West Hollywood Metro K Line supporters gathered at West Hollywood Park on Wednesday morning, delivering a clear message: the city is done waiting for rail.
“I remember fighting to bring Metro Rail when the Red Line was constructed. We were told, ‘It’s not your time.’ I remember when the Expo Line was built, and we kept saying, ‘What about us?’ Again, we were told, ‘It’s not your time.’ When the Gold Line was built, then the Wilshire Line, each time we heard the same message. ‘It’s not your time.’ Now is our time,” Mayor John Heilman told the crowd.
“Now is the time. Let’s build this line.”
Heilman delivered the remarks before a crowd of mostly supporters at West Hollywood Park, with coverage from KTLA, KNX News Radio, ABC7, and other outlets.
The rally speakers reflected a coalition extending well beyond city limits. Los Angeles County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath, Los Angeles City Councilmember Katy Yaroslavsky, Culver City Vice Mayor Bubba Fish, LAUSD Board Member Nick Melvoin, and Ernesto Medrano of the Building and Construction Trades Council all appeared in support of the San Vicente-Fairfax alignment.
Heilman and Horvath also dropped the news many were hoping to hear: Metro staff will recommend the San Vicente-Fairfax route to the Metro Board.
Metro Staff Tips Its Hand
Horvath, a former West Hollywood mayor who now represents the 3rd District on the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, addressed the 10 billion dollar question everyone’s been buzzing about.
“Metro staff has recommended this alignment,” she said.
Heilman confirmed that expectation in an interview with WEHOonline following the rally.
“I feel very confident,” Heilman said. “Metro staff’s recommendation will be for the San Vicente-Fairfax alignment. There is still a final decision ahead, followed by financing and construction. It is not going to happen overnight, but we are moving in the right direction.”
The San Vicente-Fairfax route would bring three stations to West Hollywood: Santa Monica Boulevard at San Vicente, Santa Monica Boulevard at Fairfax Avenue, and La Cienega Boulevard at Beverly Boulevard.
A fourth station is planned at Santa Monica Boulevard and La Brea Avenue, along the city’s eastern boundary with Los Angeles. Competing alignments would bring fewer stations into West Hollywood.
West Hollywood Vice Mayor Danny Hang said the project would deliver broad regional benefits.
“West Hollywood, we want people to come here. We want residents to move easily throughout the region,” Hang said. “It is going to be a regional connector.”
Why It Matters Beyond West Hollywood
Councilmember Chelsea Lee Byers, who is running for reelection and also serves as chair of the Westside Cities Council of Governments, pointed to funding commitments and ridership projections.
Byers brought the receipts. The Westside Cities Council of Governments has committed $40 million in discretionary subregional equity funds to the project.
She highlighted to Metro’s projections showing the San Vicente-Fairfax alignment outperforming competing routes.
“Metro estimates this route would serve 6,000 more daily riders than the next alternative,” Byers said. “More than two-thirds of those trips would be made by lower-income riders.”
Byers also highlighted the distribution of travel time benefits.
“Three-quarters of those benefits would go to Black, Indigenous, and people of color,” she said.
“This project is much bigger than just West Hollywood.”
Yaroslavsky’s presence carried particular significance. She represents Los Angeles Council District 5, which includes neighborhoods along the proposed routes, and serves on the Metro Board of Directors.
“All three alignments run through my district,” Yaroslavsky said. “When you connect Cedars-Sinai to the D Line and UCLA, you link two of the strongest medical job centers on the West Coast.”
She also referenced the Metro Board’s recent approval of the Sepulveda Transit Corridor.
“It is not enough to dream big,” Yaroslavsky said. “We have to deliver.”
Horvath framed the extension within a broader regional context, citing mobility, air quality, and equity considerations.
“This community understands it is central to the region,” Horvath said.
Culver City And Labor Make The Regional Case
Culver City Vice Mayor Bubba Fish described the commute between Culver City and West Hollywood as slow and car-dependent.
“Getting between our cities is a real pain,” Fish said. “It is indirect, frustrating, and that means more driving and more emissions.”
Ernesto Medrano, executive secretary of the Los Angeles/Orange Counties Building and Construction Trades Council, emphasized job access and construction careers.
“The San Vicente-Fairfax route connects more people to more opportunities than any other alternative,” Medrano said.
LAUSD Board Member Nick Melvoin highlighted student mobility and future workforce housing planned near Santa Monica Boulevard and Fairfax Avenue.
“You have to do it for the kids,” Melvoin said.
What About SB 79?
While supporters dominated the event, concerns continue to surface elsewhere. A lot of the comments submitted to WEHOonline following a Feb. 7 op-ed focused largely on SB 79, California’s transit-oriented development law scheduled to take effect July 1, 2026.
Heilman addressed those concerns in his interview.
“There is concern about the transit overlay,” Heilman said. “But that discussion exists regardless of whether Metro comes through West Hollywood. State housing law is already shaping density near major corridors.”
Planning Commissioner Andrew Solomon also weighed in.
“SB 79 does not apply to existing multifamily housing,” Solomon said. “Rent-controlled properties remain protected.”
SB 79: What The Law Says
“Subway stops allow 7- to 15-story buildings anywhere in West Hollywood.” That overstates the law. The K Line is light rail, which falls under SB 79’s Tier 2 standards. Those limits generally translate to mid-rise heights, roughly five to eight stories depending on proximity to stations.
“Developers can start building immediately.” SB 79 does not take effect until July 1, 2026. Projects would still require years of planning and approvals.
