1989 — Committee to Preserve the Right-of-Way

We began with the opportunity for the Los Angeles County Transportation Commission (a predecessor of Metro) to buy a number of old Southern Pacific railroad rights-of-way, including this one along Exposition Blvd. from downtown to Santa Monica.

This 9/7/89 LA Times article shows what we were up against from the start.

• Fact sheet (2 pages, 12/89)

1991-3 — Exposition Rail Committee

The right-of-way was saved despite strident opposition (left); now to seek the light rail line the Westside so critically needed!

These also show the evolution of computer technology available to advocates, first Word for Windows and some spreadsheet charts but hand-drawn and colored images (before color printers were available Canon color copies were $1 each!), then Windows Draw to create some images of how the line could have looked.

• L.A. Weekly article (9/20/91)
• Hand-colored slide masters (12 slides, 10/91)
• Fact sheet (2 pages, 11/91)
• Color flier (11/91)
• Flier (2 pages, copied in black & white, 2/93)
• Presentation with visualizations of the route (17 slides, 5/93)
• Flier with visualizations (3 pages, 8/93)

1998-2000 — Planning languished until 1998 when the Metro Board halted construction of Wilshire, Eastside, and Valley subway extensions, leaving federal money on the table. Original and newer supporters, including the Sierra Club, used this opportunity to renew the campaign for light rail along Exposition to the Westside.

• Presentation (11 pages, 11/99)
• Flier (11/99)
• We also presented a shared vision for light rail from Eastside to Westside (8 pages, 3/00)
• Final presentation (9 pages, 3/00)
• Our recommendations to the MTA Board meeting (in 60 seconds!) at the end of the Westside Alternatives Analysis (3 slides, 3/00)

2000-2005 — Friends 4 Expo Transit was formed to create a larger movement toward Metro's approval of the Draft EIS/EIR in June 2001 and phase 1 Final EIS/EIR in December 2005.

• Holiday card sent to MTA board members (12/00)
• First Friends 4 Expo fact sheet (2 pages, 12/00)
• First Friends 4 Expo 1-page flier (12/00)
• Last detailed presentation before the MTA board meeting (10 pages, 3/01)
• "The book" of Public Support (endorsement letters, petition signatures) given to all MTA board members
• Shorter presentation (6 pages, 12/01)
• Presentation to Rail~Volution in Los Angeles on what we did, including the full 35mm slide presentation (40 slides, 9/04)

2006-2010 — Construction of phase 1 and planning and construction of phase 2

• Detailed Phase 2 presentation (50 slides, 7/06)
• Phase 2 Scoping comments (4/07)
• Phase 2 Draft EIR comments (3/09)
• Current flier (9/09)
• Presentation of light rail in other cities, Phase 1 construction, and Phase 2 plans (80 slides, 9/09)

2006-2010 —Openings

• 4/28/12 — Phase 1 to La Cienega
• 5/20/16 — Phase 2 to Santa Monica

(updated 5/31/16)