The Brief

The Southeast Gateway Metro Line, which would serve several majority-Latino cities where residents have long endured poor air quality due to nearby freeways and industry, could soon clear a key hurdle.

Metro’s planning and programming committee has recommended that the full board approve a final environmental impact report for the Southeast Gateway Line, which is set to stretch from the city of Artesia to the Slauson Avenue station of the A Line (the former Blue Line), then eventually north to downtown L.A.

The Metro board is set to vote next Thursday. A “yes” vote would clear the way for design and engineering work to begin on the project, according to the transportation agency.

The planned route for the Southeast Gateway Line.

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Courtesy of Metro

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The planned light rail line was initially green-lighted in early 2022. Until recently it was referred to as the West Santa Ana Branch, named for a one-time Pacific Electric rail corridor that stopped operating in the late 1950s, and whose right-of-way it would partly occupy.

In January it was renamed as the Southeast Gateway Line after the public was invited to suggest names. The new name refers to the so-called “Gateway Cities” of southeast L.A. County that the line will serve, among them Vernon, Huntington Park, Bell, Cudahy, and South Gate, Downey, Paramount, Bellflower, Cerritos and Artesia.

Most of these cities, with the exception of Artesia and Cerritos, are predominantly Latino. This is especially true in areas like Huntington Park, Bell, Cudahy and South Gate, working-class communities that have long endured poor air quality due to nearby heavy industry, freeways, and truck traffic, and where many residents rely on public transit.

In a fact sheet, Metro described the 98-square-mile area to be served by the Southeast Gateway Line as a “high-travel demand corridor with 44% population below the poverty line and 18% of households that do not own a car; transit demand is significant.”

L.A. County Supervisor Hilda Solis, who with other county supervisors sits on the board, praised the forward movement on the environmental impact report. In a statement, she said the light rail line would address transportation and mobility disparities in Southeast L.A. County.

“Once the Southeast Gateway Line comes to fruition, residents from the region, many of them essential workers, will finally have direct and quick access to Downtown Los Angeles,” Solis said.

But that still won’t be for a long time. According to Metro, the rail line is not expected to be completed until 2035. The initial stretch between Artesia and the A Line at Slauson Avenue is expected to cost between $7 billion and $9 billion, according to the agency, including funding from Measure M.

Los Angeles officials expect construction of a fence around MacArthur Park will start in November and continue through fall 2027. 

At a community meeting Thursday night at MacArthur Park Elementary School, officials said fence installation is now expected to continue through fall 2027, overshooting the previously announced spring 2027 completion date.

Thursday’s meeting highlighted the divide over the city’s plan to fence off MacArthur Park, with tensions rising during public comment. The Los Angeles Police Department says the fence will make drug enforcement easier, while some in the community who volunteer around the park questioned whether it will improve safety enough to justify the cost.

The city has allocated $2.3 million for the project, but officials have not said whether that will cover the full cost.

Installation of the green metal fence around the park’s perimeter is expected to begin in November and take about a year. A second phase, adding decorative elements to the fence, is planned for fall and winter 2027. Officials said the schedule could change because of weather or other unforeseen circumstances.

The park is expected to remain open during construction.

Capt. Ben Fernandes with the LAPD’s Rampart Division said the fence would create a barrier along Alvarado Street and other areas where officers have seen people using narcotics. That would allow police to focus more of their enforcement efforts inside the park, he said.

“So if people are going deeper into the park to use, that’ll make it easier for us to go in and do enforcement on them and arrest them for that use,” Fernandes said. 

MacArthur Park will close every night once an 8-foot-tall fence goes up around the green space, with Los Angeles police officers sweeping the park for encampments and people sleeping there before the gates shut. The Board of Recreation and Park Commissioners approved the plan Thursday.

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LA Recreation and Parks

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“I’ve been an officer for 29 years, and I’ve always known I can go buy drugs there, and I did as a narcotics officer. So what I’m saying is, we are trying to make it not convenient,” he added. 

Fernandes also said the city plans to enhance the park’s existing camera network. LAPD officers and Los Angeles Park Rangers will be able to monitor the cameras from their respective stations, he said. City officials are still evaluating whether additional cameras will be needed to address blind spots in the park after construction is complete.

Ariana Walker, who visits MacArthur Park every Saturday with a group of friends who pool their own resources to distribute food and hygiene kits, questioned whether the city had shown that the fence would improve safety and how much it would cost to maintain.

“The fence is a $2.3 million fence at the base level,” she said. “And they haven’t given us any indication of how much more it’s going to cost for upkeep, to keep anybody safe. There’s no conclusive evidence that a fence is going to stop crime the way that they’re suggesting.”

The meeting grew tense when John Alle, a local property owner whose family owns the building that houses Langer’s Delicatessen across the street from the park, objected to having his comments read from a written comment card rather than speaking directly to officials. Alle has been a vocal critic of the city’s response to drug activity and public safety concerns around MacArthur Park.

He was allowed to comment during the meeting and said the city needs to take a tougher approach to drug use and sales around the park. 

“We see knife attacks at all hours of the day. It’s out of control. And it’s not gotten any better,” he said. “We want to bring it back to where it was 15 or 20 years ago.”

Los Angeles officials expect construction of a fence around MacArthur Park will start in November and continue through fall 2027.

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Gary Coronado

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The LA Local

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Alle pointed to public events at the park, including an upcoming Día de los Muertos celebration and a Labor Day weekend picnic hosted by Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman as positive developments for the space. But he added those events do not reflect conditions throughout the park.

Officials also outlined other planned improvements, including restoring access through the tunnels connecting the park’s north and south sides, making accessibility upgrades and providing free Wi-Fi for parkgoers. 

Residents who want to provide input on the fence’s decorative elements can email admin@themorcosgroup.com or call (310) 479-4727 for more information.

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