What California Would Lose if the Infrastructure Plan Fails

The state is poised to gain nearly $1 billion from the federal plan for projects ranging from electric vehicle charging stations to bike lanes and zero-emission bus fleets.

1 minute read

August 5, 2021, 7:00 AM PDT

By Diana Ionescu @aworkoffiction


Electric Vehicle Charging

MikesPhotos / Pixabay

Writing in LA Magazine, Heidi Siegmund Cuda asserts that "California, with the fifth largest economy in the world, stands to gain big—nearly $1 billion—in the current $1 trillion infrastructure plan." But "if the bill is scuttled in the Senate, California could lose about $920 million dedicated to 200 projects." These include: 

a dozen bridge repair and construction projects, including a $1 million dollar pedestrian bridge in Wilmington and a bridge safety barrier rail at in Burbank at a cost of $2 million; electric vehicle charging stations for Burbank, Oakland, and San Pedro at about $2.1 million; bike lane expansions and widening in such cities as L.A., North Hollywood, Pasadena, and Camarillo for $6.6 million; and statewide wastewater and drinking water projects; as well as preparing for rising sea levels by shoring up impacted infrastructure.

In Los Angeles, the funding would go toward the Sepulveda Transit Corridor, improvements in the Vermont transit district, bike path improvements, and traffic light upgrades, among other projects. "Zero-emission bus fleets, training, and charging infrastructure are planned for Gardena, Oxnard, Pasadena, San Bernardino, and Wilmington, as part of an $18.2 million investment."

"[U]ltimately, the final bill needs the support of at least ten Senate Republicans as well as that of every Democrat to pass."

Tuesday, July 27, 2021 in L.A. Magazine

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Use Code 25for25 at checkout for 25% off an annual plan!

Redlining map of Oakland and Berkeley.

Rethinking Redlining

For decades we have blamed 100-year-old maps for the patterns of spatial racial inequity that persist in American cities today. An esteemed researcher says: we’ve got it all wrong.

May 15, 2025 - Alan Mallach

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

May 21, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Interior of Place Versailles mall in Montreal, Canada.

Montreal Mall to Become 6,000 Housing Units

Place Versailles will be transformed into a mixed-use complex over the next 25 years.

May 22, 2025 - CBC

Flat modern glass office tower with "County of Santa Clara" sign.

Santa Clara County Dedicates Over $28M to Affordable Housing

The county is funding over 600 new affordable housing units via revenue from a 2016 bond measure.

May 23 - San Francisco Chronicle

Aerial view of dense urban center with lines indicating smart city concept.

Why a Failed ‘Smart City’ Is Still Relevant

A Google-backed proposal to turn an underused section of Toronto waterfront into a tech hub holds relevant lessons about privacy and data.

May 23 - Governing

Pale yellow Sears kit house with red tile roof in Sylva, North Carolina.

When Sears Pioneered Modular Housing

Kit homes sold in catalogs like Sears and Montgomery Ward made homeownership affordable for midcentury Americans.

May 23 - The Daily Yonder