Robbins Digs In to Keep Valley’s Metro Rail Line on Track

Although he is in the midst of a reelection campaign, state Sen. Alan Robbins recently thought it was far more important to make his presence known at a political function miles away from his San Fernando Valley district.

The occasion was last month’s Metro Rail ground-breaking ceremony. Robbins was there passing out hundreds of copies of a law he wrote. The legislation requires the start of the subway’s construction in the Valley within one year of the beginning of its construction downtown.

Although some transit officials said Robbins’ action was a publicity stunt, the Van Nuys Democrat said he wanted to remind Metro Rail supporters of the 1984 law, especially in light of recent talk about trying to repeal it or amend it to change the nature of the project in the Valley.

Robbins said his law will be repealed “over my dead body” and said he will fight any attempt to introduce legislation that would allow, as some transit authorities have suggested, an exchange of Metro Rail for a cheaper light rail “trolley” along the North Hollywood to Universal City corridor.

Claims Support

Robbins said he has the support of several powerful legislators, including his close ally, Senate President Pro Tem David Roberti (D-Los Angeles); Assemblyman Richard Katz (D-Sepulveda), chairman of the Assembly Transportation Committee, and Assemblyman Tom Bane (D-Tarzana), who has been named chairman of the Assembly Rules Committee. Robbins himself chairs the budget subcommittee in the Senate that deals with state funding for Metro Rail.

“I don’t think they could win a battle in either house,” Robbins said of those who might attempt to get around the law in either the state Senate or the Assembly. “I would hope they would save everyone the trouble and not try. But I’m obviously prepared to fight as hard as I have to.”

As it stands, funding for Metro Rail’s first 4.4-mile segment from downtown to Alvarado Street and Wilshire Boulevard has been authorized by the federal government, with other funds coming from the state and Los Angeles city and county. But the federal government reluctantly came through with its share of the total $1.25 billion needed for the first segment--$492 million, with the prospect of providing another $203 million in the next two years--only after years of bitter wrangling. There is no assurance that the additional $2.1 billion needed to complete the full 18.5-mile system out to the Valley will ever be made available.

No Middle Segment?

Thus, if Robbins’ law is followed, Metro Rail supporters are put in the position of possibly building the system from both ends with no assurance there will ever be a middle.

Transit authorities are arguing that the Valley could get much more bang for its buck by putting funds available for rapid transit through a half-cent sales tax--approved by voters in 1980--that would otherwise go toward Metro Rail into light rail rather than the subway.

Cost of the 2.3-mile Valley portion of the subway is estimated at $250 million. For $60 million to $150 million more, a 14-mile Universal City to Warner Center trolley running six times the length of Metro Rail in the Valley could be built, according to current estimates.

But Robbins has said any offer of a cross-Valley trolley as an alternative to building the North Hollywood subway connection is unacceptable. He contends that the Valley is entitled to the trolley in addition to Metro Rail.

“I’ve made it very clear there are no trade-offs that would justify cutting off the Valley end of Metro Rail,” Robbins said.

Robbins originally sought his legislation, which he described as the “heart and soul” of Valley support for Metro Rail, as a way of assuring that the subway would be built in the Valley. Because his influence was needed to get any state funding at all for the subway, Metro Rail supporters agreed to Robbins’ terms.

For Robbins, protecting his Metro Rail legislation is a more compelling activity than his own campaign this fall.

$685,000 War Chest

The reelection campaign has been the easiest of his 14-year career. Robbins, 43, enjoys a strong 56%-35% Democratic to Republican registration advantage in the 20th Senate District. His only opponent is little-known Republican Lynn Robert Davis, 29, a marketing executive for a computer software company who, according to recent campaign records, had received only $1,775 in contributions as of Sept. 30. In contrast, Robbins had raised $365,000, bringing his campaign treasury to more than $685,000. Robbins, a conservative to moderate Democrat who opposes the retention of California Chief Justice Rose Bird, has the support of several prominent Valley Republicans.

So, while his reelection campaign takes care of itself, Robbins has put up his dukes on Metro Rail.

No one, not even Robbins, believes that a dispute over whether a subway or trolley is built between North Hollywood and Universal City could jeopardize the entire Metro Rail project.

