Expo Construction Authority

California Supreme Court on NFSR v Expo

Last Friday, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) tentatively closed the books on one of the last remaining avenues for opponents of the Expo Line in West L.A. to stop construction in its tracks. CPUC posted a "Proposed Decision" on its second hearing of the rail crossings for Phase II of the Expo Line. The ruling unequivocally states that the 16 at-grade and 11 above-grade crossings fall within state guidelines.

Assuming my Clear Router is getting a signal, we're broadcasting live from the groundbreaking for the Westwood Neighborhood Greenway at our Live Stream Channel, Streetsblog TV. At the end of the broadcast, the video will be archived, and a cleaner copy will be uploaded later today.

(Note/Disclosure: It's a little awkward for me to write about this as I'm currently the CD11 representative  to the Expo Bicycle Advisory Committee, and I didn't want my opinions to become the quasi-official views of the committee. However, because the disagreement over the design of the bikeway is becoming more public, and because I'm in discussions to find a replacement for me once Mike Bonin replaces Bill Rosendahl as the CD 11 Council Member; I think I'm in the clear.)

Ardent Expo Line supporter Gökhan Esirgen notes that construction of Phase II continues at a rapid pace.

Coming fresh on the heels of news that the California Supreme Court won't halt construction while they consider an appeal filed against the Expo Line Phase II, comes news that a different Expo legal challenge has been resolved.

By now, you've probably read the action alert from the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition or read the article on Biking In L.A. warning that things are not going smoothly for planning of the Expo Bikeway. As you might remember, I serve as a member of the Expo Bicycle Advisory Committee (EBAC), and wanted to share some thoughts with you.

The California State Supreme Court will hear the case of Neighbors for Smart Rail (NFSR), a coalition of Westside homeowners, community groups and businesses, against Phase II of the Expo Line.  NFSR alleges that the environmental documents for the line were improperly compared because it based traffic on future projections instead of the current status on the street.

The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), a state regulatory agency which regulates privately owned public utilities in the state of California, including electric power, telecommunications, natural gas and water companies, is going to take a second look at the environmental documents for Phase II of the Expo Line.  Responding to a complaint filed by Neighbors for Smart Rail, a homeowner's group on the Westside that has made no secret of its desire to stop the Expo Line at all costs, four CPUC Commissioners ordered a review of the environmental documents for the extension of the light rail line from the Culver City Station to Downtown Santa Monica.