State Sen. Mark Ridley-Thomas (D-Culver City) said yesterday that his recent talks with the California Public Utilities Commission, specifically discussions with Commissioner Timothy Simon, have yielded a commitment on the part of the commission to hold the Monday, Aug. 11 Expo Light Rail Line evidentiary hearing in Los Angeles.
The evidentiary hearing originally was scheduled for San Francisco, the PUC headquarters. But an impassioned public outcry, expressed at numerous PUC public workshops and sustained over a prolonged period, prompted Sen. Ridley-Thomas to send a written request on July 10, followed by conversations with Mr. Simon to press for a venue change.
It will be at a site to be identified later.
“The outcry reached a crescendo at the PUC public workshop on July 2 at Foshay Learning Center,” the senator said. “Nevertheless, the community at large has exercised extraordinary discipline and restraint throughout this process, which, in my mind, only strengthens the case for holding the hearings here.”
The evidentiary hearing is the final step in the PUC process to approve alignment of two highly controversial Expo Line crossings: the Harvard/Exposition crossing near Foshay Learning Center, and the Farmdale Avenue/Exposition crossing near Dorsey High School.
Said Sen. Ridley-Thomas:
“As I said in my letter to Commissioner Simon, the basic fundamentals of democracy dictate that the Aug. 11, hearing be at a Los Angeles venue that maximizes the opportunity for participation by those most directly affected by the ultimate decision.”
