Streetsblog Los Angeles

Villaraigosa re-emerges as a leader on bus issues. Photo: Los Angeles Times

This morning, Mayor Villaraigosa’s last term as Chair of the Metro Board of Directors got off to an efficient and relatively controversy-free start as Supervisors passed motions on studying the impacts of Metro’s bus cuts and Bus Rapid Transit expansion, a second study on the costs and benefits of a bike share program, the approval of a green construction program and even a preferred route for California High Speed Rail.  The only real debate among the Board Members came when Director Diane DuBois challenged Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas on the definition of “local” in the local jobs program and on whether or not to give free Metro passes to uniformed Girl Scouts during the group’s 100th birthday party.

Here’s a quick roundup of the major happenings.

Review of bus service and Bus Rapid Transit Opportunities – Nobody can accuse Mayor Villaraigosa of thinking small.  The new Board Chair introduced a motion to examine the impacts of the hundreds of thousands of hours bus service cuts that have occurred since the expiration of the Consent Decree between the agency and Bus Riders Union in 2007.

“We see this as a tremendous opportunity to reverse some of the damage that has been done in South L.A.,” testified the Bus Riders Union’s Sunyoung Yang.

To secure unanimous passage, Mayoral Appointee to the Board Richard Katz clarified that this motion “doesn’t undo anything that this Board has already done.”  When questioned directly, Metro CEO Art Leahy confirmed with this interpretation.

A second part of the motion called on staff to examine the possibilities to expand the agency’s Bus Rapid Transit program.  Yang confirmed the BRU’s support for this strategy, “We should continue building on the victories and the massive breakthrough we had on the Wilshire Bus Only Lanes.”

Also testifying in favor of the motion were other BRU members, the Sierra Club Transportation Committee, and Kymberleigh Richards of the San Fernando Valley Service Council.  The LA Times had more on the Mayor’s bus plans in this morning’s paper.

Green Construction Program – Even critics of Metro have to concede the agency has become a leader in promoting green transportation.  Metro was the first big-city transit agency in the country to have an entirely natural gas bus fleet, and they’re beginning to move towards a zero-emissions fleet.  Today, they finalized a “green construction policy” for Metro projects.

Support for the policy was near universal with the Clean Air Coalition, NRDC, Sierra Club, Bus Riders Union, and East Yard Community Groups for Environmental Policy all voicing support.  No construction or contracting groups expressed opposition.  In fact, the only complaint about the program was that it doesn’t apply to LADOT or Caltrans projects.  The policy passed unanimously.

Basically, the new policy is just what it says it is.  Metro contractors now have to use construction equipment, vehicles, and generators that meet modern clean air standards.  This will improve health for residents and construction crews by requiring equipment that emits significantly less air pollution than older models.  Contractors can meet either retrofit old equipment or purchase new equipment.  The NRDC Switchboard has more details on the program.

Bikes and light rail and high speed rail, all after the jump. Read more…

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa was in Washington, D.C. today to support the dramatic increase in the TIFIA loan program to $1  billion that is proposed in both the House and Senate draft reauthorization bills and is the center plank of the America Fast Forward plan to accelerate transit construction.  By the time he flew out of town, he also through his hat in the ring to be the most popular man about town.  This is Villaraigosa’s 7th trip to the Capital to lobby for and promote portions of the America Fast Forward program.

The Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (TIFIA) program provides Federal credit assistance in the form of direct loans, loan guarantees, and standby lines of credit to finance surface transportation projects of national and regional significance.  Currently, the program stands at $110 million every year.  When transportation chairs Rep. John Mica (R-FL) and his Senate counterpart Barbara Boxer (D-CA) held field hearings on transportation, Villaraigosa reccomended tripling the program.  Both Mica and Boxer tripled Villaraigosa’s suggestion and are reccomending TIFIA be funded at $1 billion a year.

Researchers estimate that  increasing the TIFIA program to $1 billion will create 500,000 jobs over two years and 1.2 million jobs over six years

So, while Democrats piled on Mica, Villaraigosa joined the Congressman on a conference call earlier this month to defend the bill mainly because of the aforementioned increase in the TIFIA program.  While Senator Inhofe (R-OK) has been the poster-boy for bad environmental policy in part because of his denial of global warming, but earned praise from the Mayor for his leadership working with Boxer on a bi-partisan Senate Bill.  On a conference call with reporters, Villaraigosa congratulated Boxer and Inhofe for working together for “showing leadership to create consensus” around a Senate Bill.  Boxer referred to an earlier hearing, at which the Mayor testified in support of her bill, as a “bi-partisan breakthrough.”

