L.A. lobbies for 405 project

SACRAMENTO — After an intense day of lobbying in the state capital Tuesday, Los Angeles' top leaders appeared to be winning their fight to secure $730 million in bond money to widen one of the nation's most congested freeways, with one powerful legislator threatening to hold up funds for transportation projects statewide if the city and other congested areas don't get what they need.

More than a dozen Los Angeles-area elected officials -- including Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, County Supervisor Gloria Molina and Rep. Brad Sherman (D-Sherman Oaks) -- descended on the Capitol to voice their unhappiness with a recommendation by the California Transportation Commission staff to omit new carpool lanes for the 405 Freeway and other local projects from an initial funding list.

Villaraigosa and several Los Angeles City Council members started the day by meeting privately with lawmakers and Transportation Commission officials, arguing that Los Angeles County has 28% of the state's population and 33% of its traffic congestion but stands to receive only 12% of an initial $2.8 billion in bond money.

Then the mayor headlined a parade of elected leaders urging commissioners to rethink their spending priorities as they weigh the first installment of an overall $19.9-billion transportation bond that was approved by voters last November.

Villaraigosa and nine other officials -- including state Sen. Sheila Kuehl (D-Santa Monica) and Assemblyman Mike Feuer (D-Los Angeles) -- addressed the commission.

"We always talked about the 405 as a high-priority project," Villaraigosa told the commission. "We were very concerned and very chagrined that the staff did not recommend this project."

By the end of the day, Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez (D-Los Angeles), Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata (D-Oakland) and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger had piled on, adding their voices to the chorus calling for the commission to re-examine its allocations.

"I strongly urge the commission to reconsider the projects on the

At the top of Schwarzenegger's list was the 405 Freeway.

Plans call for adding more than 10 miles of carpool lanes to the northbound side of the highway between the 10 and 101 freeways -- one of the most congested routes in the country and one that officials highlighted as they drummed up support for the transportation bond last year.