LOS ANGELES, Calif. — The Los Angeles City Council today unanimously approved $55 million in transportation funds to build rail stops in Leimert Park and Westchester, with hopes of securing more funding from the region’s transportation agency.
The City Council committed $40 million in Measure R funds for the proposed Leimert Park station in south Los Angeles and $15 million for a station in Westchester.
The Metro board is scheduled to vote Thursday on whether to include the two planned stations in the 8.5-mile Crenshaw Boulevard to LAX light rail project. The board will also choose a contractor to build the line.
The city’s financial commitment will lead to the transformation of “Leimert Park, Crenshaw, parts of South Los Angeles forever,” said Councilwoman Jan Perry.
“You were on the hunt for money to do this; you never let up,” Perry said of colleague Bernard Parks, whose district encompasses south Los Angeles where the Leimert Park station would be located.
“It’s a historic moment in our time here in rebuilding the communities around Crenshaw, tying in our neighbors in Westchester,” Perry said.
Parks said the stations would link South Los Angeles with the rest of the city through the anticipated connector corridor project that will join the city’s various light rail lines.
“The train is becoming that network that leads to people leaving their cars,” he said.
The council’s action “sends a message to MTA that we’re too serious about those two stations,” said Councilman Bill Rosendahl, whose district includes the proposed Westchester stop.
He said the proposed connection to LAX would make it easier for travelers to shuttle themselves to the airport using public transportation.
