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Dodger Stadium gondola opposed by LA City Council
In a 12-1 vote, council members instructed staff to send the resolution to LA Metro, the lead agency responsible for reviewing mass transit projects in Los Angeles County. Metro is accepting comments from individuals concerning the draft supplemental environmental impact report until 5 p.m. Thursday.
LOS ANGELES - The Los Angeles City Council approved a resolution formally opposing the proposed $500 million gondola project connecting Union Station to Dodger Stadium.
In a 12-1 vote, the council instructed staff to send the resolution to LA Metro, the agency that will decide the project's fate later this month.
What we know:
The Los Angeles City Council approved a resolution on Wednesday formalizing its opposition to the proposed gondola project, with Councilman John Lee casting the sole dissenting vote.
The resolution, introduced by Councilwoman Eunisses Hernandez and Council members Ysabel Jurado and Hugo-Soto Martinez, cited several reasons for the city's opposition:
- Unavoidable and unimitigable project impacts due to noise during construction.
- The impact on the natural environment in a park poor community.
- Impacts to a disadvantaged community's quality of life.
The gondola project, officially known as the Los Angeles Aerial Rapid Transit, was initiated in 2018 by Frank McCourt, the former Dodgers owner and current part-time owner of the Dodger Stadium parking lot. The project is now being handled by Zero Emission Transit (ZET).
The backstory:
LA Metro previously approved the final Environmental Impact Report (EIR) in February 2024. However, the Los Angeles Park Alliance filed a lawsuit challenging that approval.
In May, the California State Court of Appeals sided with the environmental advocates, finding that Metro "abused its discretion" in rejecting a measure to retrofit buildings to reduce interior noise levels from construction.
The court also found that the final EIR did not adequately explain mitigation measures and that Metro did not consult with the Santa Monica Mountain Conservancy in a timely manner. The court ordered Metro to conduct additional review, leading to the release of a 437-page supplemental EIR at the end of September.
What they're saying:
Councilwoman Eunisses Hernandez, who represents the district where the route would be located, was sharply critical of the proposal.
"This is not a regional transit solution. This is not a serious proposal to move Angelenos. This is not public transportation... it's a half-a-billion-dollar gimmick."
She added, "This project is an insult to our communities, and the process has been an insult to our collective intelligence. The gimmick is over. It's time to protect our neighborhoods."
Jon Christensen, a founder of the Los Angeles Park Alliance, praised the council.
"Those council members are opposed because of the harmful impacts this project would have on their constituents... this is a textbook example where it makes sense for other council members to defer to the council members whose district would be directly impacted by a project — since this project would have no benefits for other districts."
Nathan Click, spokesman for ZET, countered the resolution.
"This resolution contains a number of blatant falsehoods and misleading statements... the truth is that this project will expand transit options for Angelenos while reducing air pollution in some of the most polluted communities in our city."
The other side:
Zero emission transit and other proponents highlight several benefits of the aerial tram:
- It would provide the first permanent mass transit connection linking Dodger Stadium to the broader Los Angeles transit system.
- It would operate with zero emissions and reduce emissions by over 150,000 metric tons of greenhouse gasses over its lifetime.
- Rides would be free for anyone with a ticket to a Dodgers game.
- The Community Access Program would allow residents and employees near the route to ride the gondola and connect to Metro's regional transit system at no additional cost.
The project is backed by groups including the Chinese American Museum, the Coalition For Clean Air, and the LA County Business Federation. According to ZET, nearly 15,000 individuals and more than 400 businesses in Chinatown, El Pueblo, and Lincoln Heights support the project.
What's next:
LA Metro is currently accepting comments from individuals concerning the draft supplemental EIR until 5 p.m. Thursday.
Metro is expected to consider the supplemental report and vote whether to recertify the final EIR report for the project later this month.
This vote will determine if the project moves forward.
The Source: The information in this report is sourced from the Los Angeles City Council’s official actions, specifically the content of the approved resolution opposing the gondola project and the recorded 12-1 vote. Further details are derived from direct quotes from Councilwoman Eunisses Hernandez, statements from Nathan Click (spokesman for Zero Emission Transit), and a statement from Jon Christensen (founder of the Los Angeles Parks Alliance). The legal and environmental background is based on Metro documents and the ruling of the California State Court of Appeals concerning the project's environmental impact report.