“A Historic Day,” Metro Board Approves K Line Through West Hollywood

West Hollywood is getting rail. In a long-sought win for West Hollywood, the train is closer than ever to leaving the station. 

The Metro Board of Directors voted unanimously among participating members to approve the San Vicente-Fairfax alignment as the Locally Preferred Alternative for the K Line Northern Extension Thursday. Two directors recused themselves and did not vote.

It didn’t come easy and it came down to the wire. 

As we reported earlier this week, the vote was nearly derailed before it reached the full Board, after Metro’s Planning and Programming Committee declined to act and sent the item forward without a recommendation.

The dynamics shifted early in the meeting. Two key members stepped away from the vote.

Holly Mitchell recused herself after being advised that her home, about 932 feet from a potential station area, could pose a conflict under state law. Jacqueline Dupont-Walker also voluntarily stepped away after saying she had been advised there may be a conflict.

The Board ultimately approved the San Vicente-Fairfax alignment. Metro staff said it would carry the most riders, connect the most jobs and cut travel time. They also said the line could place more than 125,000 jobs within a half mile of future stations.

But that approval comes with strings attached.

Those conditions were shaped by last-minute negotiations involving West Hollywood Mayor John Heilman, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and Supervisor Lindsey Horvath, with Horvath saying discussionsw stretched into “the wee hours last night and again in the early hours this morning” before the vote.

Horvath said the compromise “does not delay” the project and instead allows key work to move ahead at the same time. She said bringing new funding to the table opens the door to moving the project up, with work that would normally happen in sequence now happening at the same time.

The motion adopts the alignment evaluated in Metro’s environmental review while tying it to an early project delivery strategy, including a requirement that West Hollywood team up with Los Angeles County to set up a financing district, one expected to cover at least 25 percent of the project’s cost.

It also lays out a phased build. The first segment would connect the E Line to the D Line at Wilshire-Fairfax. The plan also uses a modified Mid-City tunnel, known as Option 2. The idea is to reduce underground easements in residential areas.

Metro also agreed to work with the Midtown Shopping Center property owner to relocate the on-site grocery store before construction, an issue that has come up repeatedly during community outreach. The shopping center owner, though, was far from supportive and said during public comment that he had only recently been contacted and did not support the plan.

West Hollywood Mayor John Heilman said the agreement moves things forward for the region.

“This is a transformative project for the region,” Heilman said. “It’s very important that we move together jointly.”

He said the compromise keeps the project moving without delay and could help it advance more efficiently over time. “We were able to reach a compromise that moves this project forward, doesn’t slow it down, and actually speeds it up,” he said.

Zennon Ulyate-Crow, a candidate for California State Senate District 24 who attended Thursday’s meeting, said the outcome was far from certain. “Today’s win was not a given. After witnessing blatant corruption, thousands of Angelenos called their elected officials and demanded accountability. Only through that collective effort did we change the tide. I was extremely proud to stand alongside advocates and send the message that Angelenos overwhelmingly want better transportation today, not tomorrow.”

Earlier, Horvath said the compromise brings urgency and clarity. Bass called the vote “historic” and “a great day in Los Angeles,” while saying it keeps the project moving as community concerns are addressed.

Now the harder question kicks in. Who pays?

As we reported last week, Metro’s cost estimate for the full project is roughly $15.9 billion. The structure approved Thursday links any push to speed things up to West Hollywood putting real money on the table.

Metro Board member Ara J. Najarian warned the funding commitment for West Hollywood is “a significant amount of money” and said it should be looked at “soberly,” noting the City is being asked to come up with billions. That structure is not yet in place. No financing district has been formed, no hard timeline has been set, and no partner agency has formally committed.

Metro staff made clear this isn’t final approval. It’s the step needed to keep planning, environmental work, and funding talks moving.

Under Measure M, construction isn’t expected to begin until 2041. West Hollywood has been pushing to move that timeline up. Whether Thursday’s vote does that will depend on what happens next.

West Hollywood got the route it wanted. Locking in the money is next.