Governor Gavin Newsom on Monday released his proposed budget for the upcoming fiscal year. The highlight, as you may have heard in the news: the state has a projected $31-billion budget surplus.
The budget focuses on five key areas of investment: the pandemic, the climate crisis, homelessness, mitigating increases in the cost of living and safety.
The proposal includes $9.1 billion in new transportation spending with $2 billion for statewide transit projects, $1.25 billion for transit projects in Southern California, $750 million for active transportation, $500 million for railroad street separations and $400 million for climate adaptation related to transportation.
The proposal has $4.2 billion for the state’s high-speed rail project, which has an initial segment under construction in the Central Valley.
There are also funds to increase zero-emission vehicles, including 1,700 new zero-emission transit buses. The Budget proposes $2.3 billion for supply chain investments, including $1.2 billion for port, freight and goods movement infrastructure and $1.1 billion for other areas, including zero emission vehicles equipment and other infrastructure related to the supply chain.
Metro CEO Stephanie Wiggins issued the following statement:
We would like to thank Governor Newsom for his ongoing commitment to California’s transportation systems, including the funding of zero-emissions buses and workforce development in his budget proposal. These investments help support our efforts to offer additional transit resources to Los Angeles County, which helps us equitably meet the mobility needs of our communities who need it most.
Metro’s Board of Directors “Golden Opportunity” budget request outlined $16.5 billion in transportation initiatives because we believe California has a golden opportunity to make an historic investment in mobility using the current budget surplus. These dollars would advance sustainability initiatives and create tens of thousands of jobs, support projects in preparation for the 2028 Olympics and Paralympic Games and develop high-speed and commuter rail services. We have billions of dollars of projects in the pipeline that are both shovel-ready and shovel-worthy. As the package moves its way through the legislative process, we strongly advocate for the inclusion of Metro’s “Golden Opportunity” package in the final budget.”
Metro staff are reviewing the details of the budget proposal to see how it may impact Los Angeles County. The Legislature has until June 15 to pass a state budget for the next fiscal year.
Metro would like to thank Governor Newsom for his ongoing commitment to invest in our state’s transportation system, and we urge the Legislature to take into account the Board’s Golden Opportunity package as it considers the Governor’s proposal.
Categories: Policy & Funding, Projects