Differing Views About Extending the 710 Freeway
Gene and Robin Fellner portray life in South Pasadena as some idyllic island in the midst of hedonism (Times, Letters, Feb. 16). According to them, all of their troubles are caused by their neighbors around them and their lives will be destroyed by the completion of the 710 Freeway through their community.
The fact is that South Pasadena is one of the most poorly managed and planned cities in the San Gabriel Valley. South Pasadena uses its limited resources for public relations ploys to block the freeway. And the false picture presented by the Fellners is clearly evident by the line of cars snaking their way into the overdeveloped Bristol Farms/mini-mall blight on Fair Oaks Avenue in the heart of “slow growth” South Pasadena.
South Pasadena is an obstructionist pimple blocking a long-planned and needed link in our freeway system. Their objections to the freeway are rooted in a desire to keep their community white, wealthy and a closed club. The barricaded streets into El Sereno and Pasadena are clear evidence of their real desires. These are “sensible growth policies”? I think not.
The 710 Freeway must be completed for the benefit of the entire region. The selfish obstructionists in South Pasadena should accept the inevitable and cooperate with Caltrans to make the design as creative and environmentally sensitive as possible.
BRIAN L. McCARTY
Pasadena
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
