Re: Goodmon oozing his bile again... « Reply #25 on Jul 18, 2011, 6:46am »
Does Damien really think Metro is dumb enough NOT to do the 30 day comment period? Of course that would be a basis to sue, but Metro is not going to violate that mandate. He's just insinuating hate and anger in his community towards Metro.
Plus, all that money they are going to fund this lawsuit...why don't they put on a benefit assessment district (like downtown la has with the BID) and just fund the new station/subway. It'll be cheaper in the long run.
How will this potential lawsuit affect the FEIR process?
Joined: Oct 2007 Gender: Male Posts: 2,110 Location: Cal Heights, Long Beach, CA
Re: Goodmon oozing his bile again... « Reply #26 on Jul 18, 2011, 10:49am »
"This is just the latest greatest display of disrespect of our community" (emphasis added by me)
Classic Goodmonesque rhetoric. Look how badly THEY are treating US. It's just NOT FAIR! LOL
It's even sillier since it appears to be based on Goodmon's own misreading of the project schedule.
The people at FixExpo are undoubtedly confused by Metro's original schedule for the Crenshaw FEIR, which called for release in early July and board approval in August. Obviously that schedule has slipped (very possibly due to the recent "demands" made by Mr. Ridley-Thomas and his followers).
I do find it interesting that, in writing about the 30 day review period, Goodmon cited Metro's history of project approvals, rather than the environmental law that is the basis of those approvals. This makes me question Goodmon's basic knowledge of California and U.S. environmental law.
30 days is the standard review period, it is required by both NEPA and CEQA, and I would support a lawsuit if Metro tried to circumvent it. But that's not going to happen.
Of course Metro will provide at least 30 days for public review and comment on the FEIR, before the Metro Board votes on it. Metro may make occasional mistakes, but in legal matters it is not that stupid.
« Last Edit: Jul 18, 2011, 10:50am by metrocenter »
"This is just the latest greatest display of disrespect of our community" (emphasis added by me)
Classic Goodmonesque rhetoric. Look how badly THEY are treating US. It's just NOT FAIR! LOL
It's even sillier since it appears to be based on Goodmon's own misreading of the project schedule.
The people at FixExpo are undoubtedly confused by Metro's original schedule for the Crenshaw FEIR, which called for release in early July and board approval in August. Obviously that schedule has slipped (very possibly due to the recent "demands" made by Mr. Ridley-Thomas and his followers).
I do find it interesting that, in writing about the 30 day review period, Goodmon cited Metro's history of project approvals, rather than the environmental law that is the basis of those approvals. This makes me question Goodmon's basic knowledge of California and U.S. environmental law.
30 days is the standard review period, it is required by both NEPA and CEQA, and I would support a lawsuit if Metro tried to circumvent it. But that's not going to happen.
Of course Metro will provide at least 30 days for public review and comment on the FEIR, before the Metro Board votes on it. Metro may make occasional mistakes, but in legal matters it is not that stupid.
What's also misleading is that whole report was to amend the LPA to include the very changes discussed by the Community;
A.approving the Project Definition, which is based on the Locally Preferred Alternative, of an 8.5 mile Light Rail project from Crenshaw/Exposition to Metro Green Line Aviation station with 6 stations that was previously approved by the Board in December 2009 and incorporating several changes including:
1.La Brea Avenue Grade Separation; 2.Below-grade segment from Exposition Boulevard to 39th Street; 3.Partially Covered Trench Adjacent to LAX;,
In order to amend it as it is done with other projects that statement is included to display intent to enter the final outreach period. That has to be included before any agency continues forward with its environmental document. Look at the Wilshire Subway as an example as it includes the same language each time as the board directs the Metro CEO to perform the following task as a housekeeping action item.
