Sepulveda Pass Transit: Metro's Disdain for Public Proven by Unacceptable Answers to Critical Questions

LA TRANSPO - My February 2024 letter to Metro CEO Stephanie Wiggins demanded Metro answer 20 critcal questions about the Sepulveda Pass Transit Project. Metro responded but 18 of their 20 answers were unacceptable – and they refused to change them – Stephanie’s final reply conveying this as “The information provided in our earlier correspondence remains current and accurate”.

Metro’s answers were neither current nor accurate nor responsive as demonstrated in my 19-article CityWatchLA series. Thank you CityWatch! The articles reveal how Metro has withheld critical project information from the public – information that is available – and promulgated dishonest information. The articles provide facts versus Metro’s vague or non-responsive answers. It’s hard to understand why any public transit agency would operate this way – but Metro has and continues to. One thing is clear – Metro can never be a trusted steward of this or any transit project in LA County.

This last article provides titles and links to all articles in the series. Future articles will be coming as Metro muddles through trying to manage the Sepulveda Pass Transit Project. They have promised the project Draft Environmental Impact Report in early 2025 – only three years later than originally planned. They also promised some sort of preview before it is released. I hope this all happens on time – but we’ll see.

Here is a brief summary of the topics covered in each article:

1.     Can Metro Be Trusted?

• Examines the trustworthiness of Metro in managing the project.
• Link to article

2.     Is Metro Transparent and Accountable?

• Questions Metro's transparency and accountability in handling the project.
• Link to article

3.     Is It Really Affordable?

• Analyzes the affordability of the project for the public.
• Link to article

4.     Show Us the Money!

• Discusses funding and financial transparency for the project.
• Link to article

5.     Prejudicial Survey

• Critiques the survey methods used by Metro.
• Link to article

6.     How Long to Build It

• Investigates the timeline and delays in the project.
• Link to article

7.     No Transparency, No Public Input

• Highlights the lack of public input and transparency in project decisions.
• Link to article

8.     Metro Silent Treatment on Alternative 4

• Discusses Metro's silence on an alternative project plan.
• Link to article

9.     Unveiling the Black Box: Demystifying Metro’s Dubious Ridership Analysis Assumptions

• Analyzes and critiques Metro's ridership assumptions.
• Link to article

10.  Why Is Metro So Secretive About Public-Private Partnerships?

• Questions Metro's secrecy regarding public-private partnerships.
• Link to article

11.  Why Is Metro Hiding Subway Alternative 6?

• Investigates why Metro is not disclosing information about a subway alternative.
• Link to article

12.  Metro Already Three Years Behind on Project and Counting

• Discusses the delays and missed deadlines in the project.
• Link to article

13.  Metro Keeps the Public in the Dark About Possible Eminent Domain

• Highlights the lack of communication about potential eminent domain issues.
• Link to article

14.  Metro’s Promised Partnership with the Public Never Materialized

• • Critiques the unfulfilled promises of public partnership.
  • Link to article

15.  Metro Public Outreach Fails Due to Withheld and Trivial Information

• • Discusses the issues with Metro's public outreach, including withheld and trivial information.
    Link to article

16.  Metro Calls $5 Billion Cost Increase a Refinement

• Highlights Metro's justification for a significant cost increase as a refinement.
  Link to article

17.  Metro Faces Scrutiny Over Measure M Cost Overruns and Transparency Issues

• Discusses the scrutiny Metro faces over cost overruns and transparency issues related to Measure M.
  Link to article

18.  Metro Presented Dishonest Data To Bias Public Opinion

• Examines how Metro presented biased data to influence public opinion on the project.
  Link to article

19.  Metro Shortchanged the Valley with Elevated Trains Above Sepulveda Blvd

• Critiques Metro's decision to elevate trains above Sepulveda Blvd, affecting the Valley.
  Link to article

These articles collectively argue that Metro has not been transparent, accountable, or effective in managing the Sepulveda Pass Transit Project and that the public has been kept in the dark about crucial aspects of the project. The series is a call for more accountability and better communication from Metro.

(Bob Anderson is a nuclear engineer with 50 years engineering and business development expertise in the aerospace and high-technology sectors. He is VP and Transportation Committee Chair of the Sherman Oaks Homeowners Association. Contact him at [email protected].)