The K Line vote West Hollywood has been pushing for since 2014 is just days away. The Metro Board is about to make the final call and the City wants you on board.
Metro’s Planning and Programming Committee takes up the Locally Preferred Alternative for the K Line route on Wednesday, March 18 at 11 a.m. The full Metro Board of Directors is then expected to vote on the route at its meeting Thursday, March 26. Both meetings are at Metro Headquarters in downtown Los Angeles. The agenda and staff report are already posted.
The City backs the San Vicente-Fairfax route. It’s the only option that puts multiple stations in West Hollywood, up to three in the City plus a fourth just outside city limits at La Cienega and Beverly. The route includes a terminus at the Hollywood Bowl.
“The San Vicente-Fairfax route will put more than 125,000 jobs within a half mile of new Metro stations with connections to four other rail lines and 6 of the 10 busiest Metro bus lines,” Mayor John Heilman said. “With more riders, more jobs, and more destinations, the choice is simple: San Vicente-Fairfax is the best route. Let’s finish the line!” When combined with the existing K Line from Torrance to Hollywood, Metro projects the full line would carry up to 98,000 daily trips by 2045.
The other two routes give West Hollywood one station at the eastern edge of the City. That’s it.
Free shuttle to the Board vote
The City is running free Cityline shuttle service to the March 26 Metro Board meeting. Shuttles leave from West Hollywood Park at 8:15 a.m. and return around 2:30 p.m. Coffee, light refreshments, and materials supporting the San Vicente-Fairfax route will be on board. Space is limited. Reserve a spot at weho.org/metro.
Metro Headquarters is at One Gateway Plaza, 3rd Floor, in downtown Los Angeles.
How to participate
Metro says live public comment at the board meetings will carry the most weight. Written comments and call-in participation are also options. Watch online at boardagendas.metro.net. Listen by phone at 888-978-8818. The English access code is 5647249#. Spanish is 7292892#. Those attending in person should register upon arrival. Sample comment letters and emails are available at weho.org/metro. Submit your comments here.
What’s at stake
Metro appears to be handling this the same way it handled the K Line extension to Torrance in January, when the Planning and Programming Committee considered that project before the full Board voted on the route. That vote was unanimous, though the Board went against staff recommendation and picked a different route than staff had proposed. Significant community pushback likely swayed the board.
For the Northern Extension, Metro staff is recommending San Vicente-Fairfax. At least two Metro Board members, LA County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath and LA City Councilmember Katy Yaroslavsky, have publicly backed the route. Both made that clear at last month’s rally at West Hollywood Park. Horvath told the crowd “Metro staff has recommended this alignment.” No organized opposition to San Vicente-Fairfax has surfaced at any public meeting.
The San Vicente-Fairfax route connects Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, the Rainbow District, and the Sunset Strip. It’s the route that 86% of West Hollywood voters backed when they supported Measure M and the one that drew 201 public comments in Metro’s 2021 scoping process, compared to 11 for Fairfax-only and 29 for La Brea.
The City has spent over $3 million on outreach, consultants, and studies to get to this point. A regional coalition of elected officials from five jurisdictions showed up at West Hollywood Park in February to make the case.
Now it comes down to two meetings. March 18 and March 26.
Related Coverage
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Metro Approved the Biggest Subway in LA History Thursday. West Hollywood K Line Still Waiting
Metro’s May 8 Opening Sets the Stage for West Hollywood’s Own Subway Fight
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For more information, contact David Fenn, City of West Hollywood Senior Planner, at (323) 848-6336 or dfenn@weho.gov.
Absolutely NO to the San Vicente option. We have an excellent metro bus service along Santa Monica Blvd, why are we duplicating the public transit service with an incredibly expensive underground railway along the same route? Say YES to the financially sensible La Brea option.
Hard NO because: The total estimated cost for this extension is roughly $15 billion, and under West Hollywood’s current local funding strategy, the City would need to commit up to 25% of local funding to help build it. That means West Hollywood taxpayers will be responsible for approximately $4 billion — before any cost overruns. How does a small city pay billions of dollars? Through taxes. To cover this obligation, the City would almost certainly have to implement: Higher sales taxes, Higher property taxes, New special taxes and levies, Taxes that do not currently exist. It is difficult to justify… Read more »
“Ride The D” WeHo!
I support the K line extension. It will make West Hollywood stronger, better, and unquestionably the greatest City to live in.
I trust West Hollywood and who we elect and the most comprehensive team to develop the right creative mix in planning to make this happen in West Hollywood, and enough already in Los Angeles. Still too far away from West Hollywood. Weho residents make it happen, and the future of West Hollywood is a magnificent place to live, work, and play.
I personally have never heard about this D-line. It’s always an extension into West Hollywood.
Totallya gree with your assessment, Also,the engineering challenges should also not be ignored. The proposed alignment around La Cienega passes through an area historically known for its high water table—so much so that the name “La Cienega” literally means “the swamp.” Constructing deep subway tunnels in areas with significant groundwater presents major technical complications and long-term maintenance risks. Nearby structures, including the Beverly Center’s parking facilities, were designed above ground in part because of these conditions. There are also environmental and infrastructure concerns. Large-scale tunneling through water-saturated soil often requires extensive and permanent dewatering. This process can destabilize surrounding ground… Read more »
At the last City Council meeting, Anita Goswami raised the delicate issue of how West Hollywood is going to pay for its’ percentage of the costs of the subway that we have committed to. I hope we see a realistic cost projection from the City in the near future.