SUPPORT OF ELECTED OFFICIALS IS NEARLY UNANIMOUS

Summary

For the past few years, the City of South Pasadena and other project opponents have pressured some state and federal legislators to carry anti-710 Freeway legislation. Supporters of the 710 Freeway thus sometimes found themselves in a defensive position fighting off this legislation.

No more. In the fall of 2001, and led by State Assemblymember Judy Chu of Monterey Park, the 710 Freeway Coalition helped form the 710 Freeway Legislative Action Group (710 FLAG) at the state level. The 710 FLAG is a determined group of about a dozen state senators and assemblymembers who are committed to pushing the 710 Freeway through to completion.

At the federal level, Congressmember Hilda Solis of El Monte has been a tireless supporter of the 710 Freeway. She has worked to assemble a similar group of federal legislators to prevent any further attempts of South Pasadena and other opponents to insert anti-710 provisions in federal legislation.

The only known elected officials who do not yet support completion of the 710 Freeway are State Assemblymember Carol Liu, State Senator Jack Scott, and Congressmember Adam Schiff, the very legislators who have the City of South Pasadena in their districts. Re-districting of these districts will provide strong disincentives for these representatives to take any pro-active action against the 710 Freeway Project.

The Details

In recent years, as South Pasadena’s arguments against the freeway have been debunked, the City has pressured its state and federal elected officials to sponsor anti-710 legislation.

The 710 Anti-710 Bills of Scott and Schiff

In the 1999-2000 California legislative session, the City of South Pasadena convinced then State Assemblymember Jack Scott and State Senator Adam Schiff to introduce bills intended to kill the 710 Freeway. These two bills were pushed hard by freeway opponents and opposed vigorously by the 710 Freeway Coalition. As the battle raged in the summer of 2000, it was clear that both Scott and Schiff had not only introduced the legislation to placate South Pasadena, but both were working hard to call in favors to other legislators to pass the legislation. Adam Schiff even solicited the EPA Regional Administrator, Felicia Marcus, to send a letter to state legislators expressing her opinion that the 710 Freeway would not improve air quality. This ploy almost worked, but the information provided to legislators by the 710 Freeway Coalition prevailed. Despite intensive lobbying efforts by both Scott and Schiff, both bills died at the end of the legislative session.

Since these defeats, Adam Schiff moved into the Congressional seat formerly held by James Rogan and Jack Scott moved into the State Senate seat formerly held by Adam Schiff. Jack Scott has not taken any further proactive actions designed to frustrate the completion of the 710 Freeway, nor has the new assembly representative for South Pasadena, Carol Liu. However, Adam Schiff has, if anything, stepped up his activism against the wishes of the vast majority of his constituents who want the 710 Freeway completed.

Inserting Anti-710 Freeway Language in the Annual Federal Transportation Bills

Beginning in FY2000, the City of South Pasadena successfully lobbied Congressional Representative James Rogan to insert into the annual Transportation Appropriation Bill language that banned the use of federal funds for the development and construction of the 710 Freeway. Even though no federal funds are expected to be set aside for the 710 Freeway until several years from now, the annual funding prohibition inserted by Rogan was used as a public relations ploy by South Pasadena and other 710 Freeway opponents. With the funding ban inserted into federal legislation, operatives from South Pasadena would then tell other key transportation decision makers that "Congress has passed a bill banning funding for the 710 Freeway." This language, although only effective for one year at a time, created a false impression that Congress was opposed to the 710 Freeway. To the best of the knowledge of the 710 Freeway Coalition, every member of the California congressional delegation supports the 710 Freeway except Adam Schiff.

When Adam Schiff entered Congress last year, he apparently thought he could insert the same funding prohibition into the federal Transportation Appropriations bill without any consequences. He soon received a major jolt. The 710 Freeway Coalition mounted a strong campaign to hold Schiff accountable for inserting this language just a few months after the voters of the City of Pasadena had instructed their elected representatives to work vigorously to complete the 710 Freeway. The 710 Freeway Coalition will continue to work to hold all of our elected officials accountable to what we know is overwhelming public support for completion of the 710 Freeway (See 710 Freeway Coalition newspaper ad).

The 710 Freeway Legislative Action Group: Strong State Legislator Support

In order to demonstrate the overwhelming political support for the 710 Freeway in the State Legislature, the 710 Freeway Coalition, working with State Assembly member Judy Chu, has organized the 710 Freeway Legislative Action Group, or the 710 FLAG. The 710 FLAG will now work with the City of Los Angeles, SCAG, MTA, and the 29 of 30 cities in the San Gabriel Valley supporting the freeway, to get the 710 Freeway to an early groundbreaking. The 710 FLAG is also there to remind current and future representatives of the City of South Pasadena that any anti-710 legislative proposals will be vigorously opposed in the State Legislature.

Federal Legislator Support is Strong with the Exception of Adam Schiff

The 710 Freeway Project lies within the current Congressional districts of Adam Schiff, and Hilda Solis. However, the 710 project affects a wide portion of Southern California because of air pollution and congestion impacts. Because of this, a number of other local members of Congress have indicated support of the freeway project. Only Adam Schiff has actively worked against the opinion and interests of the entire region to placate a small vocal minority of 710 Project opponents centered in South Pasadena.

Local Elected Official Support is Strong

The 710 Freeway enjoys the support of most Mayors and Council members of every city in the San Gabriel Valley except the Cities of South Pasadena and La Cañada Flintridge. The City of Los Angeles is on record supporting completion of the 710 Freeway, and Councilman Nick Pacheco, who represents the community of El Sereno, supports the completion of the 710 Freeway as long as the housing needs of residents are addressed. At the County of Los Angeles, the Board of Supervisor members Michael Antonovich and Gloria Molina – whose districts include the freeway corridor -- are on record supporting completion of the entire 710 Freeway Project.