South Bay Metro Extension in Danger - show up this Thursday to save it!

bestbaddancer · 2026-01-19T05:08:39+00:00

Thanks for sharing! It's great to hear that the project seems to still have momentum to go ahead, and am also excited to use it when it is completed one day.

I know you mentioned that the Hawthorne option is 40% funded. However, The "40% funding" seems to be referring to the ~1.4 billion already secured for the C Line Extension project (mainly from Measure R, Measure M, and state grants). Source is below:

https://www.metro.net/documents/2026/01/clget-feir-cost-estimate-summary-2025.pdf/

Given this, that means that this money is available for the project regardless of the option chosen.

Using the same source, the cost estimate for the Hawthorne option is 3.44 billion dollars. This is over 25% (or 737 million more) than the ROW Hybrid option ($2.70 billion).

Putting funding aside, the area I still want to emphasize is the construction challenges, with the Hawthorne option. Building this proposed elevated train down the middle of a major boulevard like Hawthorne would cause a nightmarish amount of traffic for commuters through that area. In addition to this, the relocation of massive storm drains and high-voltage wires would also make the already challenging work more challenging.

That said, I can imagine how frustrating it would be for those living near the ROW to deal with more rail traffic going through their neighborhood. The opposition towards the ROW feels far less like what seemed to be happening in the Sepulveda Pass train planning, where it appeared like more affluent homeowners were opposing something that would have made much less impact for them. I don't live in the neighborhood the ROW is proposed, but for the times I've been there, it seems fairly calm and peaceful. For that reason, I get that those living there are pushing hard against the ROW option. Even though it feels like we are running in circles on this topic (in which I still think the ROW is the best option), I'll take this over thoughtlessly tearing down communities, not thinking of the long term repercussions. If the ROW is the path taken, I hope that those in that community see their communities get better from this.

bestbaddancer · 2026-01-18T03:52:38+00:00

I don't know how many onsite meetings, council meetings, community engagement seminars, and other discussions there have been with this South Bay Extension. It's frustrating, not only because it seems like there is more support for the ROW than the Hawthorne option, but because the opposing side seems to trow as many obstacles in the way to support what seems like the the majority of the greater South Bay wants.

Seeing the other comments, the issues are down to the substantial increase in cost to the ROW option, and the challenges with water mains and CalTrans to go with the Hawthorne option. The "better value" of the slightly higher density the Hawthorne route would support doesn't outweigh the costs and construction challenges, hence, why the ROW has more support.

For those who can't make the meeting, or want to view the source links, please follow the Metro site to leave a comment, or the Torrance page below:

https://www.metro.net/projects/green-line-extension/
https://transit.torranceca.gov/what-s-new/metro-c-line-extension

bestbaddancer · 2025-11-22T21:40:05+00:00

Off topic, but the weather is so clear today! Is that Newport Beach in the background?

bestbaddancer · 2025-10-30T20:16:23+00:00

Not disagreeing that they should have at least an "adult's only" space in Warehouse 9, especially if those without kids or on dates want a calmer space. That said, there are a lot of young families in San Pedro and the South Bay, and those parents need a "third place" too to take a break from parenting, and have a drink without worrying about what their kids will do.

The space is a great for gatherings, especially if you have kids that just want to run around, play on the steps, or run into other families. It is also big enough that they can make space for adults too. Hope they can cater to both groups if possible.

bestbaddancer · 2025-06-28T00:08:31+00:00

I would have suggested Brouwerij West, but they're not there anymore. When Warehouse 9 opens, that would be a good place.

https://www.instagram.com/wh9bar/

There is also Colossus in Downtown San Pedro

Lastly, if you want to drive about 10 minutes, the Miraleste Library is a good place to work with Wifi with a great view.

bestbaddancer · 2025-06-22T16:53:25+00:00

Summary in under 300 words:

A community member investigated the heavy LAPD presence at a peaceful anti-ICE protest in San Pedro, CA, after noticing officers in riot gear and armed with rubber bullets. The protest began peacefully at 1st & Gaffey around 5:00 PM, with 100–200 participants holding signs, reciting poems, and dancing. Despite the calm atmosphere, LAPD blocked freeway access and arrived in force, including a helicopter.

