From the Whittier Daily News:
Whittier plans grass-roots effort for light-rail line, not money for consultants
By Mike Sprague, Staff Writer
Posted: 01/09/2010 09:34:48 PM PST
WHITTIER - Grass-roots pressure, not money spent hiring expensive consultants, is the way city officials plan to promote a light-rail line from East Los Angeles to Whittier, officials say.
Whittier City Councilman Owen Newcomer said he doesn't believe his city needs to match the planned spending - as much as $70,000 - of six San Gabriel Valley cities that support a line along the 60 Freeway ending in South El Monte.
"We don't need to do a new analysis," Newcomer said.
"In our opinion, the analysis Metro did supports Washington Boulevard," Newcomer said, referring to a route that would end in Whittier at Presbyterian Intercommunity Hospital. "We have the facts on our side."
Newcomer was referring to a Federal Transit Administration minimum "user benefit" figure and the fact that the Washington Boulevard route would have higher ridership than along the Pomona Freeway.
The Washington Boulevard route calculates at about $85 per rider and the 60 Freeway route is more than $130, said Tham Nguyen, assistant project manager.
The figure is developed through a formula dividing the cost by benefits, which includes ridership numbers.
In addition, the 9.3-mile Washington Boulevard route would have a projected 15,660 riders per day, while the 6.9-mile 60 Freeway line would have an estimated 12,270 riders per day.
The Washington Boulevard line would cost an estimated $2.2 billion, while the Pomona Freeway alignment would cost $1.8 billion.
As a result, what Whittier needs to do is mobilize its residents, Newcomer said. It would be similar to the way the city successfully fought a proposal to build a state prison hospital at the former Fred C. Nelles Youth Correctional Facility, Newcomer said.
Still, the cities of El Monte, Industry, Monterey Park, Montebello, Rosemead and South El Monte have formed a coalition and are planning to lobby Metro in favor of the line along the freeway.
"We have our consultants on board and have a meeting in February to look at bringing in an outside planner who will help us look at opportunities to increase ridership and transit-oriented development," said South El Monte Councilman Joseph Gonzales, chairman of the SR-60 Coalition of Cities.
Gonzales said the exact amount of spending remains to be determined, but predicted it will be in the range of $50,000 to $70,000.
Nancy Mendez, Whittier assistant city manager, said her city is preparing to respond to those efforts.
The first step was creating a council subcommittee of Newcomer and Councilman Joe Vinatieri, Mendez said.
"Now we're at the point of gathering information about how we might be able to influence Metro to consider the Washington Boulevard route," Mendez said.
Mendez said officials in Whittier are trying to determine how best to influence Metro to support the Washington Boulevard route.
"Hopefully, (Metro's deliberation) will be a consideration of the advantages and disadvantages of this line," she said. "(But) it's difficult not to be swayed by the political process when working with a political board."
Some think Whittier should be doing more to promote the Washington Boulevard line.
"Those guys have their act together," said Whittier Uptown resident Les Howard, about the San Gabriel Valley cities.
"We need to start orchestrating our forces, sitting down with Commerce, Pico Rivera and Montebello," said Howard, a professor of sociology at Whittier College who emphasized that he doesn't speak for the college. "If necessary, we should be willing to put some resources into this."
Vinatieri said Whittier has had a successful two-pronged approach.
"The first prong was to make sure we got into contention and to make it sure it didn't come down the Greenway Trail or Whittier Boulevard," Vinatieri said.
As part of that, both Newcomer and Vinatieri went to Metro meetings, he said.
And the Washington Boulevard route is preferred. Greenway Trail and Whittier Boulevard are not, Vinatieri said.
"Now the second prong is to go after it and support it in two ways," he said.
"We do it from the bottom up, grass-roots style," Vinatieri said. "From the top down, we have the political aspect. We have the councils and electeds supporting the (Washington Boulevard alignment)."
Vinatieri said he's prepared to spend money, but only if it's necessary.
"Light rail needs to come to Whittier because it's all about our future," he said. "On the projected route through Commerce, Montebello, Pico Rivera and Santa Fe Springs into Whittier there are businesses along the line that would benefit.
"It also ends at one of the largest employers in Whittier," Vinatieri said, referring to Presbyterian Intercommunity Hospital, which employs upward of 3,500 people.
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