Local Assemblymember to Metro: Correct Spending Plan

Assemblyman Chris Holden (D-Pasadena) was one of several state assembly members and state senators of the San Gabriel Valley State Legislature Caucus that signed a letter today sent to Metro calling on the agency to postpone the proposed Measure R Expenditure Plan Amendment hearing set for Thursday.

The letter to the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority asks that the hearing be postponed until the proposed Measure R Expenditure Plan can be updated to include the latest information known for each project.

The Metro board is scheduled to consider the proposed amendment 9 a.m. Thursday at their monthly board meeting.

The bi-partisan letter was signed by Senators Ed Hernandez (District 24),Bob Huff (District 29), Carol Liu (District 25) and Norma Torres (District 32); along with Assembly members Ed Chau (District 49), Curt Hagman(District 55), Roger Hernandez (District 48), Ron Calderon (District 30),Chris Holden (District 41) and Cristina Garcia (District 58).

The letter to Metro expresses support for the concept of accelerating critical transportation projects, but not until the Expenditure Plan can be fully updated:

“The amendment as currently presented by staff however, is based on a nearly five-year-old expenditure plan and contains information that is outdated and inaccurate for a number of the Measure R projects.

“We respectfully request that the status and costs be updated for every Measure R transit capital project to reflect the most current information available before any plan to accelerate funding is considered,” read the letter.

The Caucus members identify the Gold Line Foothill Extension project from Pasadena to Claremont as an important example of the lack of updated information in the proposed expenditure plan amendment, according to a news statement.

The current information for the project includes an inaccurate cost estimate and completion year for the Measure R project, only reflecting the initial segment from Pasadena to Azusa, according to the statement.

The letter provides the corrected total estimated cost of $1.714 billion to complete the project to the statutorily-defined destination of Claremont, according to the statement.

In the letter, the Caucus members also request that Metro include in the updated expenditure plan information on the additional cost associated with accelerating each project, as well as how the agency intends to pay that additional cost, in order to fully meet legislative requirements.

With the letter, the San Gabriel Valley State Legislative Caucus joins the San Gabriel Valley Council of Governments; the Cities of Pasadena, Monrovia,Claremont, Irwindale, La Verne and Glendora; the League of Women Voters;Citrus College Board of Trustees; the Metro Gold Line Foothill Extension Construction Authority board of directors; and the Gold Line Phase II Joint Powers Authority board of directors in challenging the adequacy of the proposed Measure R Expenditure Plan Amendment.