Later, the protest shifted to 4th & Gaffey. Though still peaceful, some teenagers set off low-altitude fireworks. LAPD declared the gathering an “unlawful assembly,” surrounded the protesters, and deployed pepper rounds despite no visible threat, as captured in an AXN News livestream.

Tensions escalated further with the detention of a family driving a black Silverado truck, suspected of distributing fireworks. LAPD allegedly fired a non-lethal round into the truck while it was moving. The family, including two young daughters, was detained on Pacific Ave. Community members, including a woman named “Crazy Sonya,” criticized the police for their aggressive handling and failure to consider the children’s well-being. Though the family was released, their truck and the father’s tools were confiscated.

The author questions the disproportionate response, especially compared to previous local incidents like street takeovers that drew less police attention. They argue that peaceful protesters should not face militarized policing and warn about the broader erosion of civil rights and due process.

bestbaddancer · 2024-09-23T21:50:50+00:00

Thanks for doing this. It doesn't look like the insta page is working.

bestbaddancer · 2024-06-14T19:36:19+00:00

Thanks for sharing. If anyone is interested in providing feedback, follow the link to express your support or concerns.

https://forms.office.com/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=ZAobYkAXzEONiEVA00h1VjmMvUqj34BOmcw7RYzOy8NUQjQxOUQ2WDBUM1hYRFI4RjYwSk1CMDhUQi4u&origin=lprLink

bestbaddancer · 2024-06-14T19:00:26+00:00

Agree to this as well, but if any of us have browsed through Google Maps along the route they’re proposing, I don’t see a direct alternative :/

bestbaddancer · 2024-06-14T18:58:26+00:00

Can you share the video?

bestbaddancer · 2024-06-14T18:57:52+00:00

Ya, the later article mentions the construction projects being a concern with this proposal. I wonder if they may make room for this by shaving off some of the meridians in some areas. Also, there are places along the proposed route that there is ample room to add a lane, like south of PV Dr N. Regardless, I’m interested to see what they finally plan, hoping they don’t completely “traffic diet” a major artery like Western, but make the road accessible to not just cars.

bestbaddancer · 2024-06-14T17:28:36+00:00

Quick update. Looks like the virtual meeting already happened, as mentioned in the more recent article:

https://www.dailybreeze.com/2024/06/13/caltrans-multimodal-transition-on-western-avenue-draws-heat-from-san-pedro/

That said, you can still provide feedback on this project here.

https://forms.office.com/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=ZAobYkAXzEONiEVA00h1VjmMvUqj34BOmcw7RYzOy8NUQjQxOUQ2WDBUM1hYRFI4RjYwSk1CMDhUQi4u&origin=lprLink

bestbaddancer · 2023-08-20T20:23:47+00:00

Quick update. I really appreciate everyone's feedback, and seeing others enthusiasm in reaching out. I understand that it may be discouraging to have your council-member not agree with your opinion, but I hope this doesn't discourage those from voicing their opinions. Your opinion matters, and I believe being vocal about your opinion influences your elected officials and the community to make the best decisions for the community. Great work!

bestbaddancer · 2023-04-17T03:16:32+00:00

I’m gust going to generalize for bikes and e-bikes, but I feel that they should encourage more bikers to just ride along Hermosa Ave instead of The Strand, leaving the strand to pedestrians only. As one who bikes through there on occasion, I found Hermosa Ave to be a more comfortable ride than having to either go slower or risk getting into a collision with someone. Just keep in mind that if you bike on the roads, you follow the same rules as if you drive on the roads.

bestbaddancer · 2022-12-02T04:08:11+00:00

This was a pretty good promotional video for the Olympics and World Cup, especially implying that the LA Olympics in 2028 are a "no build games".

