The following excerpt appeared in the San Gabriel Valley Tribune and Inland Valley Daily Bulletin on November 19, 2021. To read the full article (may require subscription), click here.

Backers of $670 million light-rail extension to Montclair eye state budget surplus – San Gabriel Valley Tribune, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin

FILE — The Gold Line light-rail arrives at the Del Mar Station in Pasadena. The longest running light-rail line in LA County is being extended to Pomona. But funding is way short to reach Claremont and Montclair. Proponents see the announcement on Nov. 15, 2021 of a $31 billion 2022 state surplus as a possible funding source for the 3.3-mile extension. (file photo by Walt Mancini /SGVN)

By Steve Scauzillo

November 19, 2021

[excerpt]:

After being rejected this summer, proponents of extending the first LA Metro light-rail line into San Bernardino County are once again eyeing federal and state dollars to fill a funding gap.

Builders of the L Line, formerly the Gold Line, as well as state legislators are buoyed by the news of a $31 billion state budget surplus next year, as announced on Wednesday, Nov. 17, by the state Legislative Analyst’s Office.

“With this announcement, there will be more funding for transit, which would be great. It makes us even more hopeful,” said Habib Balian, CEO of the Foothill Gold Line Construction Authority, which is overseeing the current extension of the light-rail system.

…

[Rep. Norma Torres, D-Pomona,] said many commuters living in Pomona, Upland, Montclair, Chino, Chino Hills and Rancho Cucamonga drive the freeways to workplaces in Los Angeles County and would welcome an alternative.

“The people in my distinct have to commute three hours to and from their job,” she said. “It has a huge impact on their families and mostly on their kids.”

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