Dreier's Got Gold Line's Back

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is trying to play some hanky-panky with transportation funds, which could threaten progress on the Gold Line extension (among other projects), and lots of people are unhappy, Dan Abenschein writes over at LA CityBeat.

...the Los Angeles Metro Transit Authority was understandably alarmed to hear Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger propose diverting $1.1 billion away from public transit agencies in his 2007 budget. With local cities giving new attention to buses and trains, the governor seemed to be sending exactly the wrong message.

“It is very much a serious concern of ours that the government is taking money that was intended by the voters to be used for public transportation,” said Michael Turner, the MTA’s government relations manager.

Don't worry, though. Everyone's favorite Glendoran, David Dreier, isn't going to stand for it.

Rep. David Dreier (R-Glendora), whose 26th District spans across the San Gabriel Valley, is insistent that the MTA should prioritize a $1.1 billion Gold Line expansion that would extend the line from its current terminus in east Pasadena all the way to the Ontario Airport.

“We are really on track because of Congressman Dreier’s support for the project,” said Susan Hodor, the public affairs director of the Gold Line Foothill Extension Authority, created in 1999 to plan the construction of the Gold Line. But she acknowledged it will be a struggle to get a fair share of bond money to fund the project. “We are going to have to fight really hard to make sure we get consideration for part of that pot of money.”

I'm sure the developments banking on the Gold Line extension are, ahem, quite friendly to the Honorable David Dreier.

Call me crazy, but it seems obvious that any system that consists of "a pot of money" that is then fought over is certain to be less than effective. It's even better when everyone is fighting over borrowed money. The full article charts the many ways state transportation funding ignores state transportation needs and is worth a read.

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