Tunnel idea forces local officials to juggle

The prospect of a Long Beach (710) Freeway tunnel bringing more trucks and other vehicles onto the Foothill (210) Freeway and into city streets is becoming a flashpoint for local residents.

It also has caused headaches for the city of La Cañada Flintridge, which earlier this year filed a lawsuit against the Los Angeles County Transportation Authority challenging the use of Measure R funding for a project that has not yet been subjected to the California Environmental Quality Act.

So it’s no surprise La Cañada Councilman Dave Spence is in a difficult position.

He represents only his city constituents, but also serves on several regional governmental bodies, including as president of the San Gabriel Valley Council of Governments, one of four sub-councils to the Southern California Assn. of Governments, which supports the 710 extension.

Therein lies a delicate line Spence and other officials have found themselves in as stakeholders begin to entrench themselves over the proposed project.

“It’s a tricky position,” La Cañada Mayor Laura Olhasso said of Spence’s governmental roles. “I know as a leader of San Gabriel Valley Council of Governments, Dave wears a regional hat. The majority of the members of that body have voted in support of an extension of the 710, and that’s the position that body has. But Dave, as a member of this council, has voiced strong opposition. That’s the hard thing about wearing multiple hats.”

Glendale City Councilman Ara Najarian has found himself in a similar position. In his city role, he has repeatedly voiced opposition to the project, but he is also scheduled to become chairman of the MTA later this summer, placing him in a powerful position at a county agency that would control millions in funding for the tunnel.

Spence, who is up for reelection to the regional council this year, agreed that his is a difficult position, but said he has been able to maintain his opposition to the tunnel while remaining neutral in his role at the San Gabriel Valley Council of Governments.

“My reelection doesn’t have anything to do with the 710,” he said.

Spence said he is able to remain fairly neutral in guiding the regional council.

Still, Olhasso said that as a member of the City Council, Spence “does all he can to further the city’s opposition to the tunnel.”