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MTA-Leimert Park Uproar

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Category: Community News

Published on Tuesday, 14 June 2011 21:33

Written by Damien Goodman

Metropolitan Transit Authority Decision Causes Uproar in African American Community

Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas, a Metropolitan Transit  Authority Board member  spearheaded the movement  to persuade the MTA to support and fund $120 million for a Crenshaw-LAX light rail stop  at Leimert Park, an historic center of Los Angeles African American culture. He was also asking  for another $200 million to place the line safely underground in the Park Mesa Heights community. But on May 26 the MTA board voted to reject the underground option and voted to show support for the Leimert Park but stopped short of allocating funds for it. They voted instead to allow the Leimert stop to be included in budget proposals from contracter’s bidding for the whole job. As long as they found a contractor capable of including the Leimert stop while staying within the original 1.7 billion dollar budget, it was a go. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, also a board member, expressed hopefulness. “The bids have been coming in much lower than expected. I believe we will be able to build that station within the projected amount.”

Angry and frustrated black leaders cried foul.

L.A. County Supervisor and Metro board member Zev Yaroslavsky argued that the line was already over-budget and there were restrictions on Measure R transit money. A mayor staffer explained in an email, “If bids with the station exceed the project budget then I would say that there’s still work to be done.  First, we need to work with our Congressional delegation to seek federal funds for this station.  Second, we should seek additional transportation funds or bonds from the State of California.  Also, we should undertake additional “value engineering” to bring project costs down.  Finally, when we know the real costs of the station and the whole project, there is still the final vote on internal funding priorities, and that decision is still ahead of us all with the planning for the Leimert Park Station still having been moved forward.”

Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas, who also represents the Leimert Park community wasn’t buying any of it and countered “Those who argue that (there are not enough funds) are those who make that point until it’s a project that they want to do”. He insisted there were several options and ways to get the money including money that is available from Red Line improvement projects, highway transportation funds and other areas. and appeared frustrated with the lack of will and creative problem solving on the part of the Board.

Damien Goodman, community activist and leader in the effort to hold the MTA accountable to the black community was not impressed with the Mayor’s appearance of support, claiming that the mayors office has a history of working against the Crenshaw/LAX line. “The reality is that the Mayor and in particular Deputy Mayor of Transportation, Jaime De La Vega, have been working against the Crenshaw-LAX Line since the Riordan administration”. He also noted that the budget for the Expo rail connecting downtown L.A. to the Ocean started off with 0 budget and ballooned up to $4.5 billion. Believing that if the will were there the money would be found he explained, “Now I’m not a mathematician but I think $0 to $4.5 billion is a much bigger leap than $346M to $2.2B.”

Leimert Park is a recognized center of black culture in Los Angeles where African American history, food, music, theatre, art, a famous book store and clothing stores have given the community a vital and historic position in the city. It was also home to Ella Fitzgerald, Ray Charles, L.A. Mayor Tom Bradley and currently hosts Tavis Smiley’s studio’s. “This is an old story in America. An old story where when it comes to transportation, communities of color get left out,” Smiley said.

African American studies professor Cornell West of Princeton University said “The times that we spent in jazz clubs, talking on the corner, philosophy, politics, wrestling with the God question. And here we are wrestling with the rail question,”

The stop would give the Leimert Park businesses the critical boost they need and local retailers are concerned that the rail, which will drop people off at the busy Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza instead, is bypassing them literally and figuratively.

The fight isn’t over and influential black leaders, some of whom find themselves at odds with each other are joining forces to keep this issue front and center and to ensure that the Leimert stop will happen.

Letters of support for Supervisor Ridley-Thomas’ motion came from Congresswoman Karen Bass, Congresswoman Laura Richardson, Congresswoman Maxine Waters, Senator Curren Price, Assemblymember Steven Bradford, Assemblymember Warren Furutani, Assemblymember Holly Mitchell, Councilmember Eric Garcetti, Councilmember Bernard Parks, Councilmember Jan Perry, Councilmember Herb Wesson, City Controller Wendy Gruel, & LAUSD Board Member Marguerite LaMotte.

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