Riordan’s Vote

The Times’ story (June 26) regarding Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan’s vote in favor of first-year construction funding for the Pasadena light rail line does a disservice to Riordan and the communities supporting construction of this line. You fail to state that it was Riordan who held up the first MTA board action on funding the line because he was unsure as to the merits of the line--hardly the action of a person who supposedly is worried about helping a company (Tetra Tech) in which he owns an interest.

The $97-million appropriation finally approved by the MTA board, as part of Riordan’s motion approving the agency’s entire fiscal year ‘93-94 budget, was not developed by Riordan but by the Rail Construction Corp. (RCC) staff, in conjunction with the City of Pasadena staff and consultants, and represented the first-year funding necessary to keep the line on schedule for a 1998 opening. The appropriation should have been $106 million but was pro-rated since the MTA’s budget was not adopted until two months into the fiscal year.

As for the report that MTA CEO Franklin White wants to cancel or slow down the line, that is as accurate today as it was last year, and is a continuing source of irritation to Pasadena line supporters. We have done everything the MTA asked us to do in order to make this line a reality, including seven years of planning, community involvement and millions of dollars of local investment.

Perhaps you should concentrate on the real story at the MTA--the need to adequately manage our bus and rail systems so that the operating deficit is eliminated, thereby allowing the mandate from the voters for a multi-modal transportation system envisioned in Props. A and C to move forward.

MAYOR KATHRYN NACK

Pasadena