ACTA Officials Recognized for Excellence by Public Administrators Group

OCTOBER 30, 1998

Two Alameda Corridor Transportation Authority (ACTA) officials have been recognized for excellence by the Los Angeles Metropolitan Chapter of the American Society of Public Administration.

ACTA Chief Executive Officer Jim Hankla received the chapter’s Earl Warren Award, its highest recognition for outstanding contribution to good government. Previous recipients have included Tom Bradley, Ronald Reagan, Sherman Block and Yvonne Brathwaite Burke, a member of the ACTA Governing Board.

“I couldn’t be more honored and humbled at receiving this prestigious award,” Hankla said. A career civil servant, Hankla is retiring Dec. 30 after 11 years as Long Beach city manager. He also served as Los Angeles County Chief Administrative Officer from 1985 to 1987. Hankla, 58, joined ACTA part-time in August.

Also recognized by the American Society of Public Administration was Diane Castano Sallee, who coordinates ACTA’s Job Training and Development Program as director of the Los Angeles Mayor’s Office of Economic Development. She received the Tom Bradley Award for contributions to affirmative action.

“I am deeply honored to receive this award from an organization that represents the outstanding leadership of public servants in government,” Sallee said.

ACTA, a joint powers authority of the cities and ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles, is building a 20-mile railroad cargo expressway between the ports and the transcontinental rail switching yards east of downtown Los Angeles. The project will improve the flow of goods and reduce street traffic congestion by eliminating more than 200 at-grade crossings.