Statement & Open Letter on January 22nd Metro Board Vote (C Line Extension to Torrance)
South Bay Forward Statement on January 22nd Metro Board Vote
We thank the thousands of South Bay residents and stakeholders including the 15+ organizations with over 35,000 members who joined us to support effective transit and the certification of the C Line Extension's Final Environmental Impact Report (FEIR) at the LA Metro Board. We appreciate every person who provided written or public comment at the board meeting on Thursday, Jan 22nd and the many other meetings leading up to it. Thanks to months of effort by our team and coalition we were well-positioned when the project was put on the Metro Board agenda to certify and approve the Board-Selected Hybrid LPA.
We did not expect nor anticipate the selection of Hawthorne Blvd as the approved route. Just six days before the board meeting, a surprise motion by Supervisor Mitchell, Mayor Sandoval, Ms. Dupont-Walker (and later Mayor James Butts) revived the Hawthorne Option. It would change the route from the Hybrid Locally Preferred Alternative (LPA) on the existing rail corridor owned by Metro to Hawthorne Blvd, a busy 8-lane highway, requiring businesses to close for construction and permanently seizing properties through eminent domain.
This 11th hour motion was highly irregular: It skipped Planning and Programming Committee. It did not include public outreach to cities, stakeholders, and businesses that would be affected on Hawthorne Blvd. It overrode four decades of study, staff recommendation, and public investment in the rail corridor. It will add 5-10 years of environmental review and complex regulatory hurdles which could still jeopardize the extension as a whole. We did what we could to respond within the narrow time frame but were unable to get equal time with the Metro Board Members or affected communities. In the end, the Board approved the Hawthorne Blvd route.
While this is a challenging setback and presents a significant delay, there is still hope to bring rail to the South Bay. Here’s how you can help:
Hold public officials accountable—including Metro Board Members, Supervisors Mitchell and Hahn, Mayor James Butts, and the Cities of Lawndale, Redondo Beach, and Torrance—to a higher standard of transparency and a commitment to deliver the K Line Southern Extension expeditiously. Express disappointment by the lack of public process and transparency with the sudden switch to Hawthorne. Do not forget the power of your vote at the ballot box.
Get involved in first-last mile planning for this project, to ensure it will improve mobility for all.
Preserve public ownership of the rail corridor at minimum until the project is operational.
Push for Metro Board reform so that future decisions are determined by experts in the field who prioritize transit best practices over political dynamics.
South Bay Forward remains committed to making sure you know where and when you can best support this fight for our community.
Open Letter to Our Community on Jan 22nd Metro Board Vote for C (Now K) Line Extension to Torrance
We thank the thousands of South Bay residents and stakeholders and the 15+ organizations representing over 35,000 members who joined us to support South Bay transit and the certification of the C Line Extension's Final Environmental Impact Report (FEIR) at the LA Metro Board. We appreciate every person who provided written or public comment at the board meeting on Thursday, Jan 22nd and the many other meetings leading up to it. Thanks to months of effort from our organizing team and partners we were well-positioned when the project was put on the Metro Board agenda to certify and approve the Board-Selected Hybrid LPA, which was selected by the Board in May 2024 and refined in the Final EIR.
With this Open Letter we aim to share our account from South Bay Forward, acknowledge irregularities, help our community process, and chart a path forward.
South Bay Forward speaks independently as an advocacy organization and does not speak for Metro or other coalition organizations in this letter.
The Metro Board passed over the ready-to-deliver Hybrid LPA and instead advanced the Hawthorne Option overriding Metro staff recommendation and adding complexity and risk that could delay rail to the South Bay by 5-10 years.
We did not expect nor anticipate the selection of Hawthorne as the approved route. The events surrounding the Board Meeting and the votes themselves raise questions around public process, transparency, governance, and major project decision-making.
The good news: The Final EIR will be certified and we have demonstrated overwhelming support and desire for rail to the South Bay. There is a path forward and we will hold our leaders accountable to transparency, better governance, and to delivering the K Line Southern Extension.
