SHERMAN OAKS : Funding Sought for Boulevard Trolleys

A letter-writing campaign to bring an old-fashioned trolley to traffic-choked Ventura Boulevard in Sherman Oaks may be paying off.

On Thursday, Los Angeles County Supervisor Ed Edelman asked the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to authorize $1.5 million to fund the $2.2-million proposal aimed at bringing natural-gas-powered minibuses resembling the old-fashioned vehicles into service along the boulevard.

The city of Los Angeles has also applied to the MTA for a grant that could yield an additional $800,000 for the project.

Last month, when funding was considered doubtful at best, Sherman Oaks homeowners and business leaders joined the campaign to muster support for the project, sending out more than 500 letters to the MTA and local officials.

Though funding for the project must be approved by a vote of the MTA board later this month, one official said it is unlikely that funding will be denied.

“It’s got a lot of community support. The MTA board likes it. It’s got support all over,” said Joel Bellman, press deputy for Edelman. “We’re expecting the full board to support it.”

Four trolleys would shuttle passengers from centrally located parking lots to restaurants and shops along the boulevard.

“I’m just ecstatic,” said Jeff Brain, president of the Sherman Oaks Chamber of Commerce and the driving force behind the trolley proposal. “We’re really the underdog on this. I think they made the right decision.”