Expanding Red Line Is the Right Idea

Re “Council Backs Expansion of the Red Line,” Sept. 29: It amazes me that we are still debating whether extension of the Red Line down the Wilshire Corridor is even necessary. That this issue is still the subject of debate and not action shows that we aren’t taking our congestion and pollution problems seriously.

To be fair, however, L.A. County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky, an MTA director, has stated that the MTA does not have the budget to cover the extremely high costs of underground expansion. If opposition to rail expansion is based on finances, I think I have an idea. Separately, Steve Lopez reported in his Sept. 29 column that, because of budget surpluses, county supervisors, including Yaroslavsky, have millions of dollars of public funds to spend on discretionary projects of the supervisors’ individual choosing. Although I’m sure that the supervisors’ discretionary funds would make up only a small fraction of the funds required for rail expansion, it’s a place to start.

Any first-class international city must have a reliable, affordable and efficient public transportation system. It’s naive to think that Los Angeles can be an exception. We need to make funding of Metro Rail projects a serious priority now.

Genevieve D. Sapir

Beverly Hills

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I almost fell out of my chair when I read that the City Council is officially on board with the effort to overturn the ridiculous anti-subway laws. As I have said before, extend the Wilshire subway westward.

Tom Stanley

La Crescenta

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The L.A. City Council finally sees the future and gets behind implementing an idea that should have happened when the Red Line was initially being built.

I’m amazed the Red Line does not take the tourists, students and locals between the business, cultural and residential districts of downtown L.A., Mid-Wilshire, Miracle Mile, L.A. County Museum of Art, Beverly Hills, the Golden Mile, UCLA, West Los Angeles and Santa Monica. So many Angelenos from all walks of life would use this subway in tandem with other transit lines.

We are not the Los Angeles of orange trees and endless, seemingly empty land of our forebears, so let’s set a course for at least the 21st century and face reality.

Andrew P. Crane

Los Angeles

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As a taxpaying resident of the county, I am disturbed by the amount of discretionary funds the supervisors have in their coffers. Wouldn’t the funds be better spent for county beautification, i.e. parks, trees, flowers, including maintenance. More than $1 million for each of the supervisors is troubling. How can we change or delete discretionary funds?

Sandy Burton

Los Angeles