Politics & Government

City Manager Defends $40 Million Gold Line Deal, Says Rail Project Hangs in Balance

City Manager Scott Ochoa said the deal is necessary to keep the state from taking the land needed for a crucial Gold Line project.

The race against the clock to from the state continued Tuesday as city officials engaged in last-minute negotiations to sell off about $40 million in land to the Gold Line Construction Authority (GLCA) to prevent it from being taken away.

The deal was still being worked on leading up to Tuesday night's 6 p.m. Monrovia Redevelopment Agency emergency meeting, where the sale could either be commenced or delayed.

The city has been working with Gold Line officials for months on a plan to bring a to Monrovia--a critical component of the rail project that must be built before the project can progress.

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The special meeting raised the ire of Councilman Tom Adams, criticizing the Gold Line deal and the mayor's handling of it.

City Manager Scott Ochoa said Tuesday that the deal was vital to keeping the Gold Line on track and preventing the state from taking the city's redevelopment assets under Gov. Jerry Brown's . A vote by the state legislature on that plan could come any day in the next week or two, Ochoa said.

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"If we don't act before the state acts ... then we aren't only jeopardizing the property potentially, we're jeopardizing the proceeds and the city's discretion to use the proceeds and we're jeopardizing the construction of the Gold Line potentially," Ochoa said.

Adams, who has never publicly criticized the deal in the past. inveighed against the plan in a letter to the council that said the city is bearing too much of a burden by welcoming a maintenance facility without the financial support of nearby cities. He said Mayor Mary Ann Lutz failed to ask other cities to help defer the costs.

Lutz declined to comment Tuesday afternoon but said she would discuss the subject in depth at Tuesday's special meeting.

Ochoa said that he disagreed with Adams' characterization of the deal but declined to comment on whether it would sway other council members.

"He's one member of the council," Ochoa said. "He's a long-term member of the council and a very wise member but ultimately he's one member of the council."

"I think the deal that we are contemplating is both fair for Monrovia and fair for the GLCA," Ochoa added.

The deal originally needed approval from the MTA first before the city could vote on it, but that changed when the state's position on redevelopment became clear, Ochoa said.

Though Ochoa said a deal between the city and the GLCA appeared close, a major sticking point remained. He said the city and the GLCA remained in "a little bit of a standoff" Thursday afternoon.

If the deal cannot be completed by 6 p.m. Tuesday, it could be delayed until a meeting on Apr. 5, according to a staff report.


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