Steve Hymon has a post about the Gold Line Foothill Extension on the Los Angeles Times' Bottleneck Blog. In it, he describes the wrangling going on between the Gold Line Authority and the planned Expo Line to LA's Westside.
The two transit lines are competing for the same pot of LA County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) construction money, but the Expo Line has run into some controversy over street crossings. The Gold Line doesn't face the same sort of problems and is seen as ready to go.
The money hunt is pitting Westside LA against San Gabriel Valley communities, Hymon reported:
The Westside Cities Council of Governments grew sufficiently concerned about the issue that they met last month with Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa to try to persuade him that funding for Westside projects must come first.
"The fear is that the Gold Line has all its ducks in order and they [the Council of Governments] were worried that the Gold Line could leapfrog over the Expo Line" for money, said Los Angeles Councilman Bill Rosendahl, who represents the far Westside and attended the meeting. "They wanted to make sure the mayor knew the Gold Line couldn't leapfrog ahead of the Expo Line -- that the Expo Line construction time-line is sacred."
The first phase of the Expo Line is under construction from downtown Los Angeles to Culver City. But the line has run into controversy about street crossings that could delay construction of the first phase and delay the second phase from getting underway. The Expo Line will need federal money for its second phase and officials worry it's hard enough without having to compete with a Gold Line extension.
San Gabriel Valley officials have long chafed at the structure of the MTA Board, which gives the most political muscle to the city of Los Angeles and the western half of the county. Now those officials want leverage and have privately hinted that if the Gold Line doesn't get money now, they may not support a prospective ballot measure in November that would raise the sales tax in Los Angeles County by a half-penny to pay for a pile of transit projects.
"The San Gabriel Valley is not without its political clout," said Monrovia Mayor Rob Hammond. (An earlier version of this post incorrectly gave the mayor's last name as Martin.)* "The timing is such that it’s all coming to a head right this minute and part of the agreement that is out there is that the San Gabriel Valley, through the foothill extension, will receive favorable support from members of the MTA Board."
That view is somewhat echoed by MTA board member David Fleming, who was appointed to the board by Villaraigosa.
"We’ve talked to them about this sales tax and told them 'Look, you want our help, we have to have your help,'" Fleming said. "I personally think your extension is a good one and we need it. Part of the consideration for supporting them, they have to support the sales tax, which they agreed to do."
The man in the middle -- both geographically and politically -- is Villaraiogosa. His press office declined to say whether he would vote to give the Gold Line money this month, although the mayor has expressed support for the project in the past. At the same time, he is under pressure to provide mass transit for the Westside and likely needs the sales tax increase if the subway-to-the-sea is to become a reality.
Hymon's post has generated a lot of comments, so feel free to jump into the mix.
The key to the Gold Line moving forward quickly is it's inclusion in the MTA's Long Range Transportation Plan. A final decision on the plan will be made at the MTA's board meeting on June 26th. If you're interested in attending, you can sign on at the Metro Gold Line's website.
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