A Brief Timeline of Events
In May 2024, the Metro Board approved the Draft EIR and selected the Hybrid Alternative as the Locally Preferred Alternative for the C Line Extension to Torrance. It would utilize the existing rail right-of-way (ROW) Metro had purchased in 1993, the Harbor Subdivision, adjacent to an active freight line and would not displace any residents from homes. It would provide critical safety upgrades to the corridor in Lawndale and Redondo Beach neighborhoods with full grade separations for light rail, modern pedestrian crossings, new bridges and trackwork, sound walls, and mobility paths. The Final EIR refined design and cost estimates for the Hybrid LPA and provided extensive responses to questions and concerns raised in the Draft EIR. It also analyzed the Hawthorne Blvd Alternative, which had been considered but not selected as the LPA.
Before and after the release of the Final EIR in September 2025, South Bay Forward provided extensive volunteer outreach on the C Line to Torrance in the South Bay, hosting dozens of info booths and six community events in the South Bay reaching thousands of people. We invited local officials from Torrance, Redondo Beach, Lawndale, as well as Board Members and their representatives to our events, including the Bicycle Block Party in May next to the Redondo Beach K Line station and the South Bay Transit Summit in October at the Torrance Transit Center. We held these events open to the public as one of seven community-based organizations (CBO) promoting outreach on the project. Our work is volunteer-based and no member or volunteer receives direct payment for work we provide. See CBO statement (Instagram / Blog).
Since our organization’s inception in 2023, we had supported the C Line Extension project and for utilizing the right-of-way. In addition to our transit advocacy, we also lead on housing and mobility advocacy throughout the South Bay. With the release of the Final EIR and the Board-Selected Hybrid LPA, our position remained the same. We focused on growing the South Bay On Board Coalition, with over 15 diverse nonprofit, business, community, and labor organizations in the South Bay and LA County in support of the C Line to Torrance, the Hybrid LPA, and FEIR certification and approval. Together we represented over 35,000 individuals which included MoveLA (10,000), Streets For All (5,000), Abundant Housing LA (5,000), Indivisible South Bay LA (6,500), Torrance Chamber of Commerce (6,000), Transit Coalition (1,000), League of Women Voters (1,000), South Bay Bicycle Coalition (1,500), South Bay Forward (900), Downtown Torrance Association (61), and Torrance Dems (120). See Support Letters.
At the Monday, December 8th South Bay Cities COG meeting (video / agenda) we spoke in force with over 50 Coalition members including South Bay stakeholders, labor unions, businesses, and advocacy organizations where we successfully stopped an attempt to pause the project and shared our strong support for Hybrid LPA. Our Coalition met with Supervisor Mitchell’s office on Monday, January 12th and were told she supported rail to the South Bay but had not taken a position on project alignment and would not do so until the Board Meeting itself. We had also outreached and met with Supervisor Hahn’s office. Despite multiple attempts to reach out to Mayor Butts from 2023 onwards, he had never responded to our requests.
At the Wednesday, January 14th Planning & Programming Committee, the staff recommendation for Hybrid LPA was presented, followed by discussion and public comment (video / agenda). South Bay On Board Coalition partners had a strong presence in the room with over 20 commenters in support of the staff recommendation from MoveLA, Torrance Chamber of Commerce, South Bay Forward, Downtown Torrance Association, Torrance Transit, and Transit Coalition. Mayor Butts read a prepared statement referencing Metro’s fiscal cliff and implying he was concerned about the project’s 50% funding gap in the same meeting where the Board approved a $20B project (Sepulveda Transit Corridor). Worryingly, he motioned to refer the item to the Full Board without a recommendation.
Then, two days later, on Friday, January 16th, a surprise motion by Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell, Mayor Tim Sandoval, and Jacqueline Dupont-Walker revived the Hawthorne Alternative. Our organization, local stakeholders, transit advocates, and by all appearances even Metro staff were blindsided by the sudden introduction of Motion 11.1 on the Friday before a holiday weekend, two days after the Planning Committee, and six days before the Board Meeting. We had been told just that week that the Supervisor had not taken a position on project alignment and would not do so until the final meeting. We had assumed that a fair process, facts and analysis from the Final EIR and staff presentation, and public comment, would factor into the Board vote. But we were purposefully misled: A plan to oppose the Hybrid LPA and force the alternate alignment was likely in place for some time.
