Bill Amendment Aimed at Blocking Long Beach Freeway

An amendment inserted into a bill on Monday by Sen. Art Torres (D-Los Angeles) could scuttle efforts to complete the final leg of the Long Beach Freeway through South Pasadena.

By an 18-15 vote, the Senate approved the one-paragraph amendment to prohibit the state from spending its funds on any state highway in Los Angeles County built through a historically significant site or through parks or recreation areas.

It was attached to a bill by Sen Quentin L. Kopp (I-San Francisco) to increase the state gasoline tax by 10 cents a gallon. If the Kopp measure wins Senate approval, it still would require Assembly approval and the signature of Gov. George Deukmejian to become law.

Torres said he hopes his legislation will prompt the state Department of Transportation to consider alternatives, including a light-rail line, increased utilization of surface streets or a another freeway route.

“I think we’ve reached a time when expansion of freeways is not the only answer, especially if it destroys communities,” Torres said in an interview Tuesday. He voiced optimism that his prohibition will remain in the bill as it goes through the Legislature.

Meridian Variation

Caltrans is finishing an environmental impact study on a route that would follow Meridian Avenue in South Pasadena, although veering around some historic homes in the northern part of the city. The route, known as the Meridian Variation, would be 6.2 miles long and cost about $425 million to complete.

Torres predicted that his proposal would place the Meridian Variation and the so-called Westerly Route, previously rejected by Caltrans as too costly and destructive, “in the freezer.”

Monday’s Senate action is the latest twist in what has turned into a nearly 30-year search for the “missing link” to complete the freeway. The dispute has pitted neighborhood against neighborhood and politician against politician.

The Torres amendment already has rekindled the controversy in the capital, where it immediately was assailed by Caltrans.

Poor Precedent

Jim Drago, a Caltrans spokesman, said his agency opposes the Torres amendment because the prohibition would set a poor precedent for the rest of the state. “It has the potential to stop any major highway project in the state because it would be common for a route to go through an area with a historic building or resource,” he said.

Just two months ago, Torres decided not to introduce legislation that would have permitted Caltrans to build part of the freeway in the Arroyo Seco, the dry riverbed stretching from Devil’s Gate Dam to downtown Los Angeles and skirting South Pasadena’s western edge. That legislation was going to be the centerpiece in the city’s attempts to stop Caltrans from completing the freeway through the middle of South Pasadena.

Torres, whose district includes South Pasadena, said that at that point it became clear to him “that no route was going to be acceptable in terms of the destruction it would lead to,” prompting him to propose his amendment.

The Torres amendment was opposed on the Senate floor by Sen. Newton R. Russell (R-Glendale), who said that his constituents in Pasadena support the proposed freeway because it would funnel traffic off their streets. In an interview, Russell said he objected to the amendment because its purpose is “to stop the freeway.”

Terry James, Alhambra public works director, said he has not seen the amendment but also objects to it. “We’re opposed because we want the Long Beach Freeway completed” as a way to remove tremendous amounts of traffic congestion from city streets, he said.

But Ralph Ochoa, a Sacramento lobbyist retained by South Pasadena, said his clients are delighted by the latest developments in the freeway fight. He said Torres’ proposal would force Caltrans “to look for another alternative, and that’s precisely what we want them to do.”