GREEN LINE news from Bill Rosendahl

For Immediate Release
April 17, 2007

Contact: Safiya Jones, 213-473-7011

ROSENDAHL CONTINUES TO PUSH FOR GREEN LINE CONSTRUCTION AUTHORITY
Councilman Urges for Approval of AB 889

LOS ANGELES- The effort to extend the Green Line to Los Angeles International Airport has made a significant gain, with a key State Assembly committee approving legislation to create a Green Line Construction Authority.

The California State Assembly's Committee on Transportation voted yesterday,13-0, to approve Assemblymember Ted Lieu's legislation, AB 889, which will establish a new public agency to oversee the design and construction contracts to complete a new leg of the Metro Green Line.

"We have cleared yet another hurdle in our efforts to move forward with the Green Line extension," said Councilmember Bill Rosendahl, who testified at the committee hearing in support of AB 889 and urged the committee to approve the legislation. "We are beginning to see the fruits of our efforts and I couldn't be happier."

The proposed agency would be modeled after the Exposition Metro Line Construction Authority, the agency that is overseeing the Exposition light rail line project that should eventually connect Culver City and Santa Monica with downtown Los Angeles.

The authority would be charged with overseeing a 2-mile long rail segment that would include stations at the intersections of Aviation and Century Boulevards and Lincoln and Sepulveda Boulevards.

"I am delighted to see that we have bipartisan support of this legislation," Rosendahl said. "This gives me tremendous hope that we will be able to meet our goal of completing the Green Line extension while we modernize LAX."

The Daily Breeze, community organizations, and local transit advocates have also endorsed the proposed Green Line Authority.

In 1994, the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority approved an EIR/EIS to construct a Metro Green line extension to LAX and beyond. Due to funding constraints, the extension was never constructed. Currently, Los Angeles Department of Airports is developing an updated LAX master plan that includes an analysis of extending the Green Line to LAX.

Earlier this year, Councilmember Bill Rosendahl, Assemblymember Ted Lieu, Senator Jenny Oropeza and Congresswoman Jane Harman formed the Green Line Coalition to advocate for the much-needed Green Line rail extension. Since its inception, over 50 elected officials have endorsed their effort.