« Last Edit: Jul 18, 2011, 9:04pm by JerardWright »
Joined: Jun 2005 Gender: Male Posts: 413 Location: Silverlake
Re: Goodmon oozing his bile again... « Reply #28 on Jul 19, 2011, 6:35pm »
Lawsuits are being endlessly brought by communities against almost every project (Crenshaw, Expo, the Gold Line, The Red Lines). Is it even possible anymore to have a project built that is not opposed and sued at every step of the way?
I think that community outreach and involvement needs to be re-thought out. It is not working.
Re: Goodmon oozing his bile again... « Reply #29 on Jul 19, 2011, 10:45pm »
One of the things I've noticed at the meetings I've gone to is that there is a serious lack of attempting to give the attendees a genuine level of understanding.
I don't know if this is to keep from saying something they shouldn't or the presenter has a lack of charisma, or feels that people in the room understand or are unwilling to listen from the start.
But there is definitely room for improvement. I'd personally like to see a presentations in the second round of meetings where they'll say something like, "we've heard many of you are concerned about X, while we can't directly address the issues on this line because we're not finished with our report we can give you information on similar situations from other recent projects with a similar scenario." Then go on to explain in detail so that a) people feel they're being listened too and b) feel like they're not being treated as morons -- oh and c) the ability to fight misinformation.
"This is just the latest greatest display of disrespect of our community" (emphasis added by me)
Classic Goodmonesque rhetoric. Look how badly THEY are treating US. It's just NOT FAIR! LOL
It's even sillier since it appears to be based on Goodmon's own misreading of the project schedule.
The people at FixExpo are undoubtedly confused by Metro's original schedule for the Crenshaw FEIR, which called for release in early July and board approval in August. Obviously that schedule has slipped (very possibly due to the recent "demands" made by Mr. Ridley-Thomas and his followers).
I do find it interesting that, in writing about the 30 day review period, Goodmon cited Metro's history of project approvals, rather than the environmental law that is the basis of those approvals. This makes me question Goodmon's basic knowledge of California and U.S. environmental law.
30 days is the standard review period, it is required by both NEPA and CEQA, and I would support a lawsuit if Metro tried to circumvent it. But that's not going to happen.
Of course Metro will provide at least 30 days for public review and comment on the FEIR, before the Metro Board votes on it. Metro may make occasional mistakes, but in legal matters it is not that stupid.
Goodman made the L.A. Times again today -- this time with a photo.
I wonder if Mr Goodmon has read the Locally Preferred Alternative or let alone the Draft EIR. The documents state that it would be best if the alignment is below grade from the Expo Line (Exposition Blvd) to 48th St (the tunnel portal will land on the immensely wide street median) and that the Leimert Park Village station at Vernon could be if considered below-grade and optional (a station box with knockout panels could happen) probably because no less than 3 Metro Rapid buses (705, 710, 740) stop at Crenshaw/MLK, by a mall and retail that appears to be more central to present day to day life than Leimert Park which is generally more active on weekends Does he know that the Final EIR is due out in August and the board votes on it in September, after the typical 30 days of public comment. I'm also a black man, I could read this information on Metro's website with my computer. In fact, I rode my bike south on Crenshaw Blvd from Exposition to 48th St to take in the reality of this proposed light rail project. What danger? What threat? My vivid imagination could not produce such imminent carnage as he suggests. As the Crenshaw/LAX line stands in the notes for the meeting on August 2, it will have the next most grade separation of any of our light rail lines
Joined: Jun 2005 Gender: Male Posts: 413 Location: Silverlake
Re: Goodmon oozing his bile again... « Reply #33 on Jul 23, 2011, 6:38am »
So the whole section in dispute is planned to be underground already. His arguments make no sense to me. It seems to me that he needs to find a problem. I don't understand it all.
Joined: Jun 2009 Gender: Male Posts: 380 Location: Montréal, QC (Canada)
Re: Goodmon oozing his bile again... « Reply #34 on Jul 24, 2011, 1:41pm »
Goodmon probably hasn't considered that when his group loses, it will be obligated to pay for Metro's legal fees (à Cheviot Hills). However, I'll bet dollars to donuts he is doing this slap dash and will find he is personally exposed to legal liability.