Motion 11.1 and Its Implications
Motion 11.1 bypassed the Planning Committee and sought to override Metro’s staff recommendation. In doing so, it would override four decades of study, professional expertise, local support, and investment in the right-of-way. It appeared to be coordinated with the City of Redondo Beach, as the City released an agenda item the same day the motion dropped with a support letter on the Hawthorne motion (Item P.1). Importantly, we learned there was zero outreach or coordination done on the motion with other stakeholders like the City of Torrance or businesses which had consistently and strongly supported ROW/Hybrid LPA and opposed the Hawthorne Blvd Alternative. See City of Torrance’s statements here and here. While Redondo Beach officials had spent time cultivating political capital with Supervisor Mitchell’s office, Torrance officials had not cultivated the same with Supervisor Hahn’s. Over the past few years, the two cities of Redondo Beach and Torrance maintained opposite positions on this and other projects.
Motion 11.1 sought to change the project alignment entirely at the eleventh hour of FEIR Certification, from the staff recommendation of the Hybrid LPA to the Hawthorne Blvd Alternative. Supervisor Mitchell herself was an architect of the Hybrid LPA that included critical feedback from stakeholders. She had spoken of its benefits at the May 2024 Board Meeting and had conducted community walks and workshops in partnership with Metro staff to explore route options. The Final EIR approval for Hybrid LPA would have advanced design and construction immediately and at $730 million lower in cost than the Hawthorne Alternative. It would build light rail within the Harbor Subdivision Metro-owned right-of-way (ROW) adjacent to an active freight line and would not displace any residents from homes. It would bundle safety upgrades, modern pedestrian crossings, new bridges and trackwork, sound walls, and mobility paths that would not be built with the Hawthorne Alternative. The station at Redondo Beach Transit Center would include ADA access, bike lanes, restrooms, parking, and direct bus connections. It would link to existing and planned bike lanes in the city.
Neighborhood-compatible station connected with mobility paths.
Challenges with the Hawthorne Alternative include: Permanent acquisition of 13 commercial properties, 5-7 years of lane closures on I-405 and Hawthorne Blvd during construction, relocation of a massive 6 ft. diameter regional storm drain that is 20 ft. underground, disrupting dozens of utility connections, encroaching on Caltrans property abutting the I-405 eliminating potential freeway improvements, and raising high-voltage SCE transmission lines crossing Hawthorne Blvd. These challenges can delay the project anywhere from 2 to 10 years, requiring approval and coordination with the Federal Highway Administration, NEPA, SCE, and Caltrans, and pose enormous regulatory hurdles, ballooning out costs and timelines. The Final EIR extensively detailed and supported the Hybrid LPA, not the Hawthorne Alternative. Hybrid LPA would be ready to start construction after FEIR Certification with completion by 2036. The staff presentation detailed Hawthorne could take 4 or more years for necessary approvals.
Elevated station with street-level crosswalks in 8-lane highway & high injury corridor
Proposed Project and LA Metro Map
The Dynamics of the Board Vote
We did what we could to respond to the sudden motion in a very narrow time frame of six days: Harnessing the power of our coalition and grassroots organizing, we generated over 600 written public comments for the meeting and rallied hundreds of South Bay residents, business owners, transit riders, and advocates to speak for Hybrid LPA at the Board Meeting. We stood for effective transit and 1.5 million future riders. We called for no more delays and to certify the staff recommendation to bring rail within our lifetimes. Advocates arrived via Torrance Transit buses and Metro bus and rail. We contacted Board Member offices by phone and with Coalition organizations. What we expected to be a routine Board vote—similar to the May 2024 Draft EIR meeting—quickly became very different.
With only a few days to prepare, we showed up to for effective transit and evidence-based planning. But we didn’t realize we would be up against a political alliance of a County Supervisor, City of Redondo Beach, and a group of residents in Lawndale and Redondo Beach who had opposed ROW alignments for years. By all appearances, these three groups worked together on the switch to Hawthorne.
