The name “West Santa Ana Branch” sounds more like a bank in Orange County than a new Metro rail line that will connect 10 Southeast Los Angeles County cities.
That’s why officials are asking the public to rename the highly-anticipated new light rail line project that will run through Artesia, Cerritos, Paramount, Bellflower, Downey, South Gate, Cudahy, Bell, Huntington Park, and Vernon to Union Station in Downtown Los Angeles.
In March, Metro’s Board of Directors approved a motion to rebrand the rail line in an effort to increase awareness and excitement for the project, as well as clear up any confusion, since the project doesn’t pass through Santa Ana, nor is it on the westside of L.A. County. Today they opened up voting to the public to rename the line.
Metro called the “West Santa Ana Branch” name an “outdated and inaccurate description of the project itself,” despite the fact that the name carries historical significance.
The name comes from a rail corridor, formerly used by Pacific Electric, established during the very early 1900’s, that ran from Downtown Santa Ana through Watts and all the way to downtown Los Angeles.