As a result, unlike the Cheviot Hills Homeowners Association, as an individual he will be saddled with a sizable debt (approaching if not exceeding $100k) for the rest of his life considering he is currently unemployed and seems to be doing this in a perverted attempt to fund his lifestyle.
I don't believe for a minute that he truly cares one whit whether or not this thing is built, because he keeps changing horses. He is preying on the gullible, using classic revival preacher mindgames designed to extract as much money as possible.
Only firm, unrelenting legal action by Metro will make this go away, and they already know this well.
When he loses they will bury him and anyone related to his group with seemingly unceasing legal action for recompense. It won't be pretty and Goodmon will find his moneyed friends strangely unwilling to get involved.
He is pissing a lot of people off and, unlike in times past, Metro has a dedicated, cohesive legal team that's just getting better and better at dealing with tactics such as Goodmon's.
He doesn't realize it yet, but by suing Metro he is about to wake a sleeping giant. By using such poor legal rationale, relying on monthly payments from grannies for funding, and with no job to speak of, he simply doesn't have the financial ability to weather the shit storm he is creating.
He's not going to get a "pass" for stirring things up needlessly. That idiocy stopped after "Citizens Organized for Smart Transit" shut down the Orange Line construction for a month in 2004 costing taxpayers over $2 Million in holding costs.
The City and Metro then learned that the best defense is a good offense and "lawyered up" big time with a full-time dedicated team on these issues.
If he has any skeletons in the closet. If he even slips up just once, you can bet it will be exploited to its fullest legal potential. It's not fun to be under a microscope - but he is bringing it on himself in heaps.
While interesting to see such inner workings of government, I really wish he would wake up and just do something constructive. It's not too late - yet.
He's got great ability, but seems weirdly out of touch. It's getting old for everyone, especially Metro.
Joined: Jun 2009 Gender: Male Posts: 380 Location: Montréal, QC (Canada)
Re: Goodmon oozing his bile again... « Reply #35 on Sept 8, 2011, 5:23am »
From email last night... MTA's Crenshaw-LAX Rail Line Final Document: Leimert Park Village Station In Limbo & No Park Mesa Heights Tunnel
Last week MTA and the Federal Transit Administration released for public review the Final Environmental Impact Report/Statement ("FEIR/S") for the Crenshaw-LAX Line. The next step is for the MTA board to vote to certify the document at their Thu, Sept 22 board meeting at MTA headquarters.
Our team of experts has already started identifying major deficiencies in the FEIR/S, including outright omissions and violations of environmental and civil rights laws, which have led to the current design of the project. The current design lacks a station at historic Leimert Park Village and has no tunnel for the middle mile (between 48th to 60th) in Park Mesa Heights. Neither the station nor tunnel is currently funded in the project's projected budget.
Why Are We Here & What Happens Next?
To be clear, right now the Leimert Park Village subway station is in limbo, and the Park Mesa Heights tunnel is not in the project, solely because of one politician: L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. The Mayor is the ONLY elected representative of South L.A. who is opposed to MTA funding both necessary design changes. Comparatively, on the Subway to the Sea, under the affluent and far more costly Wilshire corridor, the Mayor has taken a "blank check" approach.
If the Mayor put his four votes on the MTA board (himself and his three appointees: Councilmember Jose Huizar, Mel Wilson and former Assemblymember Richard Katz) behind the Mark Ridley-Thomas motion on May 26th, the FEIR/S would include both the tunnel and station. But the Mayor voted against South LA and the Crenshaw community.
To be clear we fully expect the Metro board, which the Mayor now chairs, to rubberstamp the project's faulty environmental document at the September 22nd MTA Board meeting. Thus, we have begun preparing to sue Metro in court.
After the September 22nd vote, we will have just 30 days to file a legal challenge in Superior Court to argue for the project to be built with an underground station at Leimert Park Village and with a tunnel from 48th to 60th in Park Mesa Heights. (For more about this issue view our powerpoint presentation on the Crenshaw Subway Coalition website: www.CrenshawSubway.org).
