Go for the Gold

Re “Panning for Gold Line funding,” June 18

We strongly urge the Metro board to give the Metro Gold Line Foothill Extension the go-ahead at its June 26 meeting.

We are working to provide a future for our residents that doesn’t consign them to congested roads and dirty air. The San Gabriel Valley is the fastest-growing region of Los Angeles County. The cities along the route are planning developments that represent $43.5 billion in total economic benefit to the region. We can’t afford to cast that aside.

The San Gabriel Valley is expected to generate more than 1 million peak-period, home-to-work trips by 2030. By funding the Gold Line Foothill Extension, we could provide drivers with a mass-transit alternative and reduce pollution and congestion. This rail line can be open in four years. With the rising cost of fuel, dependable public rail service is not a luxury, it is a necessity.

Jon Blickenstaff

Norma Torres

Rob Hammond

The writers are the mayors, respectively, of La Verne, Pomona and Monrovia.