Light Rail

Deirdre Newman Irvine residents could knock their city off the proposed light-rail tracks when they go to the voting booth on Tuesday. The CenterLine project calls for an 11.4-mile light rail system to connect Santa Ana, Costa Mesa and Irvine. Next week, Irvine voters will face two choices on the ballot: Measure A is for the light rail, and Measure B is against it. If the project dies in Irvine, it will be up to the Orange County Transportation Authority board to decide how to proceed.

Deirdre Newman The county will determine the route for the CenterLine light rail system on Monday, and the plan recommended by its staff members jibes with the route Costa Mesa prefers. Orange County Transportation Authority staff members are advising that the light rail stretch for 9.3 miles from Santa Ana Regional Transportation Center to John Wayne Airport, with a stop at Santa Ana College. The recommended route would include a short underground portion in Costa Mesa along Avenue of the Arts, a plan the major South Coast Metro property owners and city leaders hashed out last year.

Pardon me, boy, is that the Chattanooga Choo Choo? One, that's CenterLine, the Orange County Choo Choo. Two, don't call me "boy." And three, where have you been, if I may ask? Last Monday was a big day for the supporters of the CenterLine light rail system, of which I am one. The Orange County Transportation Authority, or OCTA if you're into acronyms, voted 9-2 to keep the CenterLine project going. In the interest of full disclosure -- as opposed to semi-disclosure -- I have been working on CenterLine for a long, long time, both as a public official, which was then, and as a consultant, which is now. Come back with me to 1988.

Lolita Harper SANTA ANA -- The Orange County Transportation Authority agreed unanimously to move ahead on a plan to build a $1-billion light rail system linking the cities of Santa Ana, Costa Mesa and Irvine. The board approved a formal alignment for the project running through key employment and entertainment areas of the three cities, such as Santa Ana Civic and Transportation centers, the South Coast Metro area, Irvine Business Complex, John Wayne Airport, UC Irvine and the Irvine Medical and Transportation centers.

Deirdre Newman The CenterLine light rail project received from the Federal Transit Administration on Tuesday a "recommended" rating that will allow it to be considered for federal funding. The rating came in the administration's Annual New Starts Report for the 2004-05 fiscal year. The New Starts program reviews new and existing transit systems and makes funding recommendations based on an evaluation of a project's likelihood of moving forward in the shortest possible time.

Deirdre Newman It's not perfect, but it's a start. That was the overwhelming sentiment expressed by the Orange County Transportation Authority's Board of Directors Monday in approving a route for the CenterLine light rail system. The board approved the route Costa Mesa city leaders prefer, despite some reservations about the underground portion along Avenue of the Arts. Transportation authority staff members will now complete the final environmental report to submit to the federal government for approval.

Deepa Bharath A handful of people protested at a street corner outside South Coast Plaza on Friday afternoon against a proposed underground section of the CenterLine light rail system. The Costa Mesa City Council is poised to vote on the issue on Monday. A final public hearing on the environmental report for CenterLine was held Monday. The Orange County Transportation Authority has been gathering feedback on the report, which delineates the four main routes for CenterLine as well as an option not to build a light rail system.

OCTA will host light rail open house The Orange County Transportation Authority will host an open house in Costa Mesa on Tuesday to provide the public with information and to answer questions on the CenterLine light rail project. The public open houses are part of a process called preliminary engineering for the planned 11.4-mile CenterLine project that will run from downtown Santa Ana through the South Coast Plaza area to John Wayne Airport and ends at UC Irvine.

A letter in Thursday's Forum page, "Abortion not limited to just woman's body," included an incorrect word that altered the meaning of a sentence. The letter should have read: "What [Pamela] Brande and many other pro-choice advocates fail to understand, or at least admit to, is that abortion is not limited to just the woman's body." In Thursday's Daily Pilot, the story "Light rail could be left up to voters," incorrectly stated how much in matching funds the Orange County Transportation Authority has received from the federal government for the CenterLine light-rail project.

Its route is paved with good intentions, but the CenterLine light rail system needs more than a noble goal to make it viable. Costa Mesa officials have been at the forefront of CenterLine light rail planning since day one. When it was envisioned, the light rail system was going to be a regional transportation alternative that would link a large part of Orange County and get people out of their smog-producing cars....

