3 House Foes of Metro Rail Soften Stands

Three California House members who voted in 1983 to deny federal funds for the proposed Los Angeles subway said Thursday that their opposition had softened and that they might support a new request for $150 million in start-up money.

All of them voted two years ago for an amendment by Rep. Bobbi Fiedler (R-Northridge) that would have deleted $127.5 million for Los Angeles Metro Rail from a transportation appropriations bill. The amendment was defeated, 280 to 139, as 34 Californians voted to support the subway.

Rep. Dan Lungren (R-Long Beach) said through an aide after a three-hour meeting Thursday with officials of the Southern California Rapid Transit District that he was “not sure” whether he will continue his opposition to the project.

2 Others Undecided

Similarly, Reps. Bill Lowery (R-San Diego) and William M. Thomas (R-Bakersfield) are now up in the air on the issue, aides said.

Still opposed are Fiedler, Robert E. Badham (R-Newport Beach), Duncan Hunter (R-San Diego), Robert J. Lagomarsino (R-Ventura) and Fortney H. (Pete) Stark (D-Oakland.)

Badham said funding would add too much to the huge federal deficit, while Stark said he would support the Los Angeles subway only after the San Francisco Bay Area’s rapid rail line is paid for--and after Oakland regains a National Football League team.

“You took away our football team (the Raiders); I’ll take away your subway,” an aide quoted Stark as saying. “Maybe we ought to work a trade.”