Metro

Last week, Caltrans and Metro released the long-awaited draft environmental impact report for options to improve transportation near where the I-710 ends, 4.5 miles south of the I-210. As usual, the discussion around the document depends on whether or not one thinks it's a good idea to dig a five-mile tunnel 150 feet underground to connect one freeway to another freeway.

The Metro board of directors will meet next week, Thursday February 26. This week, the agency hosted its regular series of board committee meetings, where most of the negotiations occur. Here are eight things gleaned from this week's meetings:

There is an item that was bounced around at the Metro Board last month regarding freeway projects and whether they are "regional" or "subregional" facilities. Lakewood City Councilmember and Metro Boardmember Diane DuBois is pushing for L.A. freeway-widening projects to be classified as "regional" rather than "subregional" projects. Los Angeles City Councilmember Mike Bonin raised some issues over this re-classification. The final decision is likely to come back to the Metro Board for a showdown in April. 

U.S. President Barack Obama released his administration's proposed FY 2015-16 budget which includes $330 million in New Starts funding planned for subways in Los Angeles:

"They're not even from Boyle Heights!" heckled an agitated Teresa Marquez before the handful of youth from YouthBuild Boyle Heights that had nervously stepped up to speak at the Boyle Heights Neighborhood Council (BHNC) regarding the fate of Metro-owned properties Wednesday night had even had a chance to make their comments.

Riding my bike the 15 miles between my apartment and a Move L.A. forum on the future of transit at Southwest College on a dreary Saturday morning while battling the tail end of a stubborn respiratory infection was not among the brightest ideas I had ever had, I reflected as it began to drizzle and my hacking started getting the best of me.

Streetsblog writer Joe Linton appears on KCRW's Which Way L.A. tonight at 7p.m.

Accused of smirking her way through Metro's heated community meeting on the fate of Metro-owned properties in Boyle Heights by an agitated attendee, a clearly flustered Jenna Hornstock (Metro's Deputy Executive Officer of Countywide Planning) had had enough.