Two weeks after failing to secure state grant dollars that would have completed a first-ever Los Angeles-to-San Bernardino County light-rail line, supporters from both counties are seething after learning the project shockingly received zero dollars from the state transportation agency.
The Jan. 31 announcement from the California State Transportation Authority (CalSTA) to not fund the L Line (formerly Gold) extension another 3.2 miles from Pomona to Montclair prompted numerous theories as to why the would-be historic project was snubbed.
An LA bias?
Montclair City Manager Edward Starr pointed to what he sees as an L.A. bias from the state agency that favors splashy, L.A. city and L.A. County rail projects over any project that serves San Bernardino County commuters.
“It is time for the state to recognize that the consistent failure in delivering light rail to San Bernardino County continues to push the perception that the County does not receive fair consideration from the state when it comes to the delivery of tax dollars,” Starr wrote in an email on Feb. 1.
He backed up his claim by citing voter approval last November of Measure EE that gives the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors and other elected representatives authority to investigate alleged shortfalls, and advocate to receive “equitable share of state funding and resources.”
The voter-approved measure includes secession from the state as a possible solution.
Peering into the ‘black box’
The Transit and Intercity Rail City Capital Program pot had $3.7 billion for the entire state for this funding cycle, said Marty Greenstein, assistant deputy secretary for communications for CalSTA. The agency awarded $2.5 billion to 16 transit projects in the state.
L Line supporters could not get a reason why their project was skipped, with some calling the CalSTA process “a black box.”
“We are working on getting some understanding on why we did not receive funds,” Metro Foothill Gold Line…
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