But while he offered praise for Mica’s support for TIFIA, the Mayor is backing the proposal from Boxer, precisely because it maintains current funding levels instead of dropping them.  He told L.A. Streetsblog earlier this week that “we all would like to see a larger bill,” but faced with a choice between the status quo and a 30% cut, Villaraigosa backs the status quo.  He told the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works earlier this morning:

And on this point we cannot afford to mince words. I support the approach put forward by this Committee because it maintains current funding levels. Any reduction in funding to our nation’s transportation programs will deal a devastating blow to local projects, local jobs and the national recovery.

According to an analysis by the Federal Highway Administration, a 30% cut to transportation funding would result in a half-million Americans losing their jobs in 2012 in the highway program alone. An additional 130,000 would lose their jobs due to cuts in transit programs.

The Mayor’s full testimony to the Environment and Public Works Committee can be found after the jump.  We’ll have more coverage of today’s hearing from Capitol Hill Streetsblog later today. Read more…

Villaraigosa speaks at the signing of the L.A. City Bike Plan on March 3, 2011. Photo: LA Streetsblog/Flickr

The weekend before Carmageddon, I had a chance encounter with Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa while visiting Councilman Bill Rosendahl’s house as part of an upcoming StreetsFilm that we’re working on.  Villaraigosa was pleasant, and offered to do an interview with Streetsblog sometime soon.  I decided not to bother his staff until after Carmageddon, but on Monday morning his media relations team contacted me to set up an interview with the Mayor to discuss his plans for his year as Metro Board Chair.

Yesterday Carter Rubin and I sat down for a quick phone interview that lasted for ten minutes.  Unfortunately, a police siren obscured one of his answers on the recording but the Mayor still said a lot of interesting things including a rebuttal to one of the central pieces to last week’s L.A. Weekly Article on the Westside Subway, his support for a “green construction” policy for Metro, and that if America Fast Forward doesn’t work out that there is a secret plan to accelerate transit projects anyway.

LASB: Let’s start with something broad.  You’ve just taken over as Metro Board Chair for the third time.  The last time, the signature issue was the passage of Measure R.  Is there any broad plan for the next year?

Representative John Mica is at the podium flanked by Villaraigosa and Boxer at last February's "field hearing" on reauthorization held at the V.A. Hospital in West L.A. Photo:Darrell Clarke

Much has been made of the proposal to reauthorize the Federal Transportation Trust Fund that was submitted by Republican Congressman John Mica last week.  The Mica Bill has been criticized by Democrats who feel left out of the proposal, advocates for green transportation options who bristle at the proposed elimination of the bicycle and pedestrian programs and the construction industry shocked by dramatic cuts to an industry that is already seeing higher-than-average unemployment in an era where the unemployment rate is beyond average.

To paint an even uglier picture, SF Streetsblog broke down the bad news for transit agencies and cities throughout California while Capitol Hill Streetsblog just called it a “disaster for transit.”  But there is a surprise winner in the legislation: Los Angeles’ 30/10 plan, aka America Fast Forward.  This plan would allow Los Angeles to build its Measure R transit projects, currently slated to take three decades, to complete their planning, environmental studies and construction in the next decade.  The plan was rebranded because it provides benefits for all areas of the country willing to shoulder a major chunk of the burden of building their own transit.

Back when Mica and California Senator Barbara Boxer held a field hearing on reauthorization back in February, the Congressman was pressed by Mayor Villaraigosa to dramatically expand the Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (TIFIA) loan program up to $350 million a year which would be a dramatic increase from the $110 million a year funding level it is currently at.  While the Mica Bill cuts spending by nearly 33% from the federal government, this loan program would explode to $1 billion a year, nearly triple what Villaraigosa proposed just over four months ago.  It’s no wonder that while Democrats around the country have attacked the bill so much that Mica is publicly complaining about his treatment, Villaraigosa releases a statement praising Mica:

I know that Chairman Mica, who graciously co-hosted a transportation hearing in the City of Los Angeles earlier this year with Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA), understands the scale and scope of the transportation and economic challenges facing all Americans.

Read more…

Image: LA Weekly

Three years ago, Antonio Villaraigosa took over as Chair of the Metro Board of Directors and used the influence of the Chair to guide the legislation that would lead to the creation of Measure R. The Mayor of Los Angeles chairs the Metro Board once every three years, and Villaraigosa will hold the seat from July 1 until June 30, 2012.  When you consider that the Mayor just took over the presidency of the Conference of Mayors, you can see he certainly has his hands full these days.

Holding the Chairmanship of the Board doesn’t give its holder omnipotence, but a skilled politician can use it to control debate. For example, noted opponent of the 710 Big Dig Project, Ara Najarian held the Chair after Villaraigosa but wasn’t able to get the project de-funded, because he just didn’t have the votes.

