.JPG)
*In Los Angeles, you must keep a sense of humor about some of the most asinine ways our public officials spend taxpayers time and money. One thing that is not funny, however, is how communities of color constantly get short-changed on regional planning and infra-structure development issues.
Transportation and schools are the most important infra-structure assets in determining urban growth. High commercial and employment growth communities locate (or relocate) around access to transit and good schools. Want to know why we don't have jobs in certain parts of the city, start with access to mass transit. Freeways go through our communities, and the more sophisticated mass transit systems never make into some communities.
So when I read that the Exposition Light Rail Line might be held up because one of the local officials didn't like the color of the proposed line's designation (Aqua), it reminded me of the many miniscule reasons used over the years that have caused this line not to be built. The planners over at the MTA have always given the Exposition light rail proposal low (real low) priority. They've never needed much of a reason to bump the project. So, before this becomes a reason not to do the project (scheduled to open in 2010), let's help our local councilman resolve this major crisis of naming the color of the Exposition Light Rail Line.
Maybe we should ask him. Okay, Bernie.you don't like "the Aqua Line." So, what color do you like? How about the Black Line, Bernie? Seems to fit the constant "lights out" shadow that seems to follow this project.
There's been a 20 year stall on the Exposition line. I remember going to MTA community meetings in 1986 and in 1987 down at the DWP building at King and Crenshaw, to try save the Exposition line. At that time, only the Green line and the Blue line was on the original Metro Rail master plan. The controversy was that they(MTA) was going to bump the Exposition line for a Red line (from downtown to North Hollywood). This was even before the earthquake feasibility of a Red line (which had to be tunneled) was determined. They went forward anyway, risks and all, and the Red line opened in 1995. Not only was the Exposition line bumped for the Red line, it was bumped for the Gold line, and then strategic stops around the city.
I remember writing a piece in 1993 when the Exposition line was bumped (again) for the construction of a added stop to the Red line in Universal City (the original Red line only had stops at Hollywood and Vine and North Hollywood). Our community made a stink about it and the Universal City stop was taken off the board (at that time). But as you know, it must have been added back somewhere along the way because there is an Universal City stop on the Red line, but still no Exposition line. They just wait for us to go to sleep when protest issues that impact our community (and we do). They just didn't do it to South Central-East L.A. also got short stopped (the Red Line is due to expand east by 2010). So, 20 years, three mayors and a campaign promise later, the Exposition line appears to be near reality-except for one small issue. L.A. Councilman Bernie Parks wants to hold up the line until the color is changed. Well, what color should it be, Bernie? I guess lavender, teal and feusha out, huh? How about plum, cocoa brown or tangerine? The Tangerine line.that has a nice ring to it. How about gray, silver or black? Ahhh, yeah, the Black line. Kinda reminds you of Marcus Garvey's Blackstar Line. But like the Black Starline, the Exposition line may never get up and going. Not if we get bogged down in dumb s**t. In mean, is it really that big of a deal??? Nobody I talked to seems to think so. Don't tell Bernie Parks, though. He marches to his own beat-a beat nobody else hears. I hope he doesn't get so sidetracked on colors that the train passes us by, again.
I don't care what color the Exposition rail line is, as long as a community much in need of a rail line (and all that comes with it-including commerce and jobs), gets one. I like the Black line, myself. Bernie, why don't we call it the Black line. There, problem solved.
Now, can we get to building the Exposition Rail line?
Anthony Asadullah Samad is a national columnist, managing director of the Urban Issues Forum (www.urbanissuesforum.com) and author of 50 Years After Brown: The State of Black Equality In America. He can be reached at www.AnthonySamad.com