“Rent-controlled buildings will be demolished.” The law prohibits demolition of qualifying rent-stabilized properties and requires compliance with local tenant protections.
“Beverly Hills was excluded.” Beverly Hills opposed SB 79 but must comply and is preparing its own Transit-Oriented Development Alternative Plan.
City Council Candidates Back The Project
Three West Hollywood City Council candidates attended the rally, all three support the line. We caught up with two of them.
Joshua Baum, who is running to be the first non-binary person elected to the West Hollywood City Council voiced support for the San Vicente-Fairfax alignment while emphasizing anti-displacement protections. Baum told WEHOonline he’s “100% for the San Vicente-Fairfax option” but emphasized that displacement protections must come with it. “Everything should be done to reduce displacement,” Baum said. “A big reason why I’m running in this race is to reduce displacement to zero. We need to make sure that people can stay in West Hollywood.”
Stephen Post, an at-large appointee to the Public Safety Commission, called the transportation connection “so important to make sure that our city is still going to be lively and vibrant.” Post, who takes Metro to downtown LA from the Hollywood/Highland stop, said having a station a few blocks from his door would make a personal difference.
What Comes Next
The Metro Board is expected to vote on the Locally Preferred Alternative in the coming weeks.
Heilman emphasized that even with a board decision, the project remains a long-term effort.
“It is a long process to get here,” Heilman said. “There are environmental evaluations, community outreach. Government is not always efficient, and there are reasons for that, because we want public input.”
Heilman added, “We need to address concerns but keep focus on the broader regional benefit. It is not going to happen overnight. We are moving in the right direction.”
Under Metro’s current long-range timeline, construction would begin in the 2040s, with service projected later in the decade. West Hollywood officials are exploring financing tools, including an Enhanced Infrastructure Financing District, aimed at accelerating delivery.
For now, the city’s position remains clear.
“Now is the time,” Heilman said.
Residents can weigh in at klinenorth@metro.net or visit metro.weho.org for updates.
“It is a long process to get here,” Heilman said. “There are environmental evaluations, community outreach. Government is not always efficient, and there are reasons for that, because we want public input.”
THE SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT THING HE HAS EVER SAID! We must demand a long, thorough, thoughtful, and complete process that involves so much public input it will make Andrew Solomon’s head spin.
LA will need to become San Pedro Sula before anyone with common sense runs for public office.
Right now it’s a filthy, lawless strip mall with drug addicts sleeping/defecating in the streets (with an occasional inappropriate parade).
The only reason the “westside” had been considered desirable over the decades (and not the same Compton) was the ABSENCE of a train network. So why not just burn it to the ground.
West Hollywood West residents who were concerned about an above-ground line splitting the neighborhood in half were assured that the San Vicente route would be underground, in part because an above-ground line would interrupt Pride events on San Vicente. Now, the route is being characterized as “light rail.” My question is whether light rail can be underground, or would we then come within SB 79’s Tier One?
Wait for the bait and switch.
Whoa, a decision, either above or under, would be determined because of a once a year, 3-day pride festival…WTF
BE CLEAR! THE COUNCILPERSONS ARE NOT REGARDING SB79! Every single family house within 1/2 mile from each station will be rezoned to apartments. So why would anyone want to live in a house or buy one when an 8 story apartment complex with zero trees and zero parking will be built next door? Just BE CLEAR. QUIT MISLEADING THE PUBLIC. Show us the maps where it would affect single family homes, so those that don’t want to live amongst dense apartments with no yards, trees, and no parking can choose to live elsewhere. Or sell NOW before their property value… Read more »
I know it’ll be 20 yrs from now, but wouldn’t this mean no more Pride, no more Halloween on the boulevard? Trains can’t “detour” like busses can…kinda sad.
John Heilman avoids discussing the devastating impact the subway stations will have in WeHo: allowing developers to build 7-15 story buildings in the City.
Andrew Solomon lies about how rent-control buildings will not be affected by SB79 and the Transit Overlay Plan triggered by the subway stations.
If our City officials disregard resident’s opinions and well being so blatantly and in the open, who’s going to protect the future of this City?
Solomon single handed stopped WeHo residents from being able to earn some extra money by renting out their own homes to visitors during LA28 by increasing the minimum rent period in West Hollywood to 12 months . What gave this guy from Texas this right? Thank you Andrew! WeHo is now probably the only Olympic city ever to have banned short term rentals.
Hi Peter, in the 12 years I’ve lived in weho, I’ve never once taken a vote on the minimum rental period – either for my building or for the city. As I’ve offered to you plenty of times before, happy to meet with you anytime.
Yup.
CA Govt Code § 65912.157
(h) A development proposed pursuant to this section shall not be located on either of the following:
(1) A site containing more than two units where the development would require the demolition of housing that is subject to any form of rent or price control through a public entity’s valid exercise of its police power that has been occupied by tenants within the past seven years.
The subway stations haven’t been decided yet. Do they still count for the purposes of the Transit Overlay Plan?
What about single family homes? What protections do they have from SB79?
Maybe not so fast on SB79: “Any eligible station planned as of January 1, 2026, will be covered. However, light rail, BRT, and high-frequency commuter rail stations planned after this date will not be covered until they are built out.” Be good to have the city bods clarify this point for those living within a half mile of the stations that get selected.
What a great idea to not include a map of the proposal. That way, we are all in the dark, and we just have to imagine where this is going. One thing is certain: we will all be dead before any train rolls through here.
Lol. You are correct. Current story has been updated to include the map. The links to older stories have a map, but good call. Thank you.