On August 24, 1976, the California Assembly passed AB1246 which created four regional transportation commissions in Southern California. Among these new commissions was the Los Angeles County Transportation Commission (LACTC), which was given authority over public transit and highway policy.
The public transit responsibilities included bus and rail, shuttles, dial-a-ride, and paratransit, along with highway policy in the nation’s largest county.
The legislation, drafted by Assemblyman Walter Ingalls (D-Riverside), required LACTC to approve all plans and funding with respect to transit capital development, transit operations and highway capital development. LACTC’s authority over highways was ultimately subject to approval by the California State Transportation Commission. The authority of LACTC was similar to that of the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) in New York or the Regional Transportation Authority (RTA) in Chicago, except that these organizations have little or no jurisdiction over highways. LACTC is credited with the construction of the Metro Blue Line, Metro Green Line and completing construction of the Metro Red Line.
LACTC merged with the Southern California Rapid Transit District (SCRTD) on February 1, 1993 to form the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA), commonly known as Metro. The commission’s last official day of business was April 1, 1993.
The thirteen-member Board of Directors of the new LACTMA was similar in composition to the LACTC Board, with mostly elected officials serving. The only change was dropping a member the Long Beach City Council, adding an additional City of Los Angeles appointee, and two more appointees of the Los Angeles County City Selection Committee.
RESOURCES
A file directory of full-text Los Angeles County Transportation Commission documents can be found here.