Deputy Mayor for Transportation Borja Leon provides insight into the Mayor's plans for ramping up implementation of Measure R funded projects if the Federal Government fails to back his America Fast Forward program.
Yesterday, we brought you the City Planning Department's take on what L.A.'s public agencies are doing to maximize the investment in transportation made by the voters of Los Angeles County in approving Measure R. Today we provide the Mayor's plans.
Over the past year, much of Mayor Villaraigosa's transit-related efforts have been aimed at convincing the Federal Government to provide the means necessary to ramp up implementation of the projects funded through Measure R. First dubbed the 30/10 initiative, and renamed "America Fast Forward" after a nationwide roll-out, the prospects for Federal buy-in are murky. So the Mayor has developed multiple "Plan B" options to leverage the expected tax revenues.
As Damien Newton writes, "Besides the pursuit of federal dollars, there is also the possibility of asking L.A. County voters to tax themselves again and working with equity firms in China to finance the projects."
"As the clock is ticking on Villaraigosa's term, which ends in June of next year, there's clearly a lot of work to do to see the Mayor's transit vision become reality in a near-term timeline. And as if these three ideas weren't enough to pursue, Leon hints that there could be another surprise proposal come our way."
FULL STORY: The Mayor’s Office, Measure R and Multiple “Plan B’s”
After Setback, L.A. Mayor Still Intent on Speeding Transit Projects
In the aftermath of the seemingly narrow defeat of his pet measure to speed up the expansion of L.A.'s transit infrastructure, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa remains unbowed in his attempts to accelerate his key initiative, writes Ari Bloomekatz.
Is China the Answer to LA's Transportation Funding Woes?
With L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's 'America Fast Forward' plan to fund 30 years of transportation improvements in 10 years going nowhere fast in Congress, Joel Epstein asks if the Mayor might be lining up our country's creditor-in-chief.
New Price Tag for L.A's Biggest Rail Dream: $13 Billion
The Sepulveda