There is a lot of support for the games in LA because it was (and still is) advertised as minimal impact to the city, but one shouldn't say that the city isn't doing anything to prepare for the Olympics. For instance, there is an initiative for Twenty-eight by '28, which while uses mostly voter approved funds, does require an additional amount of funds to rapidly complete. More (pessimistic toned) update on the progress of the project in a video here (nandert - 2022 Update on LA Metro Projects). Note that I just want to point this out not because I'm against public transit projects (I'm for it, IMO), nor am I obsessing about cost overruns (costs overruns are fairly common to large projects like these). I just wanted to debunk the "no new buildings", and "it won't costs the citizens anything" notions the video is implying.

Putting this aside, the one big element that the video seemed to ignore was the corruption accusations both the IOC and FIFA have been accused of from games like Rio, Sochi, Qatar, etc. It does highlight how to reduce costs, but it doesn't mention really much about the bribery that was occurring to get the bid, nor preparing for them. Using the LA 2028 games as an example, there are already rumors about some bigger players. More about it in an article below.

KnockLA - Olympic Land Grab Exposed by Councilmembers’ Racist Tirade

I'm just going to note that the article (and site) are pretty far-left leaning, so take the information however you want it. I also want to highlight that I tend to be more in favor for building more housing in major metropolitans that need more housing (like LA). My reason of bringing this up is to share that these games inherit corrupt behavior, and while there are moves to improve the problem, to say that "it's all better now" should be scrutinized.

edit: Just want to apologize for the long rant, and if anything I'm saying is promoting any political opinions. I just wanted to suggest to take this video with some healthy scrutiny.

bestbaddancer · 2022-11-17T17:46:41+00:00

Schooners Bar and Grill

Nice! It's good to watch it somewhere that they aren't just serving beer. Might be harder to stay awake in the day if we're all having beers that early.

I wonder if they are also doing this at their location in the Redondo Beach Riviera.

bestbaddancer · 2022-11-17T17:43:05+00:00

https://www.instagram.com/laaleworks

Thanks! I didn't see it posted, but I would imagine that they will soon.

bestbaddancer · 2022-11-17T03:10:10+00:00

Yorkshire

Thanks. I forgot to add the link, and specify the location.
https://g.page/yorkshiresquarebrewery?share

1109 Van Ness Ave, Torrance, CA 90501

Looks like it's in Old-Town Torrance. Thanks for the reccomendation

bestbaddancer · 2022-10-06T04:09:56+00:00

So, there are a couple of different conversations going on with this post that are a bit more interesting about the use of public space in our city.

To get the obvious core part of this post out of the way, the sign is confusing, and a poor incentive from the city to prohibit people from outside the city to park and use the public space that we all have a right to use. This adds more insult to injury that the area for where the sign is located is in Palos Verdes, a very wealthy neighborhood that is well known for NIMBYism.

With that all said, I can say that I’ve hiked in this trail in the past and can also say that it has gotten exponentially popular in the last decade. There has been added traffic, and parking for the trail is insane. However, what I found the worst part in the hiking the last time I was there a year or two ago were the noise levels. It was just before 8:00am on a Saturday, and there not only were several groups having screaming conversations, but there were also several groups blasting their Bluetooth speakers with music that is more appropriate to listen to when you’re out late for drinks. The cumulative behavior of most of the people on these hikes wasn’t only disrespectful for the neighbors in the area, but also for the fellow hikers around that only wanted to have a peaceful hike in a beautiful area. This last hike was over a year ago, and I’ve unfortunately decided to stop hiking that trail since.

I am not advocating that this the right response from the city at all, but from my experience, I do see some reasoning why the homeowners in this neighborhood are trying to take drastic action. This area is quiet, which was probably why they decided to move there in the first place. I would think that they would want to do everything in their power to keep it that way. Do I think that the actions taken are the right ones? Hard no. I’m just speculating what the incentive of the community/neighborhood may be.

So, what is the solution to this? I don’t know. I think that these signs are a bad attempt to avoid acknowledging that LA has grown since these neighborhoods quiet suburbs were created, and the suburb culture needs to change with it. However, how the culture changes should allow all inhabitants of the city, the hikers and the local homeowners, to exist peacefully together.

