Yaroslavsky on Rail

Re “Yaroslavsky Seeks to Staunch Subway Funds,” March 30: Thank God someone has come to his senses regarding the Red Line. I support the Red Line extension to East Los Angeles. However, the planned Mid-City extension from Wilshire and Western to Pico and San Vicente is a ridiculous, politically driven subway extension that squanders precious funds and delivers a small number of riders when compared to the extension that politicians refuse to discuss: extending the subway further under Wilshire.

If County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky’s initiative is the only way to kill the ill-conceived Mid-City extension, then I will vote for it despite the fact that it will also kill the East L.A. extension.

TIMOTHY MOZER, Los Angeles

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Why should we vote on the subway question now? The 5.5-mile Red Line is still so short that it essentially doesn’t go anywhere and is the most underused of the MTA’s three rail lines. A vote now would entail a very premature judgment as to its ultimate utility. The future is certain to bring conditions, in certain places, where a rail line is desirable but a subway is the only viable alternative.

Since the North Hollywood line is not affected by Yaroslavsky’s proposal and is expected to be built regardless, I think we should defer this vote until that is accomplished. A 13-mile subway line is infinitely more viable than a five-mile line.

JAMES VAN SCOYOC, Los Angeles

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Whatever the merits of Yaroslavsky’s proposal to put an end to future Metro Rail subway construction, it seems odd that nobody has pointed out that just a few years ago it was then-City Councilman Yaroslavsky who, acting on behalf of a small group of homeowners, vociferously opposed plans for a low-cost, above-ground light rail line that would have linked Santa Monica to downtown L.A.

In an era of widespread opposition to taxation, the citizens of Los Angeles County voted twice, in 1980 and in 1990, to increase local sales taxes to fund the building of a modern rail transit system. It is unfortunate that an otherwise thoughtful, progressive politician like Yaroslavsky worked so hard to thwart the intentions of the great majority of his constituents.

DAVID LEWISON, Los Angeles