But those involved with Metro Rail take Robbins, who is known as a no-holds-barred fighter for his projects, very seriously. At the very least, they say, they know they will have to find a way to placate Robbins on this issue.

Among those trying to find a solution to the Valley problem is RTD board member Nick Patsaouras, a leader in the effort to build Metro Rail. Patsaouras, while expressing the hope that Robbins will keep “an open mind” on alternatives to the Metro Rail in the Valley, said the transit agency “will not ignore” the law.

“We would not foolishly jeopardize the whole project,” Patsaouras said, pointing out that the state is contributing $213 million, or about 16%, of the cost of the first 4.4-mile segment from Union Station to Alvarado Street and Wilshire Boulevard.

‘Have to Spend Money’

“If push comes to shove, we have to spend some money in the Valley,” Patsaouras said.

City officials estimate it will cost the city, county and state up to $100 million to comply with the law, which requires that 15% of the local and state funds for Metro Rail be spent in the Valley each year.

The money is available, but officials with the city, county Transportation Commission and the RTD are trying to find ways to cut the costs of Metro Rail to ensure that they have enough money to finish the project and for other transit projects. The commission, for example, is considering a trolley from Warner Center in Woodland Hills to Universal City.

The Los Angeles City Council’s Transportation Committee is due to take up a proposal next month to expand the trolley study to include a possible extension of the light rail north of Warner Center to the Simi Valley Freeway at an undetermined cost.

If transit officials find no way to change Robbins’ law, but still don’t comply with it, there are several possible consequences.

If construction on the Valley end of the subway is not started by Sept. 29, 1987, the state could withdraw funding for Metro Rail for the project’s failure to comply with the law.

While the withdrawal of this funding in itself would not kill the project, it would force transit officials to scramble to find money from other sources, such as Los Angeles city and county and the federal government. Whether they would be willing to contribute any more toward the project is uncertain.

If the state fails to begin Metro Rail construction in the Valley next year, there will be “a serious erosion of political support for Metro Rail” as a whole, Robbins said, predicting that if Valley residents and politicians turn against the project, federal funding of the entire subway could be jeopardized.

Several RTD officials, however, said they doubted that the federal government would withdraw funding at this point.

Threatens Injunction

Robbins also promised that if the Valley end of the project is not started within one year of the ground-breaking, he will seek an injunction to stop construction of the downtown portion of Metro Rail.

“If they haven’t started construction on Sept. 29, we’ll go to court on Sept. 30,” he said.

Rick Richmond is among the transportation officials who question the logic of beginning to build Metro Rail in the Valley when the federal government has only made enough money available to build the first 4.4 miles of the proposed 18.5-mile subway.

“If, in fact, you’re not going to get any money beyond the four miles, which is possible, it may not be prudent to start subway construction in the Valley,” said Richmond, executive director of the county Transportation Commission.

Pending completion of a study, staff of the county Transportation Commission have refused to say what their recommendations will be regarding the Robbins law mandating a subway for North Hollywood. Richmond said he expects the commission to wrap up its report in late November.

Richmond said the Transportation Commission plans to build the cross-Valley trolley line eventually--no matter what happens to Metro Rail. But he said that if the commission has to pour a lot of money into beginning construction of Metro Rail in the Valley, it would have less money available to start construction of the trolley.

Other Projects

In addition, city and county officials who represent areas outside of the Valley are likely to oppose a large share of the transit monies being spent for both Valley projects before projects in their own areas, several officials close to the Metro Rail project said.

The trolley is one of three projects competing for the next round of funds to be distributed by the commission, which gets its money from the extra half-cent sales tax for rapid transit projects. The other projects are a proposed South Bay trolley line and a light rail route from downtown Los Angeles through Lincoln Heights to Pasadena.

Richmond suggested Robbins could change his mind if enough people in the Valley prefer the light rail system over Metro Rail.

“Once we have all the facts, the overall community ought to look at it to determine what maximizes the benefit,” Richmond said. “It’s possible that everybody will say, we want to see the Metro Rail subway construction to begin, even if that is all we ever have.”

Jacki Bacharach, chairwoman of the commission’s rapid transit committee, added, “I would like to believe that Alan is open enough to new information.”