Concerns raised by neighbors opposed to building on the ROW had changed over time from safety, crime, construction, and noise, to broader claims on historic resources, green space, soils, and proximity to homes, utilities, and freight rail. Their neighborhood groups used names like “Right of Say” to “South Bay Environmental Justice Alliance” and they messaged using short-form videos, paid advertisements, flyers, and artificial intelligence. Most were residents of Lawndale and Redondo Beach immediately next to the rail corridor. They spoke at Metro meetings even when the item was not on the agenda and lobbied Board Members in the past 18 months since the Draft EIR vote. Despite many design upgrades and meaningful mitigations in the Hybrid LPA, they would not accept a project on the ROW and called for No Build, Bus Alternative, or Hawthorne Blvd instead. They wore bright red shirts at Board Meetings. Our efforts to outreach to them in-person and on social media were blocked. Now that the Hawthorne motion passed, we ask our neighbors to use their organizing and advocacy to help make the project happen.
The City of Redondo Beach historically had supported the right-of-way and had even located its Transit Center next to the rail corridor in anticipation of future rail service. In previous position letters they had requested trenching, which Metro had responded to by producing the Hybrid LPA with grade separations at 170th and 182nd. However, politics had changed within the council, and since 2023 they focused on “standing with our neighbors” and “protecting our quality of life” for the homeowners near the rail corridor. The city did not conduct public polling to assess for public support on route options, but dug their heels in on Hawthorne. They hired legal teams to prepare a challenge to the Final EIR and kept discussions only to closed session. City council members lobbied the City of Hermosa Beach to take a position for Hawthorne. In neighborhood outreach we found most Redondo Beach residents, including in North Redondo, supported building on the ROW and that the city’s official views did not reflect theirs.
The Final EIR comprehensively evaluated and addressed all concerns, drawing on decades of technical analysis and precedent that would be airtight to legal challenges. Similar conditions—light rail with shared freight corridors, utilities, walking paths, and near to homes—exist across the Metro system, including on the E Line in Culver City, the A Line in South Los Angeles and South Pasadena, and most recently, the A Line Extension to Pomona. No homes would be acquired and the right-of-way was wide enough to accommodate light rail, freight rail, trees, and walking paths. Community benefits, in addition to the many rail safety upgrades and amenities for Hybrid LPA, could be negotiated for property owners such as double-paned windows, compensation for remodeling, tree giveaways, and parks funding. In our outreach and communication with neighbors and elected officials, however, there was no interest in pursuing community benefits.
As we expect transparency and sound governance from elected officials, we are disappointed in the lack of public process around the Motion, and how we were misled by Supervisor Mitchell’s office. This includes the lack of public outreach to businesses and residents on Hawthorne Blvd, the lack of outreach to coalition groups and Torrance on the motion, and the sudden introduction of a motion for Hawthorne after being told that the Supervisor had not taken a position and that the vote would come down to the final meeting. The motion completely blindsided advocates and staff, with little time to respond, conduct outreach, or engage businesses and those impacted on Hawthorne Blvd. In just a few short days her office worked to secure votes from Board Members. Donors were sent talking points. Trades were called off our coalition. Detailed email comments were sent by the neighborhood group. The speed and coordination of so many stakeholders and the Metro Board to support a motion introduced less than a week before the vote is not a coincidence.
Supervisor Mitchell expresses she is committed to this project and to making it a reality. She believes the Hawthorne Option to be a viable and superior project. The project has commitments for funding from state representatives but uncertainties with timeline and regulatory hurdles remain. More studies are required, approvals could hang in limbo, lawsuits or appeals can arise, and opposition can take root. Heavy-handing a vote to override years of professional analysis and Metro’s own experts does not communicate transparency nor inspire confidence. It weakens public trust in the process of planning major capital projects. It communicates disregard for Metro staff, planning professionals, engineers, and years of technical work and public engagement. It undercuts public investment and taxpayer resources. It calls into question a governance structure on the Metro Board composed of members more aligned with re-election and political dynamics than evidence-based planning. We recognize we need transit champions in the South Bay. Supervisor Mitchell could fill this role and we know the importance of partnership. But after these events, we feel burned and trust will take time to repair.
