Cities in San Bernardino County are questioning California state funding processes that failed to allocate any state dollars to an inland rail extension, opting instead to fund more ‘splashy’ L.A.-area projects.

An announcement by the California State Transportation Authority (CalSTA) denying state funding to a Los Angeles-to-San Bernardino County light rail line was met with anger from local proponents of the project, which also failed to win grant funding from the state. Steve Scauzillo reports on the story for the San Gabriel Valley Tribune.
The proposal would extend the Metro L Line (formerly Gold Line) 3.2 miles from Pomona to Montclair and connect riders to the Metrolink commuter rail system. Now, local leaders suspect the state is favoring Los Angeles projects over those in less glamorous areas. As Scauzillo explains, “Montclair City Manager Edward Starr pointed to what he sees as an L.A. bias from the state agency that favors splashy, L.A. city and L.A. County rail projects over any project that serves San Bernardino County commuters.”
Critics call the CalSTA funding process a “black hole,” with little explanation from the agency about why certain projects didn’t receive funding. Some also question the decision to award $407.4 million to a people mover project that will serve the new Los Angeles Rams football stadium in Inglewood. “Losing out to a project that serves football and basketball fans over one that studies show would take single-car commuters from western San Bernardino County off the 210, 10 and 60 freeways to reach employment venues in Pasadena, downtown Los Angeles and eventually, Long Beach, seemed wrong to project supporters,” Scauzillo writes.
The source article details the politics behind the project, as well as its potential benefits, which include removing 15,000 car trips from local roads and generating 5,500 jobs. Delaying or halting the project also jeopardizes thousands of proposed housing units planned around the sites of future stations as transit-oriented development.
FULL STORY: LA wins again in the battle for light-rail dollars; Inland cities demand answers

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly
Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

In Urban Planning, AI Prompting Could be the New Design Thinking
Creativity has long been key to great urban design. What if we see AI as our new creative partner?

Cal Fire Chatbot Fails to Answer Basic Questions
An AI chatbot designed to provide information about wildfires can’t answer questions about evacuation orders, among other problems.

What Happens if Trump Kills Section 8?
The Trump admin aims to slash federal rental aid by nearly half and shift distribution to states. Experts warn this could spike homelessness and destabilize communities nationwide.

Sean Duffy Targets Rainbow Crosswalks in Road Safety Efforts
Despite evidence that colorful crosswalks actually improve intersection safety — and the lack of almost any crosswalks at all on the nation’s most dangerous arterial roads — U.S. Transportation Secretary Duffy is calling on states to remove them.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Appalachian Highlands Housing Partners
Gallatin County Department of Planning & Community Development
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie