Burbank is burning through money on another unwinnable legal battle while facing a major budget deficit. Instead of using our hard-earned tax dollars to build the fast transit we already paid for with Measure M, City leadership is wasting those exact funds on lawyers to fight it. Both Metro and Burbank are funded by the exact same pockets: ours.

The Deficit & Lawsuit: LA Metro filed a lawsuit against Burbank over delayed construction permits for the 19-mile NoHo-to-Pasadena Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) line. You can review the project details and environmental background on the LA Metro NoHo-to-Pasadena BRT Project Page. 

The Pickwick Precedent: The city has a documented track record of wasting taxpayer money on losing legal battles. A prime example is the Pickwick housing dispute, where Burbank was forced to settle after attempting to block housing under state law. Read the full context via the MyBurbank Report.

Metro has compromised for years—moving the route from Chandler to Olive, preserving local street parking, even adapting to a Burbank led mixed-flow design in downtown. Burbank leadership responded with bad-faith stalling tactics, even scheduling critical public hearings (most recently starting at 3PM on a Wednesday) when working people couldn't attend.

Route Compromises: The shift from the Chandler Boulevard bike path corridor to Olive Avenue—and the subsequent revisions to preserve street parking—are officially documented in the approved environmental reports. Wikipedia has some details on the project history, while Metro's official site includes different routes explored.

Gridlock will only get worse as our regional density increases. Dedicated bus lanes are the single most effective tool to bypass traffic, connect commuters to the wider LA rail network, and give Burbank residents a choice to escape the bottleneck.

Serving Employers & Boosting Business: The BRT route directly connects Burbank’s largest employers, including: Disney, Warner Bros., and Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center, to the rest of the region. This project will make it easier for employees to get to work, students to get to school, and visitors to access our local economy and nearby major event hubs like the Rose Bowl.

Traffic and Speed Benefits: The BRT project utilizes dedicated side lanes and traffic signal priority to cut travel times between the San Fernando and San Gabriel valleys by an estimated 30% to 40%. The technical studies outlining these traffic relief metrics can be found in the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) Regional Transit Reports.