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Health & Fitness

Patch Blog: My Position On The 710 Extension

Let's Not Fight the 710 Extension, Let's Kill It Once And For All.

A Note To A Neighbor

Hi Rachel:

On the 710 Extension. I am against the surface route. I am against the tunnel. I am for studying the other methods (multi-mode) to deal with our traffic issues.

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First, the surface route is all but dead. Three Monday’s ago Gov. Brown signed the Cedillo Bill, A.B. 751, which is the Dream Act for South Pas Freeway Fighters. It gives back South Pas. its right to veto any freeway that would directly, or 
indirectly, permanently close any street in our City. It overturns a law that 
had been on the books since 1982—known as the Martinez Bill—which said that 
Caltrans did not need South Pas’ agreement, that it could ram a freeway down our 
throats so long as there was a 10-year impasse on getting South Pas to agree to a freeway, and an EIR was done.

Before ‘82, the law required Caltrans to get the agreement of our City Council before it could close a street in our town for a freeway. (Streets and Highways CodeSection 100.2) So basically, now the law is back to the way it was before ’82, which is great for us. Also, now we know the Governor is on our side. This is huge!      

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Second, as to the tunnel, it is my understanding that it would is virtually technically impossible for Caltrans/Metro to build it without directly, or indirectly, closing one of our streets. Therefore our agreement is required for a tunnel as well, as far as I’m concerned. That’s one reason I believe the tunnel is on life support at this point. There are other reasons the tunnel is a bad idea.  

The tunnel is supported by the freight industry. They want a way to pass their 
freight from the Ports (Los Angeles and Long Beach) to points north including to the east and north of us. The best way is through or under South Pasadena. The estimated cost of the tunnel is $11.8 Billion. (That number is taken from our City’s Resolution on its position on the freeway of July of this year; Metro has $1.2 billion so far.)  

The only way this thing will be paid for is a Public Private Partnership (PPP), which is just fancy words for a toll road. I understand freight trucks will pay $15 per entry, and passenger cars $6 to $12 per entry. Rachel, this won’t 
work. 

No one will pay that kind of money just to drive under South Pas. All of 
the cars, and some of those freight trucks, will still be on our streets! There 
will be traffic jams down there, there will be horrible accidents. This will 
lead to traffic jams on our streets. Also, Metro is not assuring us that there 
will not be any adverse environmental impact from the emissions towers which 
will be scattered about town.        

I want to strike while the iron is hot. If elected I will move to have our City’s Resolution amended to make it clear, South Pasadena will assert its rights under the law, and will NOT AGREE  to any surface route or tunnel that directly, or indirectly, closes any of our streets.   We need this to force Caltran’s to declare those beautiful unfortunate houses up on Fremont near Columbia as surplus under the Roberti Bill (Government Code sections 54235-54238.7) and start selling those houses so people can start living in them, and taking care of them.  Caltrans has been sticking its finger in our eye for years by letting those homes fall into 
disrepair and affecting the surrounding roperty values. 

Here is my suggestion to Caltrans, and to the State: Take a few 
of the $billion you want to spend on the freeway/tunnel and invest it in our 
fund starved Schools, because if we don’t start properly educating our children 
to catch up with the rest of the world in science and technology, we are not 
going to have the money to pay your tolls, or buy those goods that you want to 
pass under our town, anyway.     

Rachel, sorry this analysis is so long and technical, but it is in the words of these laws that this freeway battle is being fought. Please pass this blog post along to all 
of your neighbors with investment and children in our schools and community. It 
is important for all of us. Remember that we are near the end of the battle.   
I don’t really want to be a Freeway Fighter, I want to be your Freeway Killer! 
Since 2004 the City has spent over $1.5 million in attorneys’ fees fighting the 
freeway. This money was taken from our Water Improvement Fund. 

I hear some worry that pro-tunnel forces will try to change the current law. I say so what, the pressure is on them. Let them know that we have a Councilman who won't back down. Please support me to end this issue once and for all so we can start putting our energies and resources were we need them, in our infrastructure.    

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