BUENA PARK : Council Ups Ante in Freeway Fight

In its continuing effort to fight widening of the Santa Ana Freeway, the City Council this week decided to chip in an additional $10,000 for the cause.

The money will be used to help fund the freeway consortium, a group of six cities that have banned together to oppose expansion plans for the freeway.

Since getting together, the cities of Buena Park, Norwalk, Santa Fe Springs, Commerce, Downey and La Mirada have successfully lobbied Congress for more than $6 million to study the corridor that stretches from Buena Park into downtown Los Angeles.

The consortium is pushing to double-deck the freeway through the area, which the cities say would do the least damage to lucrative businesses near the freeway. However, state transportation officials, who have yet to make a decision, have supported widening and have gotten approval to do so through Anaheim.

When setting up the consortium, each city gave $5,000, but that money has run out, Director of Finance Greg Beaubien told the council. “At this time, we want to continue to support the consortium,” Beaubien said.

The council agreed and Monday voted unanimously to continue membership in the group. The five other cities will also consider the financing proposal during the next few weeks, according to officials.

In a related matter, the council appointed Mayor Rhonda J. McCune to serve as the city’s representative to the consortium. She takes over the spot, traditionally held by the mayor, from former Mayor Don R. Griffin.