CommentsWHAT LA THINKS00 (SHPOA Board Members, SAFE Coalition leaders and other community leaders have had extensive contact with all elected officials in the northeast San Fernando Valley over the past four years related to the high-speed train project. We represent you.
Thus, we want you to know what we have experienced, who has worked well with us and who has disappointed us. You can form your own conclusions, but the following article summarizes our experience, trials and tribulations with our local elected officials.)
COMMUNITY VOICES-Over the past four years (or whatever number of years they’ve been in office), we received early, unequivocal, positive and consistent support from the following elected officials and their staffs. We are grateful and respect greatly these elected officials for their transparency, responsiveness, trust and clarity of their positions:
- Congressman Adam Schiff
- Councilmember Paul Krekorian
- Former LAUSD Board Member Monica Ratliff
- Present LAUSD Board Member Kelly Gonez
- Former Assemblywoman Patty Lopez
- Former Assemblymember Raul Bocanegra
Over the past four years (or whatever number of years they’ve been in office), we had ongoing meetings and discussions that initially opened the lines of communication with several other elected officials. Ultimately, through persistence and ongoing communication on both sides, support was garnered and increased over time to the point that they adopted positions opposed to the local train proposals. We thank and greatly respect these elected officials for their understanding and their commitment to ongoing dialogue, communications and trust with our communities:
- Congressman Tony Cardenas
- Senator Bob Hertzberg
- Senator Anthony Portantino
- Assemblymember Luz Rivas
- Former Senator Carol Liu
At the County level, over the past four years, we received strong, initial support from several elected officials such as former County Supervisors Mike Antonovich, and present Supervisor Sheila Kuehl (Kathryn Barger was chief of staff to Supervisor Antonovich for many years). Supervisor Barger and her staff were among the most communicative elected officials we worked with during the past four years. However, in the past year we were very concerned and frustrated by County Board member involvement with Mayor Garcetti and Councilmember Rodriguez on the bogus, infeasible “Metrolink Alternative,” which was pursued pointlessly for nearly a year, delaying our communities’ efforts to have the above ground train proposals eliminated from consideration.
We understand that their objective was to seek high speed train funding for local transit projects, but we all knew, and had been advised by CHSRA years ago, that such use of Prop 1A funds (approved by voters) was infeasible and could not be used for such purposes. We feel it took far too much time for that option to be dismissed, that those discussions were not collaborative with community leaders, that those discussions were designed to appease other special interests such as labor unions, and that they distracted attention and focus from removing the damaging route proposals from consideration.
- Thus, we commend, appreciate and respect Supervisor Barger and her staff for their ongoing communications with SAFE Coalition leaders, their presence and testimony at the Burbank CHSRA Board meeting, and their opposition to above ground high speed train operations in the northeast San Fernando Valley as communicated in the Board’s 5-Signature letter in 2016 and most recently in testimony at the CHSRA Board meeting in November 2018.
- Further, while we have not had as much contact and interaction with Supervisor Kuehl or her staff over the years, we commend, appreciate and respect her early support of the Board of Supervisor’s 5-Signature Letter, and we have been advised by staff for Supervisor Kuehl that an updated position statement is under development. We look forward to reviewing that position statement and sharing it with our communities.
In the past year, under what we’d call “better late than never,” after numerous false starts, poor communication and erred position statements, we’ve obtained stronger support and opposition to the high-speed train project from the Councilmember from District 6, Nury Martinez. This occurred as the Sun Valley Area Neighborhood Council, which failed to develop a position statement over several years, finally stated its opposition in November of 2018.
- Thus, we appreciate Councilmember Nury Martinez, Council District 6, taking action to oppose the Preferred Alternative. While we commend her for developing a City Council Motion in that regard, we call for the Councilmember and the full City Council to amend the Motion to include ALL present alternatives remaining under consideration. Our communities, and our community leading organizations, including nearly a dozen community non-profits and Neighborhood Councils, are all aligned as opposing ALL above ground routes, thus, our City Council members, and a City Council Motion, should do the same and reflect the will of our communities.
(Dave DePinto is with the SAFE Coalition. SAFE Coalition means Save Angeles Forest for Everyone. The Coalition includes communities and Community organizations throughout the Northeast San Fernando Valley including Shadow Hills, Sunland Tujunga, Lakeview Terrace, Sylmar, Kagel Canyon, Pacoima, Sun Valley and the La Tuna Canyon. Further, the Coalition includes all of the neighborhood councils in the northeast San Fernando Valley as well as each of the major Community nonprofit organizations. Churches, too. ) Prepped for CityWatch by Linda Abrams.
