In the battle between Beverly Hills and Metro over the Purple Line subway extension and its planned route under Beverly Hills High, the former has the Beverly Hills Courier on its side, while the latter has the Los Angeles Times in its corner. The LAT has published two editorials (one and two) blasting Beverly Hills for its obstruction--both the school district and city have filed lawsuits against the subway--which 90210 officials claim is about safety concerns related to the tunnel under BHHS (Metro says its safe and that Beverly Hills's preferred route is not). The latest salvo from the Times is a column from Hector Tobar that says the wealthy city needs to make sacrifices for the sake of the region. He says other communities, like Compton, have done just that, and that the city both deals with and benefits from the Blue Line light rail. Tobar recently visited the Artesia station and pointed out its many failings, highlighting how BH is fighting a transit link that will be far superior to what Compton has. "A once-open gate on the eastern side of the station has been locked by the Crystal Casino's management, Metropolitan Transportation Authority officials say. That forces people to take a walking detour of up to 1.9 miles to reach the station." Many hop a fence to avoid the walk, which led Metro to construct a 12-foot high fence that will be outfitted with razor wire.
People are often found walking on nearby Southern Pacific tracks to access the mostly inaccessible Artesia stop. Tobar's point is that no one in Compton is suing to improve the station--people endure it because they use it and it's better than not having it. Meanwhile, BH is assured gleaming, centrally-located stops near La Cienega, Beverly Drive, and nearby in Century City. "Public good requires public sacrifice," Tobar writes. "Compton, Boyle Heights, and many other communities have sacrificed a lot in the building of the rail lines and freeways that link us together. I don't think it's asking too much to expect Beverly Hills to do its share." Artesia station via waltarrrrr
· Transit that serves all requires some to sacrifice [LA Times]
· 90210's Way or the Highway Archives [Curbed LA]
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