This is not something we welcome. It was forced onto the Crenshaw community - Antonio Villaraigosa has forced us to seek justice in the courts like civil rights and environmental groups before us.
Join us at Thursday evening's community meeting of the Crenshaw Subway Coalition as we prepare for this monumental vote and the steps that must quickly follow.
LA Times' Hector Tobar Agrees: We Must Sue To Get The Project We Want & Deserve
In case you missed it, the LA Times ran a large article on our effort and our need to engage in the type of tough actions used successfully both other communities if we expect to have a chance on Crenshaw. The entire article, titled, "South Los Angeles Needs to Think Like the Westside on Subway" is available on our website. Here are some excerpts:
"In certain parts of the metropolis, of course, bringing attorneys to a transit fight is old hat. In South Pasadena, Culver City and other communities that are better off than the Crenshaw District, people do it all the time. 'They sue a lot on the Westside,' [Crenshaw Subway Coalition Chair Damien] Goodmon said.
"I'm not naive enough to believe that the MTA board is a body of disinterested civic leaders who are going to look at the feasibility studies and the available money, and make an impartial and disinterested decision.
"You can't spend billions of dollars in public funds without politics getting involved. Power relationships determine the shape of big projects: that's why the trains that are already running go underground on Wilshire Boulevard and above ground in Watts.
"To be treated fairly, South L.A. residents are going to have to play the game too. If they're going to get their subway, they're going to have to get support at the grassroots level."
We need your financial support today to protect and enhance the future of Crenshaw Blvd and Leimert Park Village. Make a secure online donation via PayPal by clicking the button below. Any donation is greatly appreciated, generous donations are needed.
Crenshaw-LAX Project Local Hire Requirement Under Attack
Despite a long history of systematic discrimination of qualified contractors of color in large public works project, and record unemployment levels in South L.A., at the August MTA board meeting MTA Board Member/Lakewood Council Member Diane Dubois (R), (who voted with the Mayor and against the Leimert Park Village subway station and Park Mesa Heights tunnel back in May), actually had the audacity to question a potential local hire requirement for the Crenshaw-LAX Light Rail Line, the largest public works project in the history in South L.A. The "local hire requirement" to the project that was simply suggested at the August meeting would require the contractor of the $1.7 billion dollar project to guarantee that a small amount of the workforce (30%) be residents who live within a 5 mile radius of the project, and another 10% be residents in the county that are difficult to hire or are in census tracts hardest hit by the economic downturn.
This is not a battlefront we expected, but to be clear we are more than willing to engage. Immediately after Dubois' statement we made crystal clear to the MTA board that if the community is not guaranteed a strong local hire requirement "WE WILL SHUT IT DOWN!"
And we will not just shut down this project, but we will travel down the I-105 freeway, which desciminated South L.A., to Dubois' Lakewood district and shut down projects in her backyard too! Some of us might even take the fully grade separated light rail Green Line out to the protests. If grade separation is good for Lakewood, why isn't it good for Crenshaw?
Come to Thursday night's meeting to receive updates about how we are going to win the battle to ensure that a project built in our community is built by our community.
New CrenshawSubway.org Website Launches Thursday Night - Videographer Needed
The debut of our new CrenshawSubway.org website is nearing. (A temporary webpage is up with the essential information). As we are finishing the final touches we have idenified the need for more video footage. Do you have talent in the field of videography and are you willing to help out the movement for a better, safer and more prosperous Crenshaw Blvd? If so, contact us at info@crenshawsubway.org
(The FixExpo.org website will relaunch later this month/early October.)
Facebook & Twitter
Fan us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to receive more frequent updates, media reports, and notice of our meetings sooner. Crenshaw Subway Coalition/Fix Expo Facebook Fan Page Crenshaw Subway Coalition/Fix Expo Twitter Account
Re: Goodmon oozing his bile again... « Reply #36 on Sept 8, 2011, 9:34am »
Good lord FixCrenshaw SubwayCoaltion.org..whatever.
