Said the Pot to the Kettle . . .

One of the more memorable scenes in the classic film “Casablanca” involves the French police official who says he is “shocked” to find gambling going on in Rick’s cafe, even as he pockets his winnings. That is not unlike the reaction of many public officials in the Los Angeles area to revelations that the Metro Rail subway project is over budget.

The latest body to react with feigned surprise to estimates that Metro Rail may wind up costing more than the original $3.4-billion price tag is the Los Angeles City Council. Earlier this week, the council approved an agreement with the Los Angeles County Transportation Commission, the chief local funding agency for public transit, to contribute $96 million as the city’s share of funding for the second leg of the subway, from Westlake to Hollywood. But the council added a proviso limiting the city’s liability for any cost overruns that occur in building the subway’s second leg to a maximum of $90 million.

That is not an unreasonable action, considering that recent audits have found cost overruns of $135 million on the first leg of the subway, from downtown to Westlake, with that segment only halfway built. But it does seem a little hypocritical for council members who were once big boosters of the subway to suddenly seem reluctant to pay for it. It seems that no government project anywhere in the last few years, from “Star Wars” to the Century Freeway, has come in under budget, so did they really expect Metro Rail would? Not likely. Unfortunately, the local officials who worked most closely on the subway, and especially the Southern California Rapid Transit District, which is overseeing its construction, were not as open as they should have been about the project’s potential cost.

But the RTD is not solely to blame. The transportation commission, which is using the cost overruns as part of its campaign to seize control of the subway project, also knew that the estimates of eventual cost were tilted downward. But the commission said nothing until it was to its political advantage to attack RTD’s record. Now it develops that the commission has budget-overrun problems of its own. It is overseeing construction of the Los Angeles-Long Beach trolley line and like virtually every rail project in the nation, it also is over budget. Depending on who is making the estimate, the trolley will cost anywhere from 85% to 300% more than the original announced budget of $300 million.

One can understand, if not approve of, politicians using the cost overruns on Metro Rail to score political points. But in playing their numbers games, they must not lose sight of the overriding issue--that Los Angeles needs rail transit as part of its transportation system for the future. One way or the other, it will have to be paid for.