So what does the next 12 months hold for Villaraigosa and the Metro Board?  Only time will tell.  If the Mayor has any tricks up his sleeve, he’s keeping them close to the vest.  If you have any thoughts, leave them below.

Looking back, I’m almost embarrassed by the 2008 post announcing his succession.  It sneers at the Mayor and his transportation priorities.  Meanwhile, he’s done such a good job working to create transportation options for Los Angeles that you voted him “politician of the year” last year when I chose Bill Rosendahl.  I also can’t help but notice how much our readership has changed.  That’s a pretty healthy comments section, yet only one of those commenters is still seen regularly on the site these days.

Villaraigosa and other leaders look on as Barbara Boxer announces $543 million in loans for the Crenshaw Line. Because of the loan, the Crenshaw Line was referred to as the "first 30/10 project."

Yesterday, The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee released an outline of some its core principles for a federal transportation reauthorization bill.  One of the main planks of their proposed program would be expanding the TIFIA loan program from a $110 million program to a $1 billion program and re-branding the program “America Fast Forward.”  The policy statement was signed by committee leadership from the Republican and Democrat side of the aisle, including California Senator Barbara Boxer.

Capitol Hill Streetsblog Reports:

TIFIA is currently funded at $110 million a year but demand has far outstripped the availability of loans. Boxer’s committee is proposing to increase that funding nine-fold, to $1 billion a year. She says that amount could leverage $30 billion a year in private investment. They also plan to increase the maximum federal share from 33 percent to 49 percent, with even more favorable terms for rural areas. The TIFIA program will keep its name but be folded into a new, larger program called America Fast Forward.

While inclusion in a proposed piece of federal legislation is doesn’t assure anything in Washington, D.C., this news does make one thing official.  The vision of Move L.A. to accelerate transit programs for areas willing to spend their own money to build them, a program that was championed by L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, has evolved from a local “good idea” to a national policy initiative.  In 2008, L.A. County passed a sales tax to fund transit projects over the next thirty years.  Unhappy with that timeline, a coalition of activists, politicians and labor leaders created the 30/10 initiative to create a federal loan program that would speed up the funding and construction of these programs.  The program was re-branded America Fast Forward earlier this year in an attempt to show the national benefit of changing the way the government funds and loans funds for transit programs.

But the idea and movement started here.  Following the release from the Senate Committee yesterday, Villaraigosa was in the mood to celebrate. Read more…

What a difference a few years makes.  For the fourth time since Streetsblog has been publishing in Los Angeles, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa gave a “state of the city” address to talk about where the city is and where he hopes to lead it in the coming years.  When we first covered this annual speech in 2008, the Mayor barely mentioned transportation other than a promise to ask the MTA Board to work on ways to build out the transit system.  He didn’t even call the agency Metro.

Both of these men gave big speeches yesterday. Villaraigosa's was a little more upbeat. Photo:LAist

In 2009, there was less than one paragraph devoted to transportation related issues.  Last year, it got a little better with a call to action to build the Measure R transit projects in an expediated fashion.  For those people that don’t read Streetsblog or keep up on other transportation issues, this was the first time many people had heard of the 30/10 Initiative.

This year, the focus of the speech, entitled “A New Contract” was reforming Los Angeles’ public school system, but the Mayor took a victory lap on the many improvements that have occurred to Los Angeles’ transportation system and makes clear that the city is truly planning on getting people out of their cars and in to transit, on their bikes or on the sidewalk.  I’m not sure I would go so far as to say that “we are taking a 360-degree approach” to providing alternatives to car culture as the Mayor did, but you can actually see the progress Los Angeles is making by looking at the transportation language in the “States of the City” from yesterday and the three previous years.

There’s a detailed description of America Fast Forward, the city’s large budget for resurfacing, the clean trucks and buses program, and even the value of walking and biking are all a part of the “state of the city” now and moving forward.

I’ve excerpted the transportation language from the State of the City from a copy provided by the Mayor’s press office for this year’s State of the City.  Compare it to the language from past years, and you can see that even though Los Angeles has a long way to go, the City is certainly moving in the right direction. Read more…

Photo: David Starkopf, Office of the Mayor

Yesterday, over a hundred thousand Los Angeles residents turned out for the second-ever cicLAvia.  Envisioned as a way to get busy Angelenos out of their cars and into the streets together, cicLAvia opens up a 7.5 mile route along our city streets, allowing cyclists, skaters, and pedestrians to enjoy a car-free LA.