Without Antonio Villaraigosa, there wouldn't even be funding for the Crenshaw Line or even the $546 million loan he secured from the government (the national infrastructure bank was Antonio's idea..and will be presented by Barack Obama tonight!).
Also, it's Antonio that is pushing for the local hire benefit (funny how his name is not mentioned in that section of the e-mail). Right now, if a project has federal funding there is no requirement of local hire. Antonio is trying to change that.
All this e-mail does is insinuate hatred for our Mayor. The Mayor who actually will be responsible for getting the Crenshaw Line built and funded. I hate it when people use fear tactics.
Remember this. Before Antonio took office during better economic times, we had 1 rail line under construction - Eastside Gold Line. In 2013, when the Mayor is termed out, we'll have 5 lines under construction - Expo Phase II, Crenshaw Line, Purple Line subway, DT Connector and Foothill Gold Line during WORSE economic times. Any other Mayor with that type of track record?
Joined: Mar 2007 Gender: Male Posts: 687 Location: Expo Park/Coliseum adjacent
Re: Goodmon oozing his bile again... « Reply #37 on Sept 8, 2011, 10:54am »
I hate it too, I also hate it when this is just another vain attempt to cyphon money from the community for a phony cause that he doesn't have a chance in hell of winning if it went through legally. Its also funny that he doesn't even mention that the Lakewood station is in the middle of a loud congested freeway, wonderful grade separation.
Besides let's do some Metro Board math.
There are 13 Metro Board Members, The "Mayor's Block" of 4 and the 3 (molina, antonovich including MRT) that voted for the Park Mesa Tunnel and Leimert Park station. That still left 6 other board members that MRT needed to convince his argument on and MRT in his ostentatious, senatorial and sanctomonius tones did more to turn his fellow board members off of the idea as it reeked of subjective parochialism that will undermine the very essence of America Fast Forward in its local version of 30/10 and the cost-effective building of Measure R that MRT wants so desperately...except for his project.
« Last Edit: Dec 28, 2011, 10:55am by JerardWright »
Re: Goodmon oozing his bile again... « Reply #38 on Sept 9, 2011, 2:44pm »
Thanks to AEG, not only did they receive their 175 day limit on lawsuits, but it applied to other projects costing more than $100 million to get the same treatment. Do you think...this will affect any legislation that FixCrenshaw, CrenshawSubwayCoalition, whatever will try to bring? (note: this does not affect litigation currently under process - i.e. NSFR v. Expo Construction Authority). This could be a huge win for transit projects throughout CA!!!
Re: Goodmon oozing his bile again... « Reply #39 on Oct 26, 2011, 3:17pm »
More publicity for Damien Goodman in the L.A. Times regarding a lawsuit filed against the Crenshaw Line.
Mark Ridley-Thomas, a county supervisor and Metro board member, said the lawsuit had been expected for some time and said he hopes it does not disrupt the project's time line.
"It could," Ridley-Thomas said, "particularly if it is in any way deemed meritorious."
He said he also disagreed with one particular claim in the lawsuit: that Metro's approval of the Crenshaw Line "has a discriminatory impact on the African-American population in the project area.... The MTA approved the project with the knowledge that such approval would discriminate against African-American area residents as petitioner and others commented that the project would have a racially and socio-economically disparate adverse impact," according to the complaint.
« Last Edit: Oct 26, 2011, 3:18pm by Dan Wentzel »
Joined: Jun 2009 Gender: Male Posts: 380 Location: Montréal, QC (Canada)
Re: Goodmon oozing his bile again... « Reply #40 on Oct 27, 2011, 6:53am »
I'm surprised he did it, frankly. I thought he was smarter than this. His call for donations doesn't seem to be going very well and I get the impression it was all he could do to get the thing filed.
