advertisement

---

Last week, the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s (LACMTA) board elected Glendale City Councilman Ara Najarian as chairman to succeed Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, whose term expired.

A member of the board governing LACMTA’s Metrolink regional rail system, Najarian was elected to Glendale’s city council in 2005 and later served as mayor from 2007 to 2008. He currently chairs the Glendale Housing Authority and previously chaired the Glendale Redevelopment Agency.

Meanwhile, U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and several congressmen toured the Metro Gold Line Eastside Extension on July 3. Nearing completion, the six-mile light-rail extension will connect downtown L.A.’s Union Station with Little Tokyo, the Arts District, Boyle Heights and East L.A. The extension’s opening date will be announced soon after LACMTA completes additional testing, the agency said.