Ciclovías originated in Bogotá, Colombia over thirty years ago in response to traffic, congestion, and poor air quality.  Now they are fun, family-friendly recreational events taking place in cities all across the U.S. and Latin America.  I was proud to host the first Los Angeles cicLAvia last year, and our second one has already proven to be an even bigger success.

David Starkopf, Office of the Mayor

I can’t tell you how many happy, smiling faces I encountered on my ride yesterday.  People weren’t just happy to be outside — safely enjoying our streets — they were happy to be interacting with their neighbors and supporting local businesses along the route.  As Angelenos, we spend so much time in our cars we often forget that walking or biking or skating isn’t just a great way to exercise, it’s a great way to get to know and enjoy our many vibrant neighborhoods.

With that in mind, I was thrilled to sign the 2010 Bike Plan into law last month.  This visionary plan will transform Los Angeles with 1,600 miles of open, ride-able surfaces.  The plan will make cycling a more viable transportation option for countless commuters, encourage more healthy habits and recreational opportunities, and build more sustainable communities.  With this plan, we are literally paving the way to a 21st century Los Angeles: a cleaner, greener, more bicycle and pedestrian friendly city that is home to a number of viable transportation options.  In the meantime, I hope to enjoy many more cicLAvias, because we can only build the Los Angeles of the future tomorrow if we come together to envision it today.

(Sorry guys, I can’t help myself.  For previous April Fool’s shennanigans, check out last year’s piece on Rita Robinson’s speech in New York or 2008′s announcement of LADOT’s “Be Safe or Be Roadkill” P.S.A. Campaign – DN)

“The number one thing I was looking for was vision.  The number two thing was love of Los Angeles.  Everything else will work itself out.” explains Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa announcing the appointment of actor, entrepreneur, and environmental advocate Ed Begley Jr. as the new General Manager for the Los Angeles Department of Transportation.  A press conference is scheduled at City Hall at noon.  Coincidentally, the entire City Council will be in Van Nuys at the time.

Begley Jr. cheers on candidate Villaraigosa in 2001. Photo:Life Magazine

Begley seems like an odd choice at first, but consider that NYCDOT Super Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan isn’t a transportation engineer, but is trained as a lawyer.  The appointment of such a noted environmentalist and former Grand Marshall for the Los Angeles Bike Coalition’s River Ride, sends a clear signal what Villaraigosa’s priorities are for the rest of his term as it refers to transportation.

“People call the Caltrans building that houses my new team the ‘Death Star.’” Begley notes in the press release, “But now we’ll call it the Life Star.  The first thing we’re going to do is put some solar panels on that thing and use the energy to power some e-car stations in the parking garage.”

Even as I’m typing this, statements of congratulations are rolling across the wire.  Councilman Bill Rosendahl has just expressed his excitement, “to work with a man who was riding his bike when riding a bike was cool the first time.”  Councilman Tom LaBonge noted that “it’s good that someone who played football in high school is running with the ball for the DOT.”

Interim LADOT General Manager Amir Sedadi, a leading candidate for the job until this morning’s release, seemed almost relieved, “Have fun at those Neighborhood Council meetings on bike lanes and RV’s.  At least I won’t have to explain to Council Members why my boss is calling them “out of touch” and “braindead.”

Begley will also be replacing Councilman Huizar on the Metro Board of Directors, which will certainly come as a surprise to many other members of the Board who were unaware that Huizar served on the Board for the last two years.  “I thought the Mayor appointed the football guy,” supplied Supervisor Gloria Molina.

The press conference is scheduled for noon at City Hall, where Villaraigosa and Begley Jr. won’t have to share the stage with any Council Members who are trapped at Van Nuys City Hall for their monthly meeting in the Valley.  Rosendahl’s Transportation Committee has scheduled a confirmation hearing for April 20.

As 30/10 morphs into the national campaign known as “America Fast Forward,” so does the media campaign to make a federal loan or bonding program a reality that would allow Los Angeles to build the Measure R transit projects in the next ten years.

Yesterday, Time Magazine posted a video featuring Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa discussing the future of transit funding and the bi-partisan coalition backing infrastructure investments.  If you’ve been following the local discussions around 30/10 or America Fast Forward, most of the video won’t be anything new.  The timing of the placement is perfect as the Mayor heads to Washington D.C. today to lobby Congress and speak to the progressive economics organization Move America Forward.

A feature in TIME Magazine, even in the form of a web video, is important national exposure for the Mayor and America Fast Forward.  The Mayor doesn’t waste the opportunity, pointing out that changes in federal law that allow for faster infrastructure investment are good for other major cities, such as New York and Chicago, as well as Los Angeles.