What he may not realize is that lawsuits get more expensive once you file - as soon as he gets his first discovery motion he's going to be overwhelmed with paperwork volume and discover that volunteers either aren't there or woefully unprepared to do this correctly.
Nasty comments about Metro and the city have not won him any friends. Now that he has actually filed, the Metro attorneys are sharpening their knives in ways he cannot yet fully comprehend.
He will paying for this mis-step for a long time and quickly become irrelevant...
I'm surprised he did it, frankly. I thought he was smarter than this. His call for donations doesn't seem to be going very well and I get the impression it was all he could do to get the thing filed.
What he may not realize is that lawsuits get more expensive once you file - as soon as he gets his first discovery motion he's going to be overwhelmed with paperwork volume and discover that volunteers either aren't there or woefully unprepared to do this correctly.
Nasty comments about Metro and the city have not won him any friends. Now that he has actually filed, the Metro attorneys are sharpening their knives in ways he cannot yet fully comprehend.
He will paying for this mis-step for a long time and quickly become irrelevant...
His only hope is to pull the race card on the Crenshaw Line b/c there is no situation like Farmdale that he can convince the CPUC to think otherwise.
Re: Goodmon oozing his bile again... « Reply #42 on Oct 27, 2011, 8:21am »
The sad thing is that this will still cost Metro money that could be used toward a Leimert Park station. My biggest priority for this proposal would be putting the two optional stations back in.
I'm surprised he did it, frankly. I thought he was smarter than this. His call for donations doesn't seem to be going very well and I get the impression it was all he could do to get the thing filed.
What he may not realize is that lawsuits get more expensive once you file - as soon as he gets his first discovery motion he's going to be overwhelmed with paperwork volume and discover that volunteers either aren't there or woefully unprepared to do this correctly.
Nasty comments about Metro and the city have not won him any friends. Now that he has actually filed, the Metro attorneys are sharpening their knives in ways he cannot yet fully comprehend.
He will paying for this mis-step for a long time and quickly become irrelevant...
I think it is dangerous to underestimate Goodmon. He is clearly a smart guy. I said I expected a lawsuit a while ago and everyone on here thought I was crazy. I hope he loses and loses quickly so the project is not affected, but he doesn't seem to have problems raising money as you have suggested. If he did, I imagine he wouldn't have been able to file the lawsuit.
These lawsuits on Expo, Crenshaw, Foothill, and surely on the Westside Extension still make me nervous given their potential to delay the projects. Lets hope Metro really has their game together on this or these will be a disaster.
I think it is dangerous to underestimate Goodmon. He is clearly a smart guy. I said I expected a lawsuit a while ago and everyone on here thought I was crazy. I hope he loses and loses quickly so the project is not affected, but he doesn't seem to have problems raising money as you have suggested. If he did, I imagine he wouldn't have been able to file the lawsuit.
Isn't it a fair question to start asking where the money is coming from to file this lawsuit in the first place?
Joined: Oct 2007 Gender: Male Posts: 2,110 Location: Cal Heights, Long Beach, CA
Re: Goodmon oozing his bile again... « Reply #45 on Oct 27, 2011, 10:22am »
In LinkedIn, Damien Goodmon's title is "Independent Civic & Social Organization Professional". (Compare this to a friend of his, listed as "Independent Music Professional", LOL. It's funny how meaningless a title can be.)
Anyway, this lawsuit was inevitable. But I have to say, a lawsuit from DG doesn't exactly inspire fear or apprehension. Not like lawsuits from the City of Beverly Hills, the Cheviot Hills HOA, or the millionaire from Newport Beach who is fighting the Gold Line. These are well-heeled litigators, Goodmon is not.
I also think that Goodmon's base of support may be more shallow than he thinks. This project will bring major benefits to the economically-depressed communities along the route. Now Goodmon is going to fight it and cause delays, just because it isn't perfect/gold-plated enough for him? Yes, his true-believer followers are going to be noisy. But I've got to believe the more practical people in the Crenshaw community, who see the line as a good thing, vastly outnumber the few ideologues in Goodmon's camp.
