[link removed]
[link removed]

Have you ever ridden the LA Metro?


If you haven’t, you’re lucky.


If you have, you aren’t imagining it: it’s an absolute disaster.


Riders face rising crime, filthy stations, and unreliable service…all while billions in taxpayer dollars vanish into rail projects no one needs.


It’s a system that fails on every imaginable level.


That’s why Independent Institute’s new Golden Fleece© report exposes the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LA Metro) for its unacceptable record of waste, mismanagement, and public endangerment.


In his new report, The Los Angeles Metro: Unacceptable Crime, High Costs, and Unnecessary Expansions ([link removed]) , transportation expert Baruch Feigenbaum explains how LA Metro’s sprawling bureaucracy and reckless spending have created a transit system that is dangerous, inefficient, and financially unsustainable. More importantly, he outlines practical, proven alternatives—including Bus Rapid Transit Systems—that introduce competitive contracting and innovative technologies to deliver better mobility for far less cost.


The best time to rethink LA’s transit future would have been yesterday. The next best time? Today.


** “A lack of competition has allowed LA Metro to squander revenue on excessive pay and benefits as well as on unneeded rail extensions rather than spending money on the features that matter most to customers. Reducing crime and improving cleanliness and reliability would bring riders back and increase revenue. Instead, ridership continues to decline.”
------------------------------------------------------------


** –Baruch Feigenbaum
------------------------------------------------------------
Read the Report ([link removed])

Baruch Feigenbaum in conversation with Graham Walker on Independent Conversations—breaks down what’s gone wrong with L.A.’s Metro and how to fix it.
[link removed]
Watch the Discussion ([link removed])

What are the California Golden Fleece ([link removed]) ^® ([link removed]) Awards ([link removed]) ? They are a series of in-depth reports from the Independent Institute that expose the waste, fraud, and abuse in California. Each report has three goals:
* to expose government waste
* to increase transparency into the inner workings of government
* to hold government accountable at all levels when they swindle taxpayers or break public trust by giving the public meaningful information

A program, agency, policy, tax, or regulation must violate common-sense principles of responsible government to receive a California Golden Fleece® Award. That’s why the ignoble recipient of this 18th award is LA Metro.

To find out more about the California Golden Fleece^® Awards, the Independent Institute, and how you can be a part of real solutions, visit us online ([link removed]) or follow us on X @CAGoldenFleece ([link removed]) . Past reports have exposed the harmful impact of California’s CalGang database and gang laws ([link removed]) on civil liberties and justice, the corruption that led to California’s higher gas prices ([link removed]) ; public policy failures that contributed to California’s wildfires ([link removed]) , the stupidity and cruelty of automated license plate readers ([link removed]) ; and more.


** REPORT AUTHOR
------------------------------------------------------------

Baruch Feigenbaum ([link removed]) is senior managing director of transportation policy at Reason Foundation. Feigenbaum has a diverse background researching and implementing transportation issues including revenue and finance, public–private partnerships, highways, transit, high-speed rail, ports, intelligent transportation systems, land use, and local policymaking. Prior to joining Reason, Feigenbaum handled transportation issues on Capitol Hill for Representative Lynn Westmoreland. Feigenbaum is a past member of the Transportation Research Board Bus Transit Systems, Intelligent Transportation Systems, and Managed Lanes Committees. His work has been featured in The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, and numerous other publications.
[link removed]

[link removed]
[link removed]
[link removed]
[link removed]
[link removed]
mailto:[email protected]

You received this message because you are subscribed to Publications.

Independent Institute, 100 Swan Way, Oakland, CA 94621-1428
Manage preferences ([link removed]) | Unsubscribe ([link removed])

Copyright © 2025 Independent Institute, All rights reserved.