Funds for Subway : Legislature Passes Valley Transit Bill

In an 11th-hour victory for San Fernando Valley lawmakers, the state Senate on Wednesday night passed a bill that would set aside up to $20 million a year for Valley mass transit projects.

The bill, which passed the Assembly about 5 hours earlier, was sent to the governor for his signature by a vote of 24 to 9, despite the opposition of Los Angeles County Transportation Commission lobbyists.

Sen. Alan Robbins (D-Van Nuys), called passage of the bill “a team effort” and “good news for people in the San Fernando Valley who are concerned about traffic congestion.”

The bill passed the Assembly 44 to 21, after nearly two hours of intense lobbying by Valley legislators.

The bill’s Assembly sponsor, Assemblywoman Marian W. La Follette (R-Northridge), told lawmakers it would give Valley residents their “fair share” of transit dollars.

15% of Rail Budget

The bill requires the Los Angeles County Transportation Commission, which controls local transit projects, to each year place 15% of its rail budget in a fund to construct a Valley rail line connecting to Metro Rail, the planned subway between North Hollywood and downtown.

The set-aside money will probably total between $17 million and $20 million annually.

Robbins and other Valley legislators introduced the bill three weeks ago to provide partial funding for a subway line that could be substituted for controversial light-rail lines.

Under the bill, interest from the funds would be used for commuter rail projects serving the Valley. In addition, the bill would repeal a state law prohibiting the sale of more than $100 million in bonds to build Metro Rail.

Legislative opponents of the measure said it unfairly takes money away from the rest of the county for the benefit of the Valley.