Yaroslavsky Foes Offer Own Curbs on Subway

The dogfight at the Metropolitan Transportation Authority board over the future of its cursed regional subway system spilled over into the ballot box for the second time Monday, as three frequent opponents of County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky announced plans to try to kill his anti-subway initiative with a similarly worded--but vastly different--measure of their own.

“It’s a calculated attempt to kill his proposal because his proposal is shortsighted and poor public policy,” said an aide to one of the opponents.

The new measure, which was proposed by County Supervisor Yvonne Brathwaite Burke and seconded by Supervisor Gloria Molina and Duarte City Councilman John Fasano, would place a moratorium on all subway projects for six years. It also would forbid the future use of underground heavy rail unless other alternatives are not feasible or would destroy neighborhoods.

It would also require that extra safety measures be built in areas where light-rail tracks meet major intersections, such as overpasses or special signals.

Yaroslavsky’s measure, by contrast, would end subway construction permanently, and does not make exceptions for areas where light rail would not be feasible or would damage a neighborhood. It also would set up a watchdog committee, composed of residents appointed by MTA board members, to oversee the agency and the construction process.

If, as anticipated, the majority of the MTA board supports the Burke plan at its meeting Thursday, both will appear on the November ballot.

“This is a cynical attempt to try to trick the public,” Yaroslavsky fumed. “This is a fraud on the public.”

If the board majority opposes his initiative, Yaroslavsky said, then members should campaign against it honestly rather than set up a decoy.

Burke likened her measure to little more than a friendly amendment to Yaroslavsky’s initiative, which recently qualified for the ballot after a $300,000 petition drive amassed 170,000 signatures.

“This just gives people alternatives like you do in any legislative process,” said the 2nd District supervisor, whose district includes the light rail Blue Line and a planned subway.

Burke said that, like Yaroslavsky, she recognizes that the beleaguered MTA cannot afford to emphasize expensive subways over more cost-effective light rail systems.

But, she said, there are some situations for which above-ground transit is not practical. For example, she said, it might make more sense to place an above-ground train underground at County-USC Medical Center, or through Century City.

Part of the political motivation for the new proposal is to defuse the anger of representatives of East Los Angeles and other areas that would be denied access to subway projects--the preparations for which are already underway in many neighborhoods--under the Yaroslavsky proposal.

Activists in such areas pointedly note that under the 3rd District supervisor’s plan, the North Hollywood extension of the Red Line, which passes through Yaroslavsky’s territory, would be completed, whereas other subways would be put on ice.

The Burke proposal, in contrast, makes it possible to continue those subways, although for the moment there is no money to do so. And it neatly ties the length of the moratorium on subway construction to a self-imposed ban already in place under the MTA’s restructuring plan.

Key to the measure’s success will be whether it wins the support of Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan, who serves on the MTA board and controls four votes.

Riordan, who has been coy regarding his position on the Yaroslavsky initiative, would not comment on the proposal.

A spokesman said it was too soon for the mayor to respond because the wording of the Burke measure had not been completed.

Burke, who has said she has not set up a campaign office for the proposed measure, dismissed Yaroslavksy’s contention that the move was inappropriate.

“Zev gets hopping mad all the time,” Burke said. “He’ll be OK in a day or so.”

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Times staff writer Jeff Rabin contributed to this story.