The critical turning point for the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority's naming rights proposal can be summed up by an old adage: beggars can't be choosers.
"Two months after approving a controversial policy to sell naming rights to Los Angeles County’s subway stations, bus stops and other transit properties, transportation officials have overturned the plan, citing legal concerns," reports Laura J. Nelson.
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s board of directors voted to repeal the policy Thursday after receiving guidance from a staff attorney, who said that refusing a sponsorship deal because of a company’s business practices or political affiliation could expose Metro to lawsuits.
County Supervisors Sheila Kuehl is quoted in the article summing up the results of that legal concern: "As it turns out, we can’t really pick and choose." The idea was proposed to raise revenue to address the Metro transit system's operating deficit, which persists despite the strong fiscal health for the agency in the wake of Measure M's $120 billion infusion in transportation funding.
Read the full story: Transit officials backtrack on controversial policy to sell naming rights for Metro stations
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