Carol Liu and Mike Gatto Introduce Legislation to Fund Sound Walls for the 210

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                 Contact: John Ferrera (916) 319-2043 (Gatto)       

August 22, 2012                                                                           Suzanne Reed (916) 651-4021 (Liu)

                                               

Carol Liu and Mike Gatto Introduce Legislation to Fund Sound Walls for the 210

Long Suffering Foothill Communities May Finally Get Relief

Sacramento, CA – Senator Carol Liu (D- La Cañada Flintridge) and Assemblyman Mike Gatto (D-Los Angeles) have amended SB 204 to resolve two local transportation injustices.  First, the bill would require the sale of properties that CalTrans seized years ago for the never-completed 710 extension.  A state audit concluded last week that the properties have been mismanaged and have not generated their full economic potential.  Then, in a move that may finally bring a sense of transportation justice to the area, the bill would require that no less than 25% of the proceeds of the sale of the properties go to erecting sound walls along the 210 Freeway in La Cañada Flintridge and Pasadena.  Those communities have requested such sound walls for generations.  Sale of the properties could generate as much as a quarter-billion dollars.

"Our neighboring communities have long endured the impacts of Caltrans' unfulfilled promise to build sound walls that shield them from the noise of the 210 Freeway," said Senator Liu.

“I think it’s appropriate that this area finally gets some relief from state transportation agencies,” said Gatto.  “I used to play baseball in fields close to the 210, and understand what homeowners and children in the area go through, in terms of soot and noise.”  “SB 204 is a creative way to turn a negative, the 710 extension, into a positive: relief along the nearby 210 corridor.”

SB 204 also requires CalTrans to consult with local city councils before spending the rest of the sale proceeds on local projects.  This legislative collaboration is a culmination of discussions between Liu and Gatto, and local elected officials, in an ongoing partnership to improve the quality of life for foothill community residents.

Mike Gatto is the Chairman of the Appropriations Committee of the California State Assembly.  He represents the Los Angeles communities of Los Feliz, North Hollywood, and Silver Lake and the cities of Burbank and Glendale. Website of Assemblyman Mike Gatto: www.asm.ca.gov/gatto