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Shohei Ohtani was four weeks after his major league career when former Dodgers owner Frank McCourt pitched a gondola from Union Station to Dodger Stadium. Otani was a rookie for the Angels and now a global superstar for the Dodgers, 23 years old.
Today, Otani is 31 years old and McCourt has yet to have an official response to his pitch.
To accelerate the decision, as the Times reported last month, McCourt lobbyists latched to state legislation designed to promote transportation projects, persuading lawmakers to add a language that places a faster timeline on potential legal challenges.
The bill is scheduled to be considered by the Congressional Committee on Wednesday, with more than 100 community members coming together on Monday in opposition to the bill, at least in the portion that benefits the gondola project.
The Los Angeles City Council signed last week by Mayor Karen Bass, urging state legislators to either drop the gondola portion of the bill or throw it all away.
“We’re fighting billionaires,” councillor eunisses Hernandez told the crowd. “How are you today?”
There were snacks and stickers, t-shirts, tote bags and even bandanas for dogs (and there were lots of very good dogs). There were serious and funny signs (“Frank McCourt and the Aerial Cabin of Fate”).
Even if McCourt wins in Sacramento, the city council said it must approve the gondola project. In 2024, the council approved the Dodger Stadium Traffic Survey, which aimed to evaluate gondola alternatives. This includes expanding the current bus shuttle from Union Station and introducing park and ride buses such as buses that have been operating for many years at the Hollywood Bowl.
Last month – 16 months after the council approved the investigation, the city’s Department of Transport invited bidders to carry out the investigation via a 56-page document explaining what the city wants to do, how to do it, and when the work should be completed.
16 months?
Transportation department spokesman Colin Sweeney said preparations for the contract require compliance with various urban rules, coordination with several urban sectors, and availability of urban staff.
“This process can take up to 24 months,” Sweeney said.
Artist Rendering of Dodger Stadium Landing Site is the landing site for the proposed gondola project that ferries passengers into the game.
(Fast air transport technology/kilograph)
The traffic survey will be next fall. If it is delivered on time, it could result in a study waiting nearly a year ahead of one vote for one of the several government approvals the gondola needs.
Are the cities, or at least the elected representatives against the gondola, wandering around the project slowly?
“We’re not wandering around anything slowly,” said Hernandez, a district that includes Dodger Stadium. “This is how the city moves.”
The councillor pointed to the tree behind her.
“It takes 15 years to trim the trees,” she said.
sorry?
“We’re going to cut this tree this year,” Hernandez said.
According to her, the industry standard is five years.
In Los Angeles, it can take ten years to repair a sidewalk. 3-5 years, to reduce wheelchair curbs, it takes 9 months to 1 year to repair streetlights.
“If you have enough resources, you can do things like putting new sections on your bill and quickly tracking your projects,” Hernandez said. “If you have the money, you can do that.”
But I wanted to turn the question upside down: if McCourt spends $500,000 on lobbyists and moves his project forward, and if he is approaching a decade without a decision, what hope will the rest of us have?
A housing is required. A park is needed. Shade is required. And yes, there’s a need for a better way to get in and out of Dodger Stadium.
Los Angeles Councillor Eunisses Hernandez will speak at a press conference in December.
(Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
“Do you think we need to quickly track really good projects that have shown that there is a financial plan behind them that benefits the community?” Hernandez said. “If there is a way to do that ethically, then do that, but if you are talking about quick tracking of your projects to have access to changes in state law, that is not what we should do.
“Whether they’re residential development or other transportation, do you think there are many barriers to achieving a good project? I do. I think we can get through some of it.
“We need to get it faster for people.”
It’s not just the city of Los Angeles. The Gondola Project has been running through Metro since 2018.
Whether you love him or hate him like a gondola, or hate him, does Hernandez believe that McCourt, or other developers should be able to get yes or no on a proposed project within eight years?
“I believe he should,” Hernandez said. “100%. I think he should.”
Even if the gondola is approved, who knows if fans can ride it to see Otani? As of now, the gondola has not been approved, funded, and is not under construction. Otani’s contract with the Dodgers will expire in another eight years.
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