South Pas Mayor to Pitch SR710 Measure in Highland Park Tonight

The will on Thursday night consider a request to join the neighboring city of South Pasadena in supporting Assembly Bill 353. 

The bill, which was introduced by Assemblyman Gil Cedillo, would essentially eliminate an existing exception allowing the Department of Transportation to construct a freeway through a municipality without coming to an agreement with the city council. 

Supporters of the measure said the passage of this bill would give the City of South Pasadena the power to kill the proposed SR-710 Freeway extension once and for all. 

Through the current law, the DOT can only build a freeway without a direct agreement with a presiding city council under a few conditions. First, an impasse must have existed for at least ten years after the freeway route was initially approved. Second, DOT must receive a valid Environmental Impact Report (EIR) and establish community outreach programs. 

"This bill would repeal these provisions establishing an exception for a freeway segment to be constructed without an agreement within the jurisdiction of the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority," according to Around the Capitol. 

While the city of South Pasadena has supported writing a letter of support in favor of the measure, the Eagle Rock Neighborhood Council ast week, saying they needed more time to study what kind of impacts AB 353 would have onthe city of Los Angeles. 

Janet Dodson of the Historic Highland Park Neighborhood Council said she also had several question for South Pasadena Mayor Mike Ten, who has been going around to several Los Angeles neighborhood councils in an effort to curry favor for the measure. 

The HHHPNC has already formally stated its opposition to both the construction of the the SR-710 extension, either by surface route or tunnel, but Dodson said they have reason to be curious about Ten's motivations. 

"The bill seems redundant, as there is already a federal injunction in place that prohibits the construction of the surface freeway," Dodson said. 

Further, Dodson said she needed to learn more about how the bill would impact Los Angeles, considering that an impasse over a freeway route has not existed for ten years, like it has in South Pasadena. 

She said she was also unsure how AB-353 would impact Metro's tunnel alternative. 

"We have gone on record as being against the construction of a tunnel," Dodson said, adding that Ten has made several comments in the past which suggest he would support a tunnel option. 

"He knows this," Dodson said. 

The Historic Highland Park Neighborhood Council Meeting is scheduled for Thursday, June 16 at 7 p.m. at the Highland Park Senior Center on 6152 N. Figueroa St.