Blue: “South Bay On Board” Bring Rail NOW / Red: “Right of Say”
Heading to the Board vote on January 22nd, we felt it was important to show up and give it our all (video / agenda). More than one hundred South Bay residents—parents, students, teachers, scientists, engineers, homeowners, business owners, transit riders and more—across our community spoke for the Hybrid LPA and dozens more were cut off from speaking due to time. Speakers shared lived experiences of disability, access, traffic violence, safety, transit dependence, and youth mobility. We turned out residents from the grassroots not only from Redondo Beach, Lawndale, and Torrance but also Gardena, Lomita, Hawthorne, Inglewood, Beach Cities and throughout LA County. We wore blue shirts in a sea of red and rode public buses and public transit to the meeting.
Representatives from coalition organizations submitted letters in letterhead for Hybrid LPA with the number of people they represented. Torrance brought their city council, city manager, transit staff, economic director, and public works director. Aside from the organized neighborhood group, there were zero community organizations for the Hawthorne Option. For Hybrid LPA there were 15+ grassroots community organizations with speakers urging the Board to certify and stay the course with the staff recommendation to bring rail now.
Representatives submitted letters from MoveLA (10,000), Streets For All (5,000), Abundant Housing LA (5,000), Indivisible South Bay LA (6,500), Torrance Chamber of Commerce (6,000), Transit Coalition (1,000), League of Women Voters (1,000), South Bay Bicycle Coalition (1,500), South Bay Forward (900), Downtown Torrance Association (61), Torrance Dems (120), Metro South Bay Service Council and more. Our Coalition submitted petitions from 587 residents, 22 businesses on Hawthorne, and over 60 residents in Lawndale supporting Hybrid LPA/ROW. We are proud that we came together to show up for our communities and to fight for effective transit to the South Bay. We built a movement and rallied everyday people and residents in our communities without traditional political capital.
In the end, the vote was pre-determined and public comment made no difference. What we witnessed was not a fair weighting of facts and findings but an orchestrated theater. Many have rightfully raised concerns about Brown Act violations given the comments from multiple Board Members indicating they knew where the vote was headed or that their opinion had changed within the past two weeks. Praise was given to “Right of Say” speakers for Hawthorne as “residents,” while “South Bay On Board” speakers for Hybrid LPA were labeled “activists.” These comments ignored that people who showed up to speak in support of the staff recommendation and Hybrid LPA are South Bay constituents, voters, and stakeholders who took time off work and school on a Thursday to be heard.
Chair Dutra and Supervisor Hahn raised important questions on Hawthorne’s indefinite project timelines, Caltrans encroachment permits, and Metro’s public ownership of the rail corridor. Despite comments, the Board vote for the Hawthorne Option was unanimous, with Mayor Bass returning to the room just before the vote and Supervisor Hahn apologizing to Torrance before casting her vote. The Metro Board sided with a small sector of Lawndale over the Greater South Bay, motivated property-owners over Metro staff, and a few hundred people over the thousands in our larger coalition across the South Bay.
South Bay residents in support of Hybrid LPA, one of three buses from Torrance Transit
Moving Forward: Where Do We Go From Here?
Though the vote did not go how we had anticipated, it’s important to acknowledge that we will have a project and we will continue to champion South Bay transit. We acknowledge that without our hard work and movement building to call for rail to the South Bay, there was a chance that the project could have been No Build and the FEIR not certified. Mayor Butts seemed headed in this direction initially. Supervisors Hahn and Mitchell understand the need for rail to the South Bay. This vote will advance FEIR certification, so it’s important that moving forward all stakeholders have a seat at the table to make the project happen and chart a path forward. We refuse to be cut out of the conversation as we were with this motion.
We will always maintain our support for the right-of-way. Hawthorne is not the project we fought for 3 years to secure, but if it is deliverable and moves forward, we must see greater mobility benefits. This project can take much longer and cost far more, and still risk cancellation, so what happens next matters.
First, we will hold our public officials accountable to a higher standard of transparency and to their promise to advance rail and bring the K Line Southern Extension to Torrance to life. If you are concerned with the sudden switch of alignment, disregard for transparency and the public process, and the precedent it sets for future votes, we encourage you to express your disappointment to Board Members and city councils and to submit letters to the editor in local papers. Now is the time to share your thoughts publicly.
