Commentary: Dodger Stadium gondola plan about to hit heavy turbulence as state park defenders play hardball

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Set us as preferred As we head into August and look to the fall, two burning questions are front and center when it comes to the Dodgers.Will they win a third straight World Series championship?And will the $500-million proposal to ferry fans by gondola from Union Station to Dodger Stadium remain aloft or crash and burn?I can’t answer the first question, although I wouldn’t bet against a three-peat.As for the second question, if I were former Dodgers owner and aerial tram godfather Frank McCourt, I’d fasten my seat belt, because the gondola is about to hit some heavy turbulence.The gondola would slice through a section of L.A.State Historic Park, wipe out dozens of trees and trample a space that was carefully designed with years of community input.

And the mounting opposition now includes seven former state park officials and four former members of the state Park and Recreation Commission.The former staffers have sent “don’t you dare” letters to the commission, and one of them argued that the view of the downtown skyline would be cluttered and commercialized.“Gondola cars encased in digital ads, flying 26 feet overhead every 25-30 seconds would irreparably impair the vista, and the sense of calm and escape from urban life,” wrote former state parks director Ruth Coleman.The four former commissioners have signed a joint letter arguing that the gondola proposal “would enable a private development to permanently and irreparably shrink, degrade, and destroy the integrity of a state park.”They’re speaking up now because the state is considering an amendment to the park’s general plan that would allow for “consideration and review of the proposed Los Angeles Aerial Rapid Transit (LA ART) gondola project.”Former Dodgers owner Frank McCourt is hoping his Dodger Stadium gondola project will become a reality,...