(a) There is hereby created a “Board of Taxicab Commissioners”, referred to in this chapter as the “Taxicab Commission” or the “Taxicab Board”, which shall be the successor to the Board of Transportation Commissioners in those matters pertaining to the rules and regulations governing the taxicab utility industry.
(b) The Taxicab Commission shall be comprised of five members. Membership qualification shall include, to the extent feasible, that three of the five members of the Commission be selected to provide representation from the tourism industry, senior or disabled citizen advocate groups, the Department of Airports, and/or the taxicab industry.
(c) The Taxicab Commissioners shall be appointed and may be removed in accordance with Charter Section 502.
(d) The original five members of the Taxicab Commission shall be appointed for such terms as shall cause one term to expire on the date of June 30 each year following the effective date of the appointment of the original Board of Taxicab Commissioners. The period of the term of each of the first five members shall be designated in the appointment.
Thereafter, the terms of succeeding members of the Taxicab Commission shall be five (5) years beginning with the first day of July following the expiration of the prior term.
(e) No person shall be appointed a member of the Taxicab Commission who is not a registered voter of the City of Los Angeles.
(f) Organization and Meetings of the Taxicab Commission.
(1) During the last week in July of each year, the Taxicab Commission, at a meeting thereof held during such period, shall elect a President and a Vice- President, and each shall hold office for one year and until their successors are elected, unless their respective membership on the Commission ceases sooner. The Taxicab Commission may fill from its members for the unexpired term, any vacancy occurring in the office of President or Vice-President. The first appointed Taxicab Commission shall elect interim officers from its members to serve as President and Vice-President until succeeded as above provided.
(2) The Taxicab Commission shall hold a regular meeting at least once a month. All meetings of the Taxicab Commission shall be in a municipal or other facility open to the public and there shall be reasonable provision for notice and attendance by the public. An attendance fee of Fifty Dollars ($50.00) per meeting attended, not exceeding Two Hundred Fifty Dollars ($250.00) in any calendar month to any member, shall be paid to each Commissioner. Said fees shall not be paid from monies derived from Vehicle Parking Districts established under the Parking District Law of 1943 or the Parking District Law of 1951.
(3) The Taxicab Commission shall appoint a Secretary from among employees of the Transportation Department. The duties of the Secretary shall be in addition to the regular duties prescribed for such employee, who shall be under supervision of the General Manager or the designee thereof.
(4) The Secretary shall keep a record of the proceedings and transactions of the Taxicab Commission. The Secretary shall post and publish all orders, resolutions and notices which the Taxicab Commission shall order to be posted or published, and shall perform such other duties imposed by this Article, by the General Manager, or by order of the Commission.
(5) Three members of the Taxicab Commission must be present at any meeting in order to constitute a quorum, but a smaller number may adjourn from time to time until a quorum is present.
(6) The Taxicab Commission may establish and empower a Committee, composed of two of its members, to conduct hearings on behalf of, and make recommendation, to the Taxicab Commission.
(7) The Taxicab Commission may administer and exercise those powers and procedures as prescribed in Division 19 of this Code, as amended, for appeals and protests.
(8) The powers conferred upon the Taxicab Commission shall be exercised by order or resolution adopted by a majority of its members and recorded in the minutes with the “Ayes” and “Noes” at length. The minutes shall be attested by the signatures of the President or Vice-President, or two members of the Taxicab Commission, and by the signature of the Secretary.
(g) Powers and Duties.
(1) The Taxicab Commission’s relationship to the General Manager of the Transportation Department shall be advisory.
(2) Notwithstanding its advisory capacity, the Taxicab Commission shall exercise the following powers and duties pertaining to taxicab regulations:
A. To investigate all privately owned public taxicab utilities in the City and compile such data as may be necessary to determine the proper services to be furnished by those utilities or charges to be made therefor. The Taxicab Commission shall have the right of access at all reasonable times to the property and records of the utilities for the purpose of investigation and may require reports respecting those matters from the utilities at a time and in a form as the Commission may prescribe.
B. Establish and prescribe by resolution regulations providing for the operation of, the extent, character and quality of service, the rates to be charged by and the extensions to be required of, any of those taxicab utilities, all in a manner not in conflict with any paramount regulation, rate fixing or extension requirements for any of those utilities by the State or nation. The Secretary of the Taxicab Commission shall publish once in the official newspaper, a certified copy of every proposed regulation tentatively approved by the Commission, together with a notice to any and all persons to show cause, if any, within five days from the date of publication of the notice, why the proposed regulation should not be made effective. Any persons interested in or affected by the proposed regulation may, within five days after the expiration of the publication, file objections with the Secretary of the Taxicab Commission, specifying the grounds of the objections. The Secretary shall place all objections on the Taxicab Commission’s agenda for its next regular meeting after the expiration of the time for filing the objections, and the Commission shall then fix a date, not less than five days later, for hearing any and all objections, and shall, after the hearing, finally act on the proposed regulation by approving, changing or rejecting it, providing that any resolution of the Taxicab Commission approving any regulation shall be published once before becoming effective and shall be subject to the referendum provisions of the Charter relating to ordinances. Any resolution fixing rates must be approved by the Council, by ordinance, before taking effect. Rules and regulations previously adopted by the Board of Public Utilities and Transportation pursuant to former Charter Section 210 or the Board of Transportation Commissioners and operative at the effective date of this chapter shall remain in full force and effect.
C. Investigate complaints against the services or charges of any of those taxicab utilities and to make orders adjusting them.
D. Inspect all of those taxicab utilities as to their compliance with their franchises, the ordinances of the City and the laws of the state, and as to their service generally; and to enforce in the manner prescribed by law a compliance with the terms of the applicable franchises, ordinances or laws.
E. Keep a record of all public taxicab utility franchises granted by the City or exercised therein.
F. Administer and exercise those powers and duties provided by those procedures set forth in Division 13 of this Code, as amended, for the granting of taxicab utility franchises, permits and privileges.
SECTION HISTORY
Article and Section Added by Ord. No. 172,021, Eff. 6-26-98.
Amended by: Subsecs. (c) and (g), Ord. No. 173,290, Eff. 6-30-00, Oper. 7-1-00.