Los Angeles, CA. – Immediately, U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg highlighted the greater than $200 million in new federal investments to improve mobility in Los Angeles, as a part of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda.
The brand new federal funds will make it simpler to get to and from transit stations, assist reconnect communities, enhance public transportation whereas lowering air air pollution with American-made electrical buses and assist the Higher Los Angeles area put together for the 2028 Summer season Olympic and Paralympic Video games.
Secretary Buttigieg was joined at Exposition Park by Los Angeles Mayor and Metro Board Member Karen Bass, Metro Board Chair and County Supervisor Janice Hahn, Members of the Los Angeles Congressional Delegation, and different metropolis and LA Metro leaders.
The complete transcript of Secretary Buttigieg’s remarks:
Thanks.
Thanks a lot, Kerwin. Thanks for every little thing that you just do every single day.
We Admire the function you play not simply as a part of one of the crucial essential transit methods within the nation, however most significantly, in your line of labor a part of individuals’s on a regular basis lives. And whether or not you have been a kind of on a route that wind up realizing your identify and, you recognize, their identify and their routine, or whether or not they do not actually really feel like speaking to anyone, they simply need to get dwelling to their children. You be certain that they get to the place they are going safely and also you and all the operators such as you, particularly after what this profession has been by way of in the previous few years.
We’re so grateful for what you do and proud to be on behalf of the President to be investing in the way forward for your nice profession, so thanks very a lot.
I need to thank Mayor [Karen] Bass for welcoming us to this metropolis. Somebody I got here to know and admire again after I was mayor and she or he was a member of Congress—And if I’ve the perfect job within the federal authorities, I feel she has the perfect and hardest job in authorities, main a metropolis and doing so most of the essential issues that basically contact individuals’s lives every single day.
Our aspiration is to be a wind behind America’s Mayors and I at all times mirror that the job has solely gotten more durable since I proudly wore the title of mayor, however it could have been good again after I was mayor if there was a trillion greenback infrastructure package deal popping out of Washington to assist us get stuff executed.
And he or she, in fact additionally deserves credit score for serving to to make that occur together with different members of your extraordinary delegation, like Consultant Maxine Waters and Consultant Ted Lieu and the others who have been there for President Biden, who have been there for this Administration, when lots of people did not suppose it was going to be doable to get an infrastructure invoice executed.
It’s miles too straightforward now that we’re used to it being a actuality to suppose that it was at all times going to be so, however the political obituary of that infrastructure invoice was written half a dozen occasions. However leaders like your members of Congress, like Representatives Waters and Bass and Lieu have been there, didn’t surrender, and labored with us.
I additionally need to acknowledge, although they could not be right here—Linda Sanchez, Nanette Barragan, and Adam Schiff, Jimmy Gomez and Robert Garcia, who we had an amazing occasion with earlier right now, and Sydney Kamlager-Dove who everybody right here already knew as an amazing chief, however who’s coming to Congress proper on time as a result of she has instantly gotten to work—As demonstrated by the truth that she’s already letting us know the challenge she thinks we should fund. So, clearly has not wasted a second in changing into a superb member of Congress.
LA28 Chair Casey Wasserman and your complete group. You are doing such extraordinary work, I’ve misplaced depend of the variety of locations and situations that I see Casey in , which is strictly accurately as a result of he’s each, main the group to get that work executed right here and representing the aspirations of this whole neighborhood, as he represents the video games to the world—with a view towards 28.
And thanks Andrea for that that nice tour and for introducing us to the extraordinary capabilities and way forward for Exposition Park. It truly is one thing I hope sooner or later to take—I bought a few toddlers who would love the issues that you just shared with us. I am unable to wait to carry them right here sooner or later. So, possibly on our option to the Olympics, in the event you’ll have me.
So, LA Metro Chair Hahn and Stephanie, and all people who’s a part of working this critically essential asset. Officers from LA County, the Metropolis Council, the State Legislature, and the state authorities that perceive the significance of infrastructure.
I am sort of the Secretary of trains, planes and cars and quite a lot of different issues. Generally I’ve a superb multimodal day, right now may be a record-setting—began our day on the Port of Lengthy Seaside celebrating on-dock rail, which meant we really took a prepare, a particular all-electric prepare to get to the positioning on the port, the place we had our announcement, then we drove over to take the light-rail metro, take that route solely to get onto a golf cart or golf cart motorcade for our little parade or a tour I ought to say. And I am positive for the one time in my profession I’m chatting with a crowd inside line of sight of an area shuttle, which is in spite of everything, technically transportation. So, we’ll declare it regardless that I am unable to. It is in all probability the one type of transportation that I am unable to declare we’re serving to with the President’s infrastructure package deal.
However I will inform you, it was a pleasure to trip on the prepare this morning, not simply as a fan of rail, however the likelihood to expertise how important this season we’re in is for Los Angeles public transportation.
Coming only a couple years after we have been right here celebrating the ribbon reducing on the Crenshaw/LAX Metro Line, and realizing the profit that that is going to carry.
Is for lots of people once they consider LA, they, in fact, consider automobiles, quite a lot of automobiles, quite a lot of automobiles on quite a lot of freeways and automobiles are at all times going to be a part of LA’s story.
