Bass whiffs taking stance on planned gondola

The Los Angeles City Council challenged Mayor Karen Bass last week, overwhelmingly passing a resolution urging Metro to kill the proposed Dodger Stadium gondola and urging Bass to lend her support.

- BILL SHAIKIN COLUMNIST

ALLEN J. SCHABEN Los Angeles Times

MAYOR Karen Bass spoke for just 21 seconds to the city's Metro committee.

A Metro committee considered the gondola project Thursday, and Bass just happened to be one of the five voting members of the committee. In front of the hundreds of community members that turned out for the hearing, Bass would have a public opportunity to make her case for whatever position she might choose to take.

Bass whiffed.

To rewind: Metro approved the gondola project last year, but a court ordered a second look at whether the environmental impact report truly had evaluated all that could be done to mitigate construction noise. Up on further review, Metro staff said such “acoustic retrofitting” would not be feasible and might not even be effective, because it would depend on "case-by-case consent" for retrofitting structures and could involve "invasive construction...possibly requiring relocation of occupants."

However, Metro reported, LA Aerial Rapid Transit the gondola outfit founded by former Dodgers owner Frank McCourthad agreed to provide "personal hearing protection devices."

On Thursday, the Metro committee approved the revised environmental impact report. The full Metro board of directors is expected to do the same next month, which would advance the gondola project to city and state consideration.