Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Despite arguments from experts hired by Beverly Hills city and school officials, a report released by the MTA for an upcoming meeting on Thursday sticks with a proposal to tunnel under Beverly Hills High.
Metro staff are standing by their recomendation for a Westside Subway station at Constellation Boulevard and Avenue of the Stars after geologists hired by Beverly Hills officials said other alternatives would be safer. In a report released Tuesday, the staff for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority affirmed the agency's position that it would be safe to tunnel under Beverly Hills High School to reach that intersection. Metro's consultants contend that there are no active faults under Beverly Hills High or Santa Monica Boulevard. Their assessment is at odds with testimony presented last week by geologists hired by the city of Beverly Hills and the Beverly Hills Unified School District. "Metro staff have considered the views presented …
The school district is calling on Metro to delay the decision on the subway and hold a meeting of geologists to discuss the safety of a subway in the area.
The attorney representing the Beverly Hills Unified School District in the fight against a subway under its high school is asking Metro to hold off on any final decisions on the Westside Subway Extension until geologists reach a consensus on seismic activity in the area. Kevin Brogan of Hill Farrer & Burrell LLP sent the letter reproduced at the end of this story to Metro on Tuesday. In it, he calls for a conference of geologists to address "serious flaws in Metro's data and conclusions," according to a statement from the school district. During Thursday's public hearing, several geologists representing the city of Beverly Hills and BHUSD presented findings that showed a lack of active faults in the Century City area. That information …
Beginning Tuesday, the west side of the bridge and Skirball Center Drive will be closed for three nights.
Due to construction, the west side of the Mulholland Bridge and a portion of Skirball Center Drive will be closed for two nights this week and one day next week. According to Metro, the southern half of the bridge is undergoing reconstruction and crews will be pouring concrete. Mulholland Bridge will be closed to Casiano Road and Skirball Center Drive will be closed from the northbound Skirball 405 Freeway ramps to Mulholland Drive, states a Metro press release. The dates and hours for the closures are as follows: May 22: 8 p.m.-6 a.m. May 24: 8 p.m.-6 a.m. May 30: 8 p.m.-6 a.m. Metro officials say the bridge is also subject overnight closures due to utility relocation. However, the closures will remain on the west side of the bridge to …
Saturday, May 19, 2012
L.A. County Sheriff's Department and Metro are asking residents to either stay away from the Downtown L.A. area or take public transportation this weekend.
Having both the Lakers and the Clippers basketball teams and the Kings hockey team in their respective playoffs poses a traffic problem for Los Angeles this weekend, with five home playoff games scheduled at Staples Center between Friday and Sunday. Plus the Dodgers are playing the Cardinals those nights; the final stage of the Amgen Tour of California Bike Race is on Sunday; and "Roger Waters: The Wall Live" is performing at the Coliseum. In short, both the L.A. County Sheriff's Department and the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transit Authority are asking residents to avoid the Downtown Los Angeles area altogether or take public transportation. Metro pointed out in its press release the new Expo line will take you within two blocks of …
Friday, May 18, 2012
The three proposed options would reach Constellation Boulevard in Century City without tunneling under Beverly Hills High School.
At Thursday's public hearing with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority Board of Directors, the city of Beverly Hills presented three options for reaching a subway station on Constellation Boulevard in Century City that do not require tunneling under Beverly Hills High School. Robert McMurry from Gilchrist & Rutter, who was commissioned by Beverly Hills, explained the alternative routes for the Century City portion of the Westside Subway Extension. The project is an expansion of the Purple Line to Beverly Hills, Century City, Westwood and the Veterans Administration Medical Center. Many Beverly Hills civic leaders and residents support the subway but are opposed to tunneling under BHHS, while others in Century City and Los Angeles have…
If Metro decides to route a subway under Beverly Hills High School, it will be faced with a lawsuit to prevent tunneling under the campus.
