Council authorizes DOT to reach agreement with MTA to seek reimbursement for strike-period services

The Los Angeles City Council voted to authorize the Department of Transportation to reach an agreement with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to secure reimbursement for services the city and its contractors provided during a transit strike period.

Phil Aker of the Department of Transportation explained the process: the city’s contractors will submit invoices for services provided and DOT will negotiate an agreement with MTA for reimbursement; the city will then pay contractors from the MTA payment after modifying contractor agreements as needed. Several councilmembers questioned why staff were negotiating rather than simply submitting an invoice; DOT staff said there is not yet a written payment agreement and that the negotiations will confirm amounts and terms.

Councilmember Bernsen said the city’s response helped people who lacked transportation during the strike and urged support for reaching an agreement with MTA. The council approved the staff recommendation by roll call (14 ayes recorded in the transcript).