OCTA Votes to Finish Impact Study of Rail Plan

Transit authorities granted a reprieve to the controversial Orange County light-rail system on Monday, voting to complete a study of a proposal that some cities fear may turn into a billion-dollar mass-transit blunder.

The Orange County Transportation Authority voted to finish the environmental impact report on the 27-mile rail line, slated to snake through the county’s business and residential cores, and to study the proposed first segment, a 12-mile stretch from Irvine to Costa Mesa.

Still, OCTA’s decision to move ahead with more studies and reports fell far short of the authority’s initial goal: to cast the deciding vote on the creation of the $1.5-billion CenterLine light-rail system between Fullerton and Irvine.

Even OCTA board member Sarah L. Catz, a long-standing rail proponent, called the vote a “Pepsi Free” victory, referring to the watered-down nature of the measure.

County Supervisor Tom Wilson, chairman of the transit board, said the decision to step forward nevertheless sends a message that light rail is destined to be in Orange County’s future.

Wilson condemned critics who suggested that improving freeways and bus service would be a more effective way to relieve traffic gridlock in Orange County. He called them “Band-Aid” solutions that have failed in the past.

“We’ve got to have some sort of vision,” Wilson said. “We’re on the right track.”

Still, OCTA’s revamped plan came about after a month of retreat that was prompted by staunch opposition from Santa Ana and other communities along the CenterLine route.

As part of the measure passed Monday, OCTA will continue to explore alternative routes and technologies for the rail line in an attempt to win over doubters. The studies approved by the board, expected to cost about $1 million, should be completed by July. Even if ultimately approved, construction on the scaled-back project won’t begin until 2004 at the earliest, OCTA officials said.

Santa Ana Mayor Miguel A. Pulido, who serves on the OCTA board, criticized the board for rushing approval to ensure the project will be eligible for federal transportation funds next year. OCTA’s priority should be to design an efficient and popular light-rail system--which is still not on the drawing boards--he said.

“I just don’t think we’re there yet,” Pulido said.

Santa Ana’s City Council in November came out against the proposed rail line, which would run down more than six miles of two busy streets in the city. Pulido said the lines would wreak havoc on city traffic. If built as an elevated system, the project would be a concrete “monstrosity” scarring the city landscape, he said.

Pulido and County Supervisor Cynthia Coad were the only members of the 11-person OCTA board to vote against the light-rail plan on Monday. The board also rejected Coad’s attempt to hold an up-or-down vote on the entire light-rail project.

While he voted in favor of the measure, County Supervisor Todd Spitzer questioned the decision to make the 12-mile route between the Irvine Transportation Center and Orange County Performing Arts Center in Costa Mesa the first leg of the proposed system.

Spitzer was skeptical about the level of ridership, especially if the segment is not built as part of a countywide rail system.

Dave Elbaum, OCTA’s director of planning and development, said initial studies indicate there would be enough demand for the Irvine-to-Costa Mesa leg to be self-sustaining, especially with connections to UC Irvine and John Wayne Airport. But, he added, a more detailed study would be conducted under the measure approved Monday.

Orange Mayor Joanne Coontz ripped into OCTA for announcing a new light-rail proposal “every other weekend.” She said the Orange City Council opposes the plan because of the Irvine-to-Costa Mesa segment, which would “only benefit a small portion of the county.”

Coontz said that taxpayers in north Orange County would be forced to pay for a railway that does nothing to relieve freeway congestion in their communities. That’s no way to win public or political support, she said.

Not all offered criticism: Government and business officials from Irvine and the western cities in Orange County came before the OCTA board on Monday and praised the agency’s foresight.

The board on Monday also released an OCTA-commissioned public opinion poll that showed that an overwhelming majority of registered voters supported the 27-mile light-rail proposal. Even in Santa Ana, Fullerton and Anaheim, voters favored the plan, according to Bill Hodge, OCTA’s director of external affairs.

Wilson, the OCTA chairman, suggested that the City Council members opposing the light-rail plan take notice of those results.

“I think they need to go back and talk to the citizens who elected them,” Wilson said.

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OCTA Vote

A proposed 27-mile light-rail system for Orange County remains alive after a vote by the Orange County Transportation Authority to finish a study of the project. Many cities have opted not to participate in the rail line, leaving the way clear only for a 12-mile segment between Costa Mesa and Irvine.