By — FROM DAILY PRESS REPORTS
SACRAMENTO Getting to Los Angeles International Airport may soon be getting easier for mass transit riders.
Assemblymember Ted Lieu (D-Torrance) and Senator Jenny Oropeza (D-Carson) today introduced AB 889, a bill that would create a Green Line Construction Authority, with the sole purpose of connecting the MTA Green Line to LAX.
Currently, the rail line stops a mile short of the airport, turns south, and goes onto end in Redondo Beach. Since it was built, South Bay residents have not-so-lovingly referred to it as the "Train to Nowhere."
"It's time to fix this embarrassment," Lieu said. "With the passage of the infrastructure bonds, there's plenty of money available, if MTA will step up to the plate. We're going to make sure they do that."
AB 889 would create in state law a single-purpose Green Line Construction Authority, similar to an entity that was created for the Expo Line. The Authority would have its own executive board, and would be able to bring together federal, state, and local dollars to construct the Green Line.
"Extending a key Los Angeles mass transit corridor to one of the nation's busiest airports is a no-brainer," said Oropeza, who chaired the Assembly Transportation Committee for two years and spent five years as a board member for the county's Metropolitan Transportation Authority.
Lieu and Oropeza are partnering on this bill with Los Angeles City Councilmember Bill Rosendahl, who represents the airport and the surrounding areas.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on February 28, 2007. Read the original PDF.