Residents and council members press Metro on Sea Line alignment; Redondo joins four-city push for Hawthorne option
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Summary
Public commenters and a council member urged Metro to select a Hawthorne Boulevard alignment for the C Line extension rather than adding light-rail tracks in the existing freight right-of-way, citing safety, noise and refinery concerns; Council member Obagi reported Hermosa Beach joined Redondo in supporting the Hawthorne alignment.
Several residents and a council member used the Redondo Beach City Council public-comment period on Oct. 21 to press Metro planners to favor a Hawthorne Boulevard alignment for the planned C Line (Green Line) extension rather than expanding tracks in the existing freight right of way (ROW).
Holly Osborne told the council arguments for the ROW option mischaracterize how “quiet zones” would affect daily noise; she said Metro’s quiet-zone readiness claim would not mitigate 200–300 daily light-rail vehicles. “What we are concerned about is the noise from 200 to 300 LRT trains passing each day, and a quiet zone does nothing to mitigate that,” Osborne said, adding that freight trains in Lawndale and Redondo pass only twice per day compared with much higher frequencies in other communities.
Council member Obagi announced that Hermosa Beach had formally joined Redondo Beach supporting the Hawthorne alignment and thanked other officials for their support. “In case you're keeping count, that's 4 cities in favor of the Hawthorne alignment of the Sea Line extension — Hermosa Beach, Redondo, Lawndale and Hawthorne,” Obagi said at the meeting. He noted Metro directors were likely to take up the alignment decision Dec. 4.
Other speakers raised safety concerns tied to refinery and pipeline operations near the ROW and argued that the final environmental review had not fully resolved those technical issues. Public commenters also urged routing that would finish at the Galleria rather than routing trains near toxic industrial sites, and emphasized concerns for nearby seniors and residential communities.
Council members and multiple speakers asked Metro to weigh public safety and environmental impacts before certifying the project. No formal council motion on the alignment was taken at the meeting; council members used the public-comment forum and council announcements to report neighboring cities’ positions and to call attention to the Dec. 4 Metro board schedule.