Geologists hired by the Beverly Hills Unified School District argued Thursday that the Metropolitan Transportation Authority is using flawed studies to support a subway route that requires tunneling under Beverly Hills High School to reach Century City. The controversial route is part of the proposed Westside Subway Extension, an expansion of the Purple Line to Beverly Hills, Century City, Westwood and the Veterans Administration Medical Center. The allegations that Metro is relying on faulty data were made during a public hearing before Metro's Board of Directors. Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who chairs the board, said the purpose of the hearing was to allow Beverly Hills the chance to present evidence and testimony regarding …
Thursday, May 17, 2012
Experts hired by the Beverly Hills Unified School District called Metro's Westside Subway Extension studies flawed. The city of Beverly Hills presented alternative options for reaching a station on Constellation Boulevard in Century City.
Beverly Hills presented its case Thursday against tunneling under the city’s high school during a special hearing with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority Board of Directors. Metro has proposed routing the Westside Subway Extension under Beverly Hills High School to reach a station at Constellation Boulevard and Avenue of the Stars in Century City. That plan is opposed by Beverly Hills city officials and school board members, but supported by some neighborhood and business groups in Century City. Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who chairs the Metro board, said the purpose of the hearing was to allow Beverly Hills the chance to present evidence and testimony regarding its opposition to tunneling under BHHS. The Metro board …
In a post titled "Jimbo and Me—In Search of the Elusive Professor Dolan" on CityWatch, Mirisch calls on Metro to be more forthcoming with its scientific data.
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Thursday, May 17
The following post first appeared on the website CityWatch and is being republished with permission from the author. WHAT’S METRO HIDING? - James Francis Dolan, PhD. Professor of Earth Sciences at USC’s Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences. The guy may be tone-deaf, for all I know, but he is literally one of the region’s true geology rock stars. The go-to guy when it comes to faults, tectonics and all that jazz. I have no idea if his friends call him “Jim” or “Jimmy” or “J. F.” Somehow with all his contagious enthusiasm and dry sense of humor, I imagine that he’s a Jimbo, but it’s just a hunch. Jimbo Dolan, USC rock star. His rock star qualities became apparent at Metro’s Oct. 19 presentation when, as a member of a panel paid …
Patch editors Sara Fay and Marie Cunningham updated this article live throughout the public hearing.
Editor's note: The live blog is no longer being updated. Thanks for participating and we will have a wrap-up story published later this evening. If you want to follow the latest from the Metro public hearing on the location of the Century City subway station, set a bookmark for this article. Patch editors Sara Fay and Marie Cunningham will keep you posted on the news from the meeting and the commenters. The meeting began at 1:30 p.m. Click the image above to see our live updates. You can also participate in the conversation! We'd love to hear from you. Once we start the live blog, you can enter comments and questions into the live feed. In the meantime, read up on the Westside Subway Extension by clicking here.
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
At the request of Beverly Hills, a public hearing on the location of the proposed Century City subway stop will be held.
A public hearing requested by Beverly Hills on the placement of a subway station in Century City will be held Thursday at the Los Angeles Metropolitan Transportation Authority headquarters. The meeting begins at 1:30 p.m. in the third floor boardroom at One Gateway Plaza, Los Angeles, CA 90012-2952. The Metro board held off approving the entire Westside Subway Extension plan at its April 26 meeting after the Beverly Hills City Council requested a public hearing on the placement of the Century City subway station a few days before the vote was to take place. Instead, the Metro board voted to approve three more subway stops from Wilshire and Western to Wilshire and La Cienega. The board postponed a vote on the other proposed stops in Beverly…
Joel Epstein
3:51 pm on Tuesday, May 22, 2012
The time has come for the Metro board to put to bed the children on the Beverly Hills School Board and City Council. The City should stop buying its lawyers' hogwash that there is merit to a case against the agency. No self-respecting judge would do other than the right thing by sanctioning Beverly Hills for bringing such a meritless lawsuit. In the interests of the region's millions of commuters… more ›