Last week Metro CEO Art Leahy announced that the U.S. Senate’s Environment and Public Works Committee, chaired by Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA), and the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, chaired by Representative John Mica (R-FL), will be holding a field hearing this month in Los Angeles County to discuss our nation’s next surface transportation bill.

This morning, additional information on the event was released via Art Leahy’s email to staff:

On February 23, 2011 the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works Committee and the U.S. House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee will hold a field hearing entitled “Improving and Reforming our Nation’s Surface Transportation Program to Support Job Creation.”  The hearing will be led by the Chairs of the respective committees, U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and U.S. Representative John Mica (R-FL).  The field hearing, which will begin at 8:30 a.m., will be held at the West Los Angeles Veterans Administration Campus in the Brentwood Theater located at 11301 Wilshire Boulevard. The committees will hear testimony from community leaders and government officials on national, state, and local transportation priorities, and innovative ideas for improving transportation programs. This hearing is one in a series as both committees continue their work on the next transportation authorization bill. This evening, the office of U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer released the following list of witnesses for the field hearing: Metro Board of Directors Chairman and County Supervisor Don Knabe, the Honorable Antonio R. Villaraigosa, Mayor, City of Los Angeles; Ms. Cindy McKim, Director, Caltrans; Ms. María Elena Durazo, Executive Secretary Treasurer, Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO; Mr. Will Kempton, CEO, Orange County Transportation Authority; Ms.Kathryn Phillips, Director of The California Transportation and Air Initiative, Environmental Defense Fund; Mr. Steve Heminger, Executive Director, Metropolitan Transportation Commission; and Ms. Anne Mayer, Executive Director, Riverside County Transportation Commission.

As we mentioned last week, this hearing is a great opportunity for L.A. County’s elected officials to make a strong case for the 30/10 initiative. The Veterans Administration Campus is accessible via Metro Rapid line 720, Metro Local line 20, as well as Santa Monica Big Blue Bus lines 2, 3, and 4. Metro’s trip planner is available here.