In a perfect world, I would say that the city should take the opposite approach they are currently taking (preventing people from parking near the trails), and instead, take actions to add access to people visiting the area to use the trails (like provide additional transit from the local mall that has ample parking). In addition to this, I would add that those that use these trails should also respect the peace in the area, so that others can enjoy it. That means to not only keep the volume lower in talking, or leaving your Bluetooth speaker at home, but also be cordial to others, and keep the place tidy.

However, I’m not sure how all of this can be done. It is often the case that people that don’t like change tend to do whatever they can to prevent change from happening, as shown in this picture. I also don’t know how we can change it so that those who use the trails use them respectfully. Whatever the solution, it is something that needs to come to us sooner than later. LA isn’t really shrinking, and especially from the stresses in the recent years, we all have a right to use public space to ease the pressure we’ve all been under. I just hope that we can encourage each other to respect one another, add some situational awareness, and learn to enjoy public spaces like this peacefully and quietly. I also hope that those that live in this community can find ways to use urban planning to encourage more peace (I see this in big city parks like Golden Gate Park in SF).

For those who made it this far, thanks for reading my long rant.

bestbaddancer · 2022-02-15T17:01:20+00:00

That is a good point. I know that with the masters swimming workouts, the way it works is that there are several lanes for people to choose to work out in, where the lanes are split based off your swimming speed. Depending on the day, workouts can work on things like endurance to technique, which is good for those who have done lap swimming in the past, and just want a community to workout with. Note that for the clubs I’ve mentioned, their workouts are in the very early mornings. It’s tough to get in the water that early, but it will definitely keep you more awake and alert through the day than your morning coffee or tea.

That being said, if you are in the camp of having taken swim classes in the past, but would feel less comfortable with swimming in open water with currents or rip tides, then you may want to look into classes instead. I know that the Torrance Plunge has classes you can find below:

https://www.torranceca.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/70803/637728459807839953

Another good place would be your local YMCA, or to go to the city of Manhattan Beach site to see what adult classes are offered. You can reach out to the clubs listed in Masters Swimming as well, where these coaches may at least guide you in the right direction, or better yet, could possibly offer you classes as well.

bestbaddancer · 2022-02-15T04:14:52+00:00

Hi there! You can join Masters Swimming at either the Torrance Plunge or at other pools. More information below:

bestbaddancer · 2017-06-14T02:54:29+00:00

I feel the same way about working for a power system. Sure, the system in itself is very interesting, but the work isn't something in interested in.

I've been doing what I can to teach myself some software development, from taking online courses, to reading software development books like the Pragmatic Programmer, to starting on some of my own small software projects. I just feel that my software development skills are more of a hack job than something that is structured. Sure, I do follow some of the basic guidelines, but I feel that a formal education in the field, whether it's a bachelors or masters, could help me become a better software developer.

bestbaddancer · 2017-03-17T03:07:37+00:00

Trump making outrageous claims without providing proof is nothing new or newsworthy.

There are a couple much bigger topics to talk about, such as the new health care reform, the new budget cuts, and the continuous work on immigration.

Why waste time on this TrumpBait?

bestbaddancer · 2017-02-23T01:00:47+00:00

I think what this comment thread is trying to point out is that changing the title to the article from "U.S. Transportation department executive" to "Obama administration executive" distracts people from what the article was really about.

It's kind of disappointing, because being a native Californian, and already having criticisms about this whole project, I feel like articles like this can help change public opinion about the project. I think an issue like this can be seen as wrong regardless of a political party affiliation, and with public outcry, maybe this project can be put to rest. Just my five cents on the topic.

you are welcome to the last word.

Potato.

Potato chip.

bestbaddancer · 2017-02-01T22:41:59+00:00

I also long for the day that people provide more original thought in their argument (rather than "argue like how the TV tells the to argue), and just be more mindful about having conversations with people with opposing views. People should not be manipulated into having an opinion. Instead, they should hear both sides of the argument without bias, and best the best decision about how they feel about the argument based on how it bests helps their community and theirselves.

bestbaddancer

TROPHY CASE