Newport Beach and Costa Mesa may begin a joint study to examine ways of easing road and air traffic at John Wayne Airport, employing a $100,000 grant from the Orange County Transportation Authority’s “Go Local!” program to do so. While in its early stages, the feasibility study would examine ways the cities could relieve congestion at the airport by increasing access to Metrolink, while cutting down on the number of flights from the airport by shuttling passengers to other regional airports, such as Ontario or San Bernardino.

Been riding the bus lately? Probably not, as there has been a strike. I must say, having those smelly behemoths in front of me while I drive about in my convertible is not something I have missed much. But then I am fortunate in that I don't have to ride the bus. If I did, I think I'd rather be dead. I have ridden the bus. When I attended UC Irvine many years ago, there was a special bus that stopped near my home and took me right there. And sometimes I'd hop on the No. 1 bus and ride down the coast.

The county plan to build a 9.3-mile long light-rail system rightly died a needed death last week, even if some county supervisors simply couldn't get themselves to admit it. The short and too-slow CenterLine system, which was set to run from John Wayne Airport, through Costa Mesa near the Performing Arts Center and South Coast Plaza to Santa Ana, was not going to do enough people enough good for its $1.1-billion price...

In recent months there has been a good deal of attention given to the ill-advised light rail project CenterLine. This summer the Daily Pilot provided a couple of excellent articles on it and recently elected Councilman Eric Bever wrote a commentary about it. The thrust of one Daily Pilot piece had to do with a recent "survey," which indicated that a majority of Orange County residents polled supported CenterLine....

PUBLIC SAFETY A terrorism drill to get them ready for the worst At least 1,500 law enforcement, fire, rescue and medical personnel from more than 50 agencies took part in a large-scale terrorism drill at the Orange County Fairgrounds Tuesday. The mock attack included a raid on a safe house, release of a chemical agent, a hostage situation and use of a robot to enter a suspicious vehicle. Those involved will use lessons learned during the drill to better prepare for possible emergencies, officials said.

GOVERNMENT Support getting bigger for scaled-back rail line CenterLine's support is growing, as evidenced by a recently released survey showing 69% of county residents said they would probably or definitely vote in favor of the proposed light rail system, which will run through Costa Mesa. Only 51% of respondents said they would probably or definitely vote for a light rail system last year. The survey was sponsored by the Orange County Business Council, which is neutral on CenterLine, and Cal State Fullerton Center for Public Policy.

Deirdre Newman A county transportation board overwhelmingly approved Monday to direct staff members to work more proactively with local cities to build support for the CenterLine light-rail project rather than put it on the ballot. The vote marked the second time in the last month that the Orange County Transportation Authority's board of directors shot down a proposal to put the billion-dollar project in voters' hands. The light rail would run 9.3 miles from Santa Ana to John Wayne Airport through Costa Mesa.

What is the Orange County Transportation Authority afraid of? A 9.3-mile light rail, which runs from Santa Ana to John Wayne Airport -- through Costa Mesa -- should be left for the voters to decide on. Instead, the board voted 5 to 4 Friday to keep CenterLine -- the $1-billion transportation proposal -- from being on the ballot in November. A plan to put the project on the ballot, had the board voted that way, would have needed approval from the Board of Supervisors.

EDUCATION Record year for grants at UC Irvine UC Irvine received a record $249 million during the 2003-04 school year, university officials reported this week. That represented a 6% increase from the previous year. Nearly 82% funded clinical trials, and 6% went toward training and fellowships. The Coast Community College District announced this week that Joseph Quarles took over earlier this month as its new vice chancellor for human resources.

Deirdre Newman After a spirited debate on whether the Centerline light-rail project should go on the November ballot, the Orange County Transportation Authority Board of Directors voted narrowly against it. Friday, the board could muster only four votes to put CenterLine -- which is already in the final stage of preliminary engineering -- on the ballot in November. It needed six. Nine board members attended the meeting. The vote was purely advisory and would have had to be approved by the county Board of Supervisors.