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.
Metro Prepares To Vote On Light Rail for Southeast LA. How You Can Make Your Voice Heard
Metro's planned Southeast Gateway Line would eventually stretch from Artesia to downtown Los Angeles.
(
Courtesy of Metro
)
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.
Listen
• 1:28
Metro Prepares To Vote On Light Rail for Southeast LA. How You Can Make Your Voice Heard
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.
Support for LAist comes from
The planned route for the Southeast Gateway Line.
(
Courtesy of Metro
)
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.
How to get involved
-
Metro has posted the final environmental impact report online, along with a list of locations where printed copies may be viewed, including several local libraries.
- The transportation agency will take comments from the public until April 29.
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.”
Support for LAist comes from
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.
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
(
LAist
)
Trending on LAist
-
Kimmel returned less than a week after ABC suspended his show over comments he made about the assassination of right wing activist Charlie Kirk. -
Southern California might see some light rain tonight into Wednesday morning. After that, cooler weather is on the way, but expect the humidity to remain. -
A gate tax at Disney? It's a possibility. -
UCLA and University of California leaders are fighting Trump’s demands for a $1.2 billion settlement over a litany of accusations, including that the campus permits antisemitism. -
Wasteland Weekend is all about souped-up rust buckets, spikey costumes and an ‘ideal apocalypse.’ -
The Shadow the Scientists initiative at UC Santa Cruz strives to demystify astronomical research.
Best of LAist