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Does the Expo Line Need an Independent Inspector General/Ethics Officer?
The first phase of the Expo Line will be 8.6 miles between downtown L.A. and Culver City
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The first phase of the Expo Line will be 8.6 miles between downtown L.A. and Culver City
As work crews hit the home stretch on finishing the first phase of the Expo Line between downtown Los Angeles and Culver City, one politician is calling for more accountability. Unlike many Metro projects, the Expo Line is currently under the control of the Exposition Metro Line Construction Authority and doesn't have any objective and critical oversight.
“The Expo Line Construction Authority, despite controlling hundreds of millions of dollars in public funds, lacks an Inspector General and relies on an informal agreement with its umbrella agency,” said Mark Ridley-Thomas, a L.A. County Board of Supervisor who sits on the Expo Board. “The expanded capacity to individually review expenditures and performance that an Inspector General would possess will greatly enhance the public’s trust by providing greater accountability."
The first phase is about 75% completed with a partial opening -- downtown L.A. to Crenshaw or La Cienega -- possibly scheduled for April. Construction on Phase II, from Culver City to Santa Monica, could begin in the first couple of months in 2011.
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Ridley-Thomas will submit a motion to create the position at a meeting on Thursday.
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