http://thesource.metro.net/2013/09/19/transportation-headlines-friday-september-20/
By Steve Hymon, September 20, 2013
Beverly Hills versus Metro
(Beverly Hills Weekly)
Three stories in this pdf. The first, on page 2, describes a new
complaint filed by the city of Beverly Hills in their ongoing lawsuit
against Metro and the Federal Transit Administration that alleges the
environmental study for the Purple Line Extension was not sufficient.
The new complaint against the FTA alleges that seismic work done by
Beverly Hills High School on their campus should have triggered a
supplemental environmental review.
The second story on page 3 is about the Beverly Hills City Council
voting to approve work permits for Metro to perform geotechnical work
near the intersection of Wilshire and La Cienega. At the meeting,
Councilwoman Lili Bosse said that Metro’s requests for work permits are
being handled differently than others who seek work permits in the city —
i.e. Metro’s must be approved by the City Council, which is a very
irregular arrangement. The article also quotes from a letter sent by
Metro to Beverly Hills asking for a master agreement for work permits
for the subway project. Councilman Willie Brien in the article also
tells his colleagues that restricting hours could lead to project delays
and lengthier construction times in the city.
The bigger story here is this: Metro is only seeking permits for the
first phase of the subway project, which ends at Wilshire and La
Cienega. This part of the route has never been in dispute and in the
past Beverly Hills elected officials have maintained they support the
project — they just don’t want the subway to tunnel under Beverly Hills
High School.
The third article, also on page three, is about the hiring of a new
law firm by Beverly Hills Unified School District to handle its lawsuit
against the FTA over its approval of the subway project. The new firm
includes former Senator Joe Lieberman, who is giving the BHUSD a 23
percent discount — he’s only charging them $924 an hour. BHUSD President
Jake Manaster says that Lieberman will be used to talk to people who
may not understand the school district’s position on the subway project.