Final thoughts on MTA meeting

-Fasana and Antonovich, the two SGV board members who opposed the sales tax, also put on yet another attempt to fund the Gold Line independently of the sales tax. The motion would have committed $80 million with the proviso that the federal government kick in $320 million... if it refused to, the MTA would get the money back. The vote failed, though they did get a 5-4 vote. The measure would have required a 7 person majority to pass.... there were several people absent and several abstentions. For a moment several MTA officials looked horrified as they thought the motion might have passed.

-On the subject of federal funding, I need to take my lumps for a mistake in my reporting at the MTA meeting last month.... I was under the mistaken impression that the SGV congress members had secured legislation that guaranteed the $320 million. In reality, the successful measure RECOMMENDS that the fed transit agencies spend $320 million. The difference is obviously very immense..... I pledge to read the fine print a little more carefully next time.

-Again with the first item: when I said several people were absent from the Gold Line vote, I mean Don Knabe, who did not attend the meeting, and Mayor Villaraigosa, who was... well, preening for the cameras at a press conference in a back room. He missed at least 30 minutes of the meeting after the sales tax passed, including votes on the Gold Line, the 710 tunnel, and the freeway toll lane project. Several public speakers at this meeting, and last month's meeting made reference to his tendency to wander off or show up late to meetings.

-After a lot of grandstanding about equity and how she could not support the sales tax in its current form, Gloria Molina actually abstained on the bill

-Assemblyman Portantino, a big Gold Line advocate who also dislikes the 710 tunnel project (which is in the sales tax plan) said he doesn't know for sure if he will oppose it or not. He also declined to make a prediction of how the bill to authorize the sales tax will do in the legislature. Mike Feuer, who sponsored that bill, said at today's meeting the legislature has already reached consensus on it.

-Mayor Villaraigosa, apparently in a conciliatory mood, said after the vote on the measure, that the Gold Line will be one of the first projects to be funded. Habib Balian, at the Gold Line Foothill Extension Authority, is not convinced. He said that he is nervous that the funds set aside from the Gold Line could be changed or delayed since the MTA board is allowed to change voter-approved funding formulas with a 2/3 vote.

-Almost 2/3 of the board does not really have a lot of love for the Gold Line extension. That is to say there are only 4-5 members who would clearly vote against any changes to the Gold Line. Even so, if the measure were to pass, it is hard to imagine the MTA making such an aggressive move against the San Gabriel Valley.

-I made a spectacle of myself trying to blog at this thing. I ran out of power several times, and was forced to use one of the few wall plugs in the auditorium. The problem was, my plug hung there as sort of a trip line when I sat in my seat. Several people, including a Covina official who recognized me and knew me by name, made jokes about how I was going to get sued, or get MTA sued, if someone tripped. So I ultimately relocated to the floor along the side of the auditorium. The next public building that is built should have a pro-blogger design, with copious power cords and airline-like trays to place laptops on.

-There has been much discussion, both at the MTA meeting, and recently in Pasadena (because of the death of bike advocate Dennis Crowley) about a elevated bike freeway from Pasadena to Downtown L.A. I really think you could run one along the Gold Line.... I have been riding it a lot lately for MTA meetings.... there is a lot of usable elevated space. There would certainly be some right of way issues, some property to acquire, etc., but I think (despite my total lack of engineering prowess or training) that it would be worth looking into.