LA County Supervisor holds community meeting over controversial Metro expansion

A controversial Metro expansion continued to receive strong opinions from South Bay residents during a meeting hosted by Los Angeles County Supervisor Holly Mitchell Thursday.

The project would add 4.5 miles to the Metro's C-Line, extending the railway to Redondo Beach, Lawndale and Torrance. 

"Public transit just isn't accessible and I would love to be able to visit friends and family and go see things around LA," resident Isabel Schwartz said. "Have people that I know and love come visit me in Torrance."

Supervisor Mitchell held the meeting to continue the dialogue from the community walkthrough at both proposed sites last month. 

"I think the dialogue was a lot more constructive and not destructive being self-facilitated and in a more controlled environment," resident Courtney Miles said. "The community walk, it was nice weather, but some of the dialogue was a little inflammatory."

One of the route locations impacts hundreds and hundreds of people who live along the "row" or right of way the expansion in those three cities.

"I am 100% supporting railway extensions," resident Angelica Vicente. "It's a safety concern about the Metro row running behind neighborhoods and putting these big huge trains closer to homes and next to light rail."

The other option runs along the 405 Freeway turning onto Hawthorne Boulevard with a stop at the South Bay Galleria, ending at the transit center. 

"I am a pro-row option," Miles said. "In terms of accessibility and opening up the South Bay to the rest of the county, it's necessary."

Metro was supposed to vote on the proposed routes in September but it was stopped after Supervisor Mitchell asked for more time because of questions and concerns from the community.

"This is a huge endeavor," Mitchell said. "As I've always said these kinds of infrastructure projects, you have to keep that in mind 100 years out. We will do that before it comes to the Board for a vote."

Metro won't take this up for a vote before March. Supervisor Mitchell and her team are still going through all the feedback from the community, which will be shared with the Board. There's a chance Metro could come back with a different site location or move forward with a vote on the two they've scouted out.