Governor Vetos SB 204, Promises to Resolve Route 710
Brown vetoed one of Sen. Liu’s bills, which would have allowed the California Department of Transportation to sell properties that won’t be needed for a State Route 710 extension, but wrote in his veto message that he “is committed to working with the author” to resolve this decades-long issue.
“Although I am disappointed in the veto, I look forward to working with the Governor’s Office to finally deal with these state-owned homes,” said Liu, D-La Canada Flintridge. “Everyone knows we will never build a freeway along this route, and the state needs to get out of the property management business.”
Liu’s SB 204 was sponsored by the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (METRO). The bill would have directed Caltrans to sell homes purchased more than 50 years ago for a planned Route 710 connector through Pasadena, South Pasadena, Los Angeles, and Alhambra. A recent State Auditor’s Report showed the Department has consistently mismanaged the properties. In his veto message, Brown wrote that he considered the bill premature because an environmental report and Caltrans internal report are not finished. The veto message is at www.leginfo.ca.gov.