By Nestor CASTIGLIONE

On Jan. 5 Councilmember Ara J. Najarian was reelected to
the Metro Board of Directors. He has held a position on the board since 2006 and served a stint as its chairman from 2009 to 2010.

His new term on the board comes at a crucial moment, particularly for residents in Glendale.

The final EIR for the proposed 710 Freeway tunnel is expected to be released later this year, a matter expected to be heavily debated by various municipalities that hold sharply diverging views on the matter. Moreover, residents in the northern part of Glendale are concerned over the Los Angeles to San Francisco bullet train route that has proposed to cut through the Big Tujunga Wash. Though the Metro board has no direct say in the matter – the bullet train falls under the responsibility of Caltrans – it does have some influence in guiding how it will be worked into local infrastructure.

Moreover, the new administration under President Donald Trump may prove to be a wild card in how any of those projects move forward – if they do so at all.

Earlier in the week, Najarian discussed some of the challenges facing him and the Metro Board in the near future.

“[The Metro Board] is generally speculating that Trump has indicated an interest in building up the infrastructure in the country … and clearly someone could sell the 710 tunnel as such a project,” he opined. “However, I don’t believe he has any extra love for California. In general, much of the criticisms directed at him come from our state’s electorate. So I can’t see him wanting to devote a large amount of money into infrastructure projects in the region.”

Nevertheless, Najarian maintained that the new administration does have its ear on the local ground. Elaine Chao, Trump’s pick to head the Dept. of Transportation, cleared her confirmation hearings in the Senate earlier this week. Najarian stated that she has had a prior working relationship with Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger as well as with her predecessor, Mike Antonovich.

“They’re all certainly familiar with each other,” he said. “If somebody wanted to lobby on behalf of the 710, there are local avenues to the Trump administration.”

Another major project facing significant challenges is the bullet train that would connect Los Angeles to San Francisco. A signature project of Gov. Jerry Brown, its near-term future is up in the air not only because of potential pushback from the White House, but because of an announcement made by Sacramento earlier this week that California will be facing a budget gap.

“[The bullet train] has a long way to go, a large funding gap,” Najarian explained. “It’s going to be a tougher project to sell. I see some very significant financial issues that it needs to overcome.”

Locals are particularly worried about the project’s proposed route through the Big Tujunga Wash. Najarian has argued against the plan. Instead he has suggested that the bullet train use the same right-of-way as the Metrolink Antelope Valley Line.

“[The proposed route] isn’t the right one,” he said.

A similar compromise was reached between Caltrans and Bay Area communities, though Najarian was quick to point out that the route change was not as ambitious as the one being proposed as an alternative to the Big Tujunga Wash.

“We’ll have to wait and watch,” he said.

  Nestor CASTIGLIONE