Duarte City Council Votes to Create Regional Transportation Ad Hoc Committee

Metro Update

The Duarte City Council has voted to create a Regional Transportation Ad Hoc Committee to educate and keep the community and region informed of the importance of bringing the Gold Line to Duarte and the entire San Gabriel Valley. The ad hoc committee would also receive input from residents, business owners, and workers.

Plans are for a 15 member ad hoc committee to be seated by November. Each City Council member will make two appointments and the Council will appoint the remaining five members after receiving recommendations for three appointees from the Duarte Chamber of Commerce and recommendations for two appointees from the Duarte Unified School District.

City Council member Lois Gaston requested the ad hoc committee be formed to facilitate the ongoing education of the entire community about the importance of the Metro Gold Line Foothill Extension Project.

“It’s important that we get input from the entire community on this issue that will impact us all. Everybody in the community needs to be engaged in the dialog. Information and education are critical when you are dealing with a project of this magnitude. The way you make that work for the betterment of the community is by encouraging two-way communication,” said Gaston.

The formation of this committee brings the community into the conversation, provides them with accurate and timely information and ultimately facilitates their ability to effectively address the Metropolitan Transit Authority Board. In addition, the committee can also be a participant in the larger Los Angeles regional discussion about the adverse impacts of unnecessary construction delays, the lack of new jobs, a slower economic recovery and the fact that Measure R funds could possibly be diverted to other MTA transit projects like the “Subway to the Sea.”

The informational piece that will accompany the creation of the ad hoc committee will be a newsletter entitled “Gold Line Through Duarte Update.” This document will be featured in a bi-lingual format in the upcoming September edition of the Duarte View.

For more information regarding appointment to the Regional Transportation Ad Hoc Committee, contact Deputy City Manager Karen Herrera at (626) 357-7931 or by email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it