With our free press under threat and federal funding for public media gone, your support matters more than ever. Help keep the LAist newsroom strong, become a monthly member or increase your support today .
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.
Comment of the Week: This is Why There's No LAX Train
()
Photo by alistairmcmillan via Flickr
In response to a comment in yesterday's piece, Train to LAX Getting Closer, Metro Doesn't Want It, Kymberliegh Richards writes a good history of what happened and why. Richards runs a website called the San Fernando Valley Transit Insider as well as a Metro San Fernando Valley Governance Council member and a board of directors member at the Southern California Transit Advocates.
I always love seeing people who say the Green Line to LAX "should have been done in the first place" as if there was some deficiency in the thought process. With even the smallest amount of research, one can discover that the Los Angeles County Transportation Commission (one of the two predecessor agencies to today's Metro) originally intended the Green Line to operate to the transit center on 96th St. just east of LAX, but other agencies got in the way. Notably, the FAA claimed that the overhead power wires would pose a hazard to aircraft on approach to runways, even though those wires would be not much higher off the ground than the rail vehicles!
It is a testament to LACTC's desire to have the LAX connection that, even after they acquiesced to the pressure and realigned the Green Line to El Segundo, they left in the branch foundation just west of Aviation Station in the hopes that it would still go to the airport someday.
Support for LAist comes from
The problem with a Green Line construction authority is that -- unlike the authority that built the Gold Line to Pasadena or the one that is presently constructing the Expo Line -- the Green Line is not in line yet for [b]any[/b] funding and therefore Metro is right in saying it would place the project in competition with the rest of the projects in the region which already have designs ready to go. Much as I like Jenny Oropeza, she is putting the cart before the horse, just as the bill that was introduced (and failed) last year did. Before we create a new layer of bureaucracy over this worthwhile project, we need to make sure it is included in the Metro Long Range Transportation Plan (for which the comment period ends next week), and ranked high enough that it becomes eligible for funds. It is the LRTP that the state and federal funding authorities look at when they are deciding what gets the money.
At LAist, we believe in journalism without censorship and the right of a free press to speak truth to those in power. Our hard-hitting watchdog reporting on local government, climate, and the ongoing housing and homelessness crisis is trustworthy, independent and freely accessible to everyone thanks to the support of readers like you.
But the game has changed: Congress voted to eliminate funding for public media across the country. Here at LAist that means a loss of $1.7 million in our budget every year. We want to assure you that despite growing threats to free press and free speech, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust. Speaking frankly, the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news in our community.
We’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission.
Thank you for your generous support and belief in the value of independent news.
Chip in now to fund your local journalism
(
LAist
)
Trending on LAist
-
The study found recipients spent nearly all the money on basic needs like food and transportation, not drugs or alcohol. -
Kevin Lee's Tokyo Noir has become one of the top spots for craft-inspired cocktails. -
A tort claim obtained by LAist via a public records request alleges the Anaheim procurement department lacks basic contracting procedures and oversight. -
Flauta, taquito, tacos dorados? Whatever they’re called, they’re golden, crispy and delicious. -
If California redistricts, the conservative beach town that banned LGBTQ Pride flags on city property would get a gay, progressive Democrat in Congress. -
Most survivors of January's fires face a massive gap in the money they need to rebuild, and funding to help is moving too slowly or nonexistent.
Best of LAist