Support for LAist comes from
Local and national news, NPR, things to do, food recommendations and guides to Los Angeles, Orange County and the Inland Empire
Stay Connected
Listen

Share This

This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.

This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.

News

A Subway Runs Through It: School District Officials Oppose Tunneling Under Beverly Hills High

subway-los-angeles.jpg
Photo by Non Paratus via LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr
()

Congress has cut federal funding for public media — a $3.4 million loss for LAist. We count on readers like you to protect our nonprofit newsroom. Become a monthly member and sustain local journalism.

The Avenue of the Stars/Constellation route being considered for the subway's Westside extension would mean tunneling "through the heart of Century City," including underneath Beverly Hills High School. Though this option is attractive to prominent developers, it would dramatically alter plans Beverly Hills Unified School District has to renovate its outdated, "creaky and rattling," 22-acre campus, say district officials, according to the LA Times.

Beverly Hills officials contend the Santa Monica Boulevard option, running on the northern edge of Century City, is both "cheaper and less disruptive" and would be a straighter path. MTA awaits the final environmental impact report on the 9-mile extension, estimated to cost $5.34 billion (if completed by 2022).

The debate is pitting the school district, which is planning to spend $150 million in voter-approved bond money to modernize Beverly High, against some prominent developers and many Los Angeles homeowners who favor a station in central Century City.

Says Beverly Hills schools Supt. Richard Douglas, "The available land where we can build anything above or below ground is exactly where they propose to build a metro tunnel." Engineers are evaluating how to accommodate the school district's concerns should the Avenue of the Stars/Constellation site get the green light. "We think we can work with them, and they can get what they need done underground," said an MTA spokeswoman.

Support for LAist comes from
Los Angeles County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky, who is on the MTA board, said ongoing safety and ridership studies would be key. "The decision the MTA should make is to maximize the benefit to the public," he said, "not to any particular property owner."

As Editor-in-Chief of our newsroom, I’m extremely proud of the work our top-notch journalists are doing here at LAist. We’re doing more hard-hitting watchdog journalism than ever before — powerful reporting on the economy, elections, climate and the homelessness crisis that is making a difference in your lives. At the same time, it’s never been more difficult to maintain a paywall-free, independent news source that informs, inspires, and engages everyone.

Simply put, we cannot do this essential work without your help. Federal funding for public media has been clawed back by Congress and that means LAist has lost $3.4 million in federal funding over the next two years. So we’re asking for your help. LAist has been there for you and we’re asking you to be here for us.

We rely on donations from readers like you to stay independent, which keeps our nonprofit newsroom strong and accountable to you.

No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, press freedom is at the core of keeping our nation free and fair. And as the landscape of free press changes, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust, but the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news from our community.

Please take action today to support your trusted source for local news with a donation that makes sense for your budget.

Thank you for your generous support and believing in independent news.

Chip in now to fund your local journalism
A row of graphics payment types: Visa, MasterCard, Apple Pay and PayPal, and  below a lock with Secure Payment text to the right
(
LAist
)

Trending on LAist