Mirsich, Bosse Continue Push for Tougher Council Stance Against MTA

City Council members John Mirisch and Lili Bosse are still looking for ways to get the council to step up its opposition to take a tougher stance against the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s under Beverly Hills High School, both members told Patch.

At a council study session , the majority of Mayor Barry Brucker, Vice Mayor Willie Brien and member Julian Gold rejected two motions from Mirisch and Bosse regarding the MTA. Bosse asked for a council letter to Metro stating that if the agency chooses to tunnel under BHHS as part of the , the city would end its support of the entire subway extension.

“It is hard for me to understand why the council said they are against the tunneling under the high school but they were not [offering] any consequence to MTA if the agency chooses to do it,” Bosse said. “We need to be very strong in our message—if you tunnel under our high school, no subway."

Mirsch’s defeated proposal called for making the city’s support for the “30-10” federal initiative conditional on Metro avoiding tunneling under the high school. The 30-10 funding plan would fund 30 years of transit projects—including the Westside Subway Extension—in 10 years using a federal loan. The 30-10 plan is being championed by Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, an MTA board member.

“I felt my motion was a reasonable one and I was very disappointed in the outcome of the vote,” Mirisch told Patch.

In rejecting the Mirisch and Bosse motions, Brucker said he is still pursuing talks with Metro board members. Brucker said he met Villaraigosa last week at a U.S. Conference of Mayors gathering, and that the two discussed the subway extension. Brucker said he has asked Villaraigosa for a follow-up meeting.

Meanwhile, Mirisch and Bosse plan to offer a proposal at the council’s next study session July 7 to set aside $350,000 for a city contingency fund to be used to support the subway fight. The funds could be used for public outreach, legal fees or any other “appropriate” use, Mirisch said.

“It would be a good sign if my colleagues vote for this,” he said. “We may not need to spend the money, but we should hope for the best while planning for the worst.”

The MTA board is expected to make a decision this fall about the route for the subway extension. Beverly Hills supports a route that would go underneath Santa Monica Boulevard to Century City before going on to Westwood. The alternative route under consideration would go under BHHS in order to stop on Constellation Boulevard in Century City.

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