Metro Rail Extension Endorsed : Mass transit: A county panel announces support for a subway extension, brushing aside light rail and leaving discussion of a monorail to the full transportation commission.

A county transit committee reviewing three rival San Fernando Valley rail plans Wednesday endorsed an extension of the Metro Rail subway, rejected a light-rail line and left open the question of whether a monorail should be built along the Ventura Freeway.

Although the committee recommendations to the Los Angeles County Transportation Commission did not appear to be a clear indication of the feelings of the full 11-member commission, it represented the first public stance taken by several commission members on the volatile Valley rail issue.

“I don’t see any other need to fool around with the other alternatives,” said committee member Christine E. Reed, voicing her support of the subway. “As much as I like light rail, it does not appear to be an alternative worth pursuing in the Valley.”

Last week, mass transit planners released a long-awaited report recommending three Valley rail alternatives: an extension of the Metro Rail subway from North Hollywood to the San Diego Freeway, a light rail in a shallow trench from North Hollywood to Warner Center and an elevated monorail line along the Ventura Freeway.

The three committee members in attendance directed transit staff to prepare final environmental reports to present to the full commission only on the subway plan, brushing aside the light-rail option.

The committee members backed away from making any recommendations to the commission regarding the Ventura Freeway monorail proposal, the brainchild of Los Angeles County Supervisor Mike Antonovich.

“We will make no comments or decision on the rest of the staff report,” said Reed. “We will leave it to be fought out at the commission.”

Reed echoed the sentiments of members Jacki Bacharach and Bill Koreck, who represented Antonovich.

The committee serves as an advisory panel to the commission, which will ultimately decide the volatile Valley rail issue. The commission is building a countywide system of rail lines.

Wednesday’s meeting was the first public discussion of the staff report. The majority of the 18 speakers at the meeting favored the 5.6-mile Metro Rail extension, which has the greatest support from homeowners and business leaders.

The subway route travels along the Southern Pacific freight right of way that parallels Chandler and Victory boulevards. It was proposed by state Sen. Alan Robbins (D-Tarzana) and Los Angeles City Councilman Marvin Braude as a compromise agreement to quell most complaints from homeowners who do not want any rail line disturbing their neighborhoods and business leaders who pushed for a rail line that would reach Warner Center.

Nikolas Patsaouras, a member of the board of directors of the Southern California Rapid Transit District, spoke in favor of the subway alternative but injected his own proposal that the subway route run along Ventura Boulevard.

Although the committee did not act on the suggestion, several members said that if the full commission ultimately selects the subway option, lengthy studies of alternative routes could be needed.

“If we are going to put a subway in the Valley, where are we going to put it?” asked Bacharach. “We’ve never looked thoroughly at all the subway alternatives.”

Transit planners conducted a preliminary study of subway routes in 1983, but at the time the commission opted to pursue studies of light-rail alternatives, said commission spokesman Stephen H. Lantz.

Koreck, Antonovich’s representative, did not dissent from the vote in support of the subway. Instead, he said the commission has a “responsibility and obligation” to further study the monorail, an option for which Antonovich has heavily lobbied.

Transit planners said Wednesday that it could take between three and six months for monorail studies and public hearings to be conducted.

The commission has anticipated that between $600 million and $800 million will be available from local transit funds to build a rail line. The Valley is competing with two popular and non-controversial light-rail proposals for the same funds--a line from El Segundo to Marina del Rey and another from downtown Los Angeles to Pasadena.

The full commission is expected to take up the Valley rail issue on Feb. 28.