However in the previous few years, it has been extraordinary to see transit ridership, Metro ridership rising. And that is a superb factor.
It’s, there’s such good essential work occurring round LA County to make public transportation, extra strong, extra accessible as this area strikes nearer to the objectives outlined in that Imaginative and prescient for 2028. And I imagine this work goes to alter that generally held notion, that you want to be in a automotive with a purpose to get to the place you want to go on this neighborhood, we’re giving individuals choices, you’re giving individuals choices. And we’re right here to assist.
That is why on behalf of the Biden-Harris Administration, I am so proud to be right here to acknowledge how federal {dollars} are serving to to attach much more individuals throughout LA County with reasonably priced and dependable public transportation.
That is funding made doable by President Biden’s infrastructure package deal, which, as we stated, was handed with the assistance of so many who’re right here right now. And as we’re investing in transportation methods from coast to coast, we’re additionally working to ensure the work that we’re doing advantages each neighborhood.
As a result of we’ve got to face the truth that infrastructure selections of the previous—like the placement and method of the development of freeways, all too usually performed out in ways in which perpetuated or generally even worsened inequities. And infrequently the neighborhoods most impacted by that have been low-income communities, or communities of colour that lack the political energy to withstand or to reshape infrastructure plans that divided their communities, that then made it more durable for them to succeed in buddies, and faculties, and jobs. And those self same communities have been disproportionately impacted by smog and by air air pollution, inflicting increased charges of respiratory illness and most cancers.
And we speak about that, not as a result of we need to wallow prior to now, or spend our time assigning blame. However quite to just accept our duty for ensuring present and future generations are higher off. And which means listening to native leaders and advocates, who know what good transportation should seem like of their neighborhoods.
The primary assemble of this infrastructure package deal within the [60,000] 54,000 initiatives that it is supporting, relies on the attention that not one of the concepts have to return from Washington—the concepts come from the neighborhood, the funding comes from Washington to assist flip these concepts into actuality.
For starters, we have awarded $139 million by way of our Reconnecting Communities initiative that’ll enhance public transportation, benefiting this neighborhood. Meaning bus is working extra steadily, extra precedence bus lanes—which implies not solely extra bus service however it will be extra fast and environment friendly, and dependable.
Investments within the firs/final mile connections are going to deal with bettering accessibility and security on the roads and the sidewalks that encompass rail stations and bus stops. As a result of we all know the overwhelming majority of riders will stroll or cycle or roll to the placement the place they board public transit.
And this funding will construct out extra multimodal transportation choices at 5 of LA’s busiest stations. It can create new bike share stations, and it will lengthen that GoPass program to supply fareless transit to low-income school college students, so they do not have to fret about whether or not they can afford a trip or bus or prepare whereas they’re bettering themselves in investing in their very own future and training.
That is about making on a regular basis life higher and simpler. Getting individuals higher entry to good paying jobs, to physician’s places of work, to grocery shops, to wherever it’s they must be.
And I additionally need to notice that final week in a separate funding, as was famous DOT awarded $77 million to place towards dozens of recent, zero-emission buses in LA County, just like the one which we see proper over there.
That is constructing on a earlier $104 million funding for electrical buses as a result of we all know that having extra buses and zero-emission buses at that helps enhance Metro ridership, it helps get extra automobiles off the street, it helps make the air in LA cleaner for each single youngster and grownup who breaths it in every single day.
And the truth is healthier transit, extra individuals utilizing it, advantages individuals, even when they do not use it, as a result of which means there’s much less competitors for these congested freeways and roads.
In the meantime, you may see the doorway of the Coliseum as we all know that we’re simply days away from that opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer season Olympics in Paris. And I am attempting to not be offended that everyone up right here who’s headed there has not insisted that I come alongside to examine the transportation scenario there in Paris. However they’ll be taking good notes about the right way to make it possible for there are world-class video games right here. Due to course, which means we’re simply 4 years away from the opening ceremony of the 2028 video games proper right here in LA.
Not on your first time, not on your second time, however for the third time and, you recognize, when LA hosted in 1984 and I will chorus from telling you what I used to be as much as in 1984—however one of many huge conversations was how a metropolis that was so outlined within the public creativeness by his freeways, effectively and successfully, made positive that folks might get to the place they wanted to go. The residents might get round. The Olympians, bought to their venues and competitions.
And now, 4 a long time later, you are redefining this mannequin of success, you are making a public transportation system that’ll make it extra handy to get round LA by prepare or bus, that is going to create higher alternatives for jobs and training. It will make the air simpler to breathe for generations to return.
So, 4 years from now and simply realizing the sorts of parents who animate this neighborhood, as you put together on your fourth Olympic Video games, which I think about is barely a matter of time—Angelenos and Olympians are going to know, simply how environment friendly this area’s public transit may be.
That is an funding sooner or later. It is an funding in, as Casey stated, what’s sorely wanted, which is issues that may carry us collectively, encourage hope and unity and delight, and you have so much to take delight in right here, in LA and LA County.
Thanks a lot for the possibility to affix you.
Congratulations in your nice work and on these awards.
Thanks very a lot.