Also: Do not forget the power of your vote in future elections.
Questions remain:
How long was the Hawthorne Motion in the works and was there coordination with the City of Redondo Beach? What discussions were held behind the scenes and why was this not an open process?
What kind of precedent is set when the Board can reverse an alignment decision and force years of delay at the eleventh hour of FEIR certification?
Why was staff analysis and the FEIR for the Hybrid LPA pushed aside for Hawthorne with no new objective evidence?
Why was zero outreach done in the City of Torrance and business community on the motion despite being significant stakeholders and being directly affected by Hawthorne?
Supervisor Mitchell, as well as the Redondo Beach City Council, say they are committed to expediting approvals and seeking funding for the K Line Extension to Torrance. They have promised to advocate for further funding for the project, including with the Measure M Decennial Review, an important opportunity. We encourage Metro Staff, Supervisor Hahn, Mayor Butts, City of Lawndale, City of Redondo Beach, City of Torrance, and the South Bay Cities COG to work together to champion project completion. We will hold all parties to a high standard of transparency in decision-making, collaboration, and coordination across agencies and cities.
Our engagement does not end with the Board’s vote; we will continue to ensure they are held to their public commitment to bring rail by 2036. We ask Metro staff to provide updates and steps for the Hawthorne Option, as well as anticipated regulatory hurdles, cost increases, and proposed timelines factoring interagency and Caltrans review. We emphasize that all stakeholders must be at the table and all groups in communication moving forward, including residents, businesses, transit advocates, cities, and agencies.
Second, we encourage our community to be involved with first-last mile planning for this project, to ensure it improves mobility across the South Bay. If Hawthorne is to be built, it includes a Redondo Beach station next to the South Bay Galleria and Hawthorne Blvd.
We must ensure the design will safely promote transit use for riders, pedestrians, and the disabled.
We will need an elevated pedestrian crossing, pick-up and drop-off areas, parking, restrooms, and a shuttle and/or bike lane to connect to the Redondo Beach Transit Center.
Here, we call in our neighbors who fought so hard to oppose the ROW/LPA and pass the Hawthorne Motion. We ask them to fight equally hard to secure funding and approvals to ensure the project is built.
With Caltrans relinquishing control of Hawthorne Blvd to local cities, we could make Hawthorne Blvd a mobility corridor from I-405 to PCH with a combination of a rail line, dedicated bus lanes, and protected bike lanes.
At Torrance Transit Center, first-last mile planning should include bus lanes and protected bike lanes to Downtown Torrance and the Civic Center.
Pedestrian and mobility infrastructure must be prioritized so surrounding communities can safely access stations.
Third, we must preserve public ownership of the rail corridor. We are alarmed by questions raised by Chair Dutra and Supervisor Hahn that hint at potential plans to push for sale of the publicly-owned corridor. This would be an exceedingly short-sighted decision: Publicly-owned rail ROWs are rare, difficult to replace, and a precious asset. Private freight companies could purchase the route and run frequent heavy rail service; the opposite of what is desired. BNSF would still be in use. Future plans for the any section of the ROW must be coordinated with Metro and all parties. Cities and Board Members must agree that the rail corridor cannot be sold and must remain under public ownership in perpetuity, or until at minimum the project is built and operational.
Lastly we call for governance and ethics reform as well as Metro Board reform. The irregular events that transpired – skipping committee, forcing a change to a completely different alignment after decades of study and millions spent in planning, a subsequent unanimous vote – undercut transparency and trust in the public process. We should not have a system where major, billion dollar decisions like FEIR certification and alignment selection can become political – bound by special interests over sound planning, evidence, and expertise. Reforms could bring members who are professional appointees such as in Washington D.C.’s Metro Board or directly-elected such as at Bay Area Rapid Transit. (Relevant article by Future Is LA published after the vote.) Reforming the makeup of the Metro Board can ensure that future decisions are made by experts in the field who prioritize transit best practices over political dynamics.
South Bay Forward has been steadfast in our support for the C/K Line Extension to Torrance, and this is grounded in our belief that good transit benefits our entire community. As always, we remain committed to making sure you know where and when you can best support this fight for our community.
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