BH City Council Action Could Delay Subway Decision

The Beverly Hills City Council will hold a special meeting at 6 p.m. Sunday to consider filing for a public hearing that would bar the Metropolitan Transportation Authority from making a final decision next week on the Westside Subway Extension.

The extension would expand the Purple Line subway from downtown Los Angeles to Beverly Hills, Century City, Westwood and Brentwood.

The Metro Board of Directors is slated to vote on the project's Final Environmental Impact Statement/Report on Thursday and is expected to  the proposed route, which calls for  to reach a stop at Constellation Boulevard/Avenue of the Stars in Century City.

The council, Beverly Hills Unified School District and many residents plans to tunnel under BHHS. Filing for a public hearing with the Metro board would delay the board's final vote until the hearing process is complete.

In an April 19 letter to Metro CEO Arthur T. Leahy, Beverly Hills City Attorney Larry Wiener wrote that city staff will recommend the council file for a hearing, citing California Public Utilities Code Section 30639:

...the governing body of a city having territory located within the district may file a request for a hearing before the district board...as to any proposal for fixing the location of facilities by the district...

Wiener then refers to Section 30640, under which the Metro board is required to "fix the time and the place for a hearing." 

The council's actions come after Metro  BHUSD's request to extend the environmental impact report's public comment period. The school district wants more time to complete safety studies it has commissioned on the Beverly Hills portion of the subway route. The Federal Transit Administration approved the request for an extension. 

Wiener's letter invites Metro officials to participate in Sunday's meeting at City Hall.