Joined: Jun 2009 Gender: Male Posts: 380 Location: Montréal, QC (Canada)
Re: Goodmon oozing his bile again... « Reply #46 on Nov 1, 2011, 5:43pm »
From email tonight - with an engraving of David holding the slain Goliath's head above a crowd...
Crenshaw Subway Coalition v. LA County MTA (LA Superior Court Case No. BS 134507)
Last Friday, our coalition of residents, merchants, property owners and stakeholders concerned about the future of Crenshaw Blvd and Leimert Park Village took the historic step of filing a lawsuit against the Antonio Villaraigosa-led MTA for violating environmental and civil rights laws when the MTA board approved the Crenshaw-LAX project on September 22nd.
Donate today to help fund the lawsuit.
The current MTA/Villaraigosa plan with no station at Leimert Park Village and a business killing street-level segment on Crenshaw Blvd from 48th to 59th Street is disruptive, destructive, dangerous, disrespectful and discriminatory. MTA broke the law when approving the project.
The unacceptable and illegal plan, which is an attack on Crenshaw businesses, a threat to the school children of View Park Prep and Crenshaw H.S., and will kill our community's dreams of a Crenshaw Blvd revitalization exists ONLY because at the May 26th MTA board meeting, L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa decided he would ignore the chorus of over 600 South L.A. politicians, clergy, business and community leaders and lead the charge against a motion to appropriate the funding to put the rail line underground the entirety of Crenshaw Blvd and return the Leimert Park Village station to the project.
So it is clear, we are in court today against MTA, because Villaraigosa refuses to return our own tax dollars to South L.A. so the Crenshaw-LAX project can be a good, safe and productive neighbor to the Crenshaw community.
To quote Danny Bakewell, Sr. after the meeting: "We've tried friendly negotiations, trying to use our influence and at this point, we've come up short with nothing."
About Our Attorneys & The Lawsuit
Our attorneys are environmental law specialist Johnson & Sedlack. They've successfully represented clients as esteemed as the Sierra Club, Audubon Society and Center for Community Action and Environmental Justice. They are perhaps best known for repeatedly taking on corporate retail giant Wal-Mart for violating environmental laws in their expansion plans.
When we went searching for the best possible representation we knew we needed accomplished warriors who regularly face Goaliaths bigger than MTA and beat them! Johnson & Sedlack is that firm.
In the lawsuit, our attorneys identified a dozen major legal violations with the project's environmental document, including the state's civil rights act and 11 specific violations of the California Environmental Quality Act. Each of our claims are strong, and yet it only takes a judge validating one for our case to be successful. Click here to read the lawsuit.
Your Donations are Needed to Help Fund the Lawsuit
In this epic battle there will be some costs. The largest cost in the near term is the compilation of what is known as the administrative record - all the studies, correspondence, memos, etc. MTA has in their records regarding the project. It is a legal requirement that we pay this cost and based on other lawsuits for similar projects it is projected to cost at least $25,000.
We have established the deadline of November 30 to raise $25,000 and we can do it, but only with your help. Please donate today.
If you care about the future of Leimert Park Village and Crenshaw Blvd - if you care about the safety of motorists, elders, pedestrians and children - if you care about environmental laws being adhered to - if you simply care about the South L.A. community being respected and the protection of civil rights for all people, please click on the button below to donate today with your debit or credit card. Alternatively, you can send a check made out and addressed to Crenshaw Subway Coalition, P.O. Box 432181, Los Angeles, CA 90043.
Generous contributions are needed, but ANY donation helps us get closer to our goal.
CrenshawSubway.org Website is Live
Our brand new www.CrenshawSubway.org website is up and running. Go there for more information about the project, flyers, petitions, articles and media reports. We're in the process of adding a lot to the website, but there is plenty of information currently online.
OpEd: Crenshaw Subway Coalition Heads to Court Over LA Mayor’s Betrayal Community Contributor | 11-1-2011 | | Print this Page
Rate this story: --rate-- 1 star 2 stars 3 stars 4 stars 5 stars By Damien Goodmon Chair, Crenshaw Subway Coalition
On October 21st, our coalition of Crenshaw corridor residents, merchants and stakeholder groups marched into court to file a lawsuit against the Los Angeles County MTA for violating the laws of the state of California when they approved the faulty Crenshaw-LAX Light Rail environmental document at their September 22nd board meeting. Our 200-paragraph lawsuit specifies how the currently proposed MTA plan, which lacks a Leimert Park Village station and features a destructive, disruptive and dangerous street-level segment on Crenshaw Blvd from 48th to 59th Street, violates our state’s civil rights act and eleven major provisions of our state’s environmental law.
The full lawsuit can be read here.
Citizens suing their own government is a bold and daunting undertaking. But the Antonio Villaraigosa-led MTA board has left us with no other alternative.
For four long years the Crenshaw Subway Coalition and Fix Expo Campaign have been clear: we want the Crenshaw-LAX rail line, we just want it built right. In 2007, we began singing, eventually creating a chorus that was reflected in the over 600 citizens who flooded the MTA headquarters in May of this year to request that line be built with a station at Leimert Park Village and underground for the last mile still proposed at street-level on Crenshaw Blvd. Every major South L.A. community, clergy, labor and business group stands united in their request that the train not impose on fragile Crenshaw Blvd the safety hazards, traffic congestion and other environmental disruptions that accompanies street-level rail.
Over 100 residents, merchants, property owners and supporters crowded the Crenshaw DWP Auditorium last Monday night to find out about the Crenshaw Subway Coalition’s newest strategy to “Win the Battle for Crenshaw” - that’s what the Coalition calls their fight for the economic survival of a key African-American business corridor during the building of the largest public works project in South LA history.
The crowd listened attentively to Damien Goodmon, chair of the Crenshaw Subway Coalition, as he revealed the third component of the advocate group’s strategy - directly engaging the contractors in the process. Goodmon considers this to be a game-changing step in their fight against the MTA.
The plan is to encourage contractors to find a way to prove the proposed underground subway will cost less than what the MTA claims. Goodmon wants contractors to submit a “responsible” bid for the project that includes both the Park Mesa Heights tunnel and the Leimert Park Village station.
According to Goodmon, this is part of a multi-pronged approach. The first step was to file a lawsuit against the MTA, which they did on October 21st.
The second step is to hold elected officials, like Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, accountable for returning tax dollars to the community. At the meeting Monday, Goodman played a recording of Mayor Villaraigosa stating that the city could have the Crenshaw tunnel built if it could be done within the project’s budget.
The Coalition remains steadfast in its goal to have the portion of the Crenshaw-LAX line from 48th to 59th street to be built underground and to have a station at Leimert Park. Goodmon says that the station at Leimert Park, considered to be the African American cultural center in the region, is something that was in the MTA’s plans from the beginning and something Crenshaw always should have had.
“They take something away that we always should have had. We have got to fight for that. And when we get it back they say, ‘Look what you got,’ but no. We want a tunnel and the station,” said Goodmon.
Without this tunnel, the Crenshaw line will be built at grade, above ground. This would block left hand turns on Crenshaw, and some residents say it will clearly separate the west from the east side, directly affecting businesses that will no longer be easily accessible from the east side of the street.
“You aren’t going to be able to make a left turn. There won’t be any way to get across Crenshaw Blvd. Now I’m on 54th. How are you going to get to me? It would be easier to go downtown. You might as well get on the freeway,” complains Wesley Smith Jr., a business owner on Crenshaw Boulevard.
“You aren’t going to be able to make a left turn. There won’t be any way to get across Crenshaw Blvd. Now I’m on 54th. How are you going to get to me? It would be easier to go downtown. You might as well get on the freeway,” complains Wesley Smith Jr., a business owner on Crenshaw Boulevard.
Oh god, they can never make left turns again! Blasphemy!
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