Irvine Schools Say No to Light Rail

Irvine Unified School District trustees voted 4 to 1 Tuesday night to oppose the placement of a proposed $2-billion light rail line in their city, saying that the line would run adjacent to two high schools and come too close to an elementary school.

Among other complaints, Irvine Trustee Carolyn McInerney said that Orange County Transportation Authority planners failed to consult with the school district before proposing the route. OCTA, which is overseeing the project and hopes to begin construction within two years, is scheduled to select a final route from among several options on Monday.’

The district joins other critics of the project, which aims to link Fullerton, Anaheim, Garden Grove, Santa Ana, Costa Mesa and Irvine.

Last week, officials in Anaheim called the project a waste of transportation funds, and the City Council is scheduled next week to vote on whether the 30-mile rail line should run through Anaheim.

Rail advocates are also frustrated by the failure of Disneyland, the Anaheim Convention Center and others that would benefit to voice support for a route envisioned to run from Fullerton to the Irvine Transportation Center, also passing through Santa Ana. The increased opposition from a city that has been considered central to the 30-mile rail line has caught OCTA officials by surprise. Suddenly, proponents are in the awkward position of defending themselves against accusations that they have been overzealous in their drive to begin construction within two years. In Irvine, the Woodbridge Villages Assn. and many of the community’s 30,000 residents oppose having the rail line run along the San Diego Creek Channel, which bisects the village.

OCTA officials dispute claims by trustees that the district was not consulted during the planning of the route. George Urch, a spokesman for OCTA, said the district was asked to comment on the proposed route in writing during the project’s environmental permitting phase and failed to respond.