Council Requests Report for Keep BART on 580 Initiative

The City Council on Monday had three options for the next step with the recently certified  initiative:

• Put the measure on the ballot right away;
• Adopt it; or
• Request a report (fiscal impact, effect on land use, etc.)

The council chose the latter, with Councilman Jeff Williams casting the lone dissenting vote. He preferred placing the measure on the November ballot.

The city will spend $250,000 on a consultant to provide a report on the initiative within 30 days. After the council receives the report, the initiative likely will be placed on the November ballot.

"It's a waste of money," said Linda Jeffrey Sailors, a member of the Keep BART on 580 group. "All the facts are already there."

Sailors' stance was echoed by many of the 20 residents or so who spoke on the issue during public comment.

However, others supported the council's decision to study the issue further so that voters will be better informed.

"There is education needed," resident Tom O'Neill said, adding that "$250,000 is not too much to spend if considering a project that will have a tremendous impact on Livermore."

The Keep BART on 580 group's goal is to have Livermore's BART station built on the Interstate 580 corridor, much like the Pleasanton and Dublin stations.

The current plan is to build a BART extension from I-580 through the Airway-Portola region to downtown Livermore and perhaps continue it to Vasco Road.

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