
(Fredric D. Rosen is a retired businessman and former CEO of Ticketmaster, where he led the company for 16 years and transformed it into the world’s leading ticketing service. He has served on numerous corporate and nonprofit boards, offering leadership across both private enterprise and charitable initiatives. With decades of experience in business and civic engagement, Rosen brings a seasoned perspective to issues at the intersection of commerce, culture, and community.)
