LDS Church gets Temple Stoplight (Santa Monica Blvd. Parkway Plan OKd)
Los Angeles Times 30Jul99 C6
By Jeffrey L. Rabin: Times Staff Writer

Los Angeles County's MTA has given in to an LDS Church request for a stoplight in a plan to reconstruct Santa Monica Boulevard in front of the Los Angeles Temple. The $68.2 million plan merges the current Santa Monica Boulevard with its neighbor, Little Santa Monica Boulevard, to create a larger, more functional and aesthetically pleasing roadway.

However, the LDS Church originally opposed the plan because it didn't provide for a stoplight giving easy access to the Temple. To fight the plan, the LDS Church had hired a powerhouse law firm in Los Angeles and a City Hall lobbyist to make the case for the stoplight. The deal with the Church removed the last major obstacle to the plan, which was approved by the MTA board by a vote of 10-1.