Metro's Snoble is feeling optimistic about sales tax plan

I just returned from One Gateway Plaza, where Metro Chief Executive Roger Snoble spent an hour talking with the media about the effort to ask voters in November to raise the sales tax in Los Angeles by half a cent to pay for more road and mass-transit projects.

If you think this is just another boring legislative effort, then let me offer you this. The sales tax revenue plan includes $1 billion for a to-be-determined mass-transit project that would follow the 405 Freeway either under or over the Sepulveda Pass. That's the good news. The bad news is that $1 billion may not be enough, and the project is likely 20 years away from getting built. But at least it's on somebody's radar.

Snoble believes that the revised spending plan for the sales tax that has been released over the last week addresses most of the concerns of elected officials from across sprawling Los Angeles County. And that could lead state legislators to pass a bill, AB 2321, that would allow the Metro board to put the sales tax on the effort.

"We're the only ones looking at it from a regional perspective," he said. "It [expected sales tax revenue] really does address a lot of problems and it does it a lot sooner than before. We can either do something for ourselves [now] or we slide down into the quagmire....if we don't do it, we'll pay for it a lot more than if we do pass it."

In other words, Snoble believes that over time traffic will grow worse and there won't be alternatives to it.

As I wrote this morning, it remains to be seen whether changes in the last week satisfy the concerns of enough people to get the sales tax on the ballot. I've got some phone calls out to state officials.

The plan for the sales tax revenue -- should it materialize -- spreads a lot of money to a lot of different projects over the next 30 years, raising the question of whether it's enough to finish all of the projects and do a first-class job on them.

Among some of the items on the list that could open in the next decade if the sales tax passes are the Expo line light rail from Culver City to Santa Monica, an extension of the Gold Line from Pasadena to at least Azusa and possibly beyond and a busway or light rail down Crenshaw Boulevard to LAX.

There are also some big dollars dedicated to several long-term items on the list. That includes $4.1 billion for a subway extension from Wilshire and Western to Westwood and almost $1.3 billion for a mass transit line from East Los Angeles to Whittier.

On the road project side, there's about $7.8 billion for a variety of road improvements (many interchange fixes) along the 5, 710, 405 and 110 freeways. There's also $780 million set aside to build a tunnel for the 710 under South Pasadena to attach its two ends. Again, that's a fraction of the expected cost -- but it's money that wasn't in the plan until recently.

Another high-profile project that would get some money -- but not enough to finish them -- include a Green Line extension to LAX and Redondo Beach.

"I think," said Snoble, "we have a fairly decent consensus at this date."

The Metro Board meets July 24 and is expected to vote on the ordinance that would include the spending plan. Then it will be in the hands of the State Legislature, for better or worse.

-- Steve Hymon

Photo: Steve Hymon / Los Angeles Times

Comments

[locke]

I hope they don't mean in, on or above the 405 but rather next two (as in Sepulveda or Sawtelle) because it would be a worthless waste of money if the transit were built into the freeway infrastructure rather than parallel to it. No one wants to ride light rail that runs in the middle of freeways, it goes against all the reasons a person might ride light rail in the first place. Heavy rail perhaps, but certainly not light rail. The only people who could possibly think it's a good idea to combine light rail and freeways (ala the greenline) are politicians who are ignorant and have never actually ridden a light rail train for any reason other than a photo op or opening.

[Beth]

I am so ready for all these projects to get going. I have no idea why there is the slightest hesitation by politicians to get LA moving. It is the perfect time. The perfect plan. I applaud Metro for making this happen.

[C S]

Transportation involves many aspect, not just roads. Where building new roads because roads are part of the transportation system for our cars and the buses to run on. Plus we need the new roads for the expected growth in the Southern California region.

Simon is right, buses and rail is just another option that people have when getting around town. Like that old saying, "if you built it they will come."

[Simon]

I think it's important for people to realize that there is no magic bullet.

We've got millions of people here and even if everything on this list got built, traffic will still suck. The difference will be you won't have to be in that traffic. We'll all have more options and millions more people will be able to get where they need to go.

The big thing some people just can't accept is that you can't ever stop building infrastructure. People whine about every piece of construction taking too long or never finishing, but we're never going to be "done."

[Carter]

If this all goes through as planned, mass transit becomes widely used, traffic is down because gas is still expensive.

What will you do with yourself?

[Tony Fernandez]

I know I keep bringing up this subject, but it seems like it keeps getting worse and worse. I mean on one hand I really want these rail projects to get funding and I know that they're desperately needed. On the other hand, I'm tired of any new road construction. There's no point in expanding roads, and I don't want my money going to waste. So, should I allow these road junkies to get another hit just so that these projects that were needed 20 years ago can finally get funding, or should I vote against it in protest of this grandiose waste of money?