Introduction

In 2007 the Metro began looking at routes to the east side of Los Angeles County.  According to Whittier Daily News, in 2013 the Cities of Whittier, Pico Rivera, Commerce, and Santa Fe Springs formed a coalition, now known as East Goldline Coalition Cities, along with PIH Health and other businesses announced to pressure Metro to choose the Washington Blvd. route.  The City of Montebello joined the coalition soon thereafter.

The City of Whittier plans to bring the Metro L line down Lambert Rd. in what they are calling the "50" year plan (see below MOU).  We believe this is part of the reason they installed the greenway along Lambert Road. Your City Council decided this with no input from its citizens.  That means that it is possible they can use eminent domain to take your home and business.

November 16, 2022

In a meeting held on November 16, 2022, by the Metro Planning and Programming Committee, the Whittier City Manager Brian Saeki said, "Whittier surplus funds" are available. The Metro stated "Yet-To-Be-Secured" is eight billion dollars of which local 3%, approx. 250 million, will be divided by the five coalition cities, that's $50,000,000.00 per city.

November 16, 2022

The Metro had three alternative routes.  According to last night's meeting (November 10, 2022), the Metro stated they elected Alt. 3 which is the Montebello route ending in Whittier.  The truth is that our city council and other cities started lobbying the Metro asking them to support selecting Alt. 3 years ago (evidenced by the below MOU).  The City never sought our input.  The Metro Board (which Councilman Dutra is part of) will make its final determination at the next board meeting.   Contact your council member to give them your opinion.

November 29, 2022

Brian Saeki was asked yesterday, Nov. 28, 2022, how the City of Whittier planned to pay for it, he said, "It will probably never happen" and then said sales tax "Measures M and R."  Considering there are five cities involved in this endeavor who have signed an MOU that probably will be divided by those cities.  When I again asked Saeki how the city plans to pay for it, I was not given an answer.  An email was sent to Brian Saeki asking exactly how much and how the City planned on paying for the Metro was sent November 29. I haven't heard back.

Public Records Request

A public records request found that Whittier City Manager Brian Saeki emailed all the Whittier School Superintendents asking them to take a position for the Metro to Whittier.  Only two superintendents complied with his requests, Superintendent Marc Patterson from the East Whittier City School District and Superintendent Brad Mason from Whittier City School District.  

A public records request was conducted to find out if the school board members actually voted on this matter.  Patterson provided only a monthly report he gave the board which briefly talks about the Metro, no vote from the school board.  Superintendent Mason completely ignored our multiple requests for public records and then provided only an email from him to the city manager (see below).  It took a letter from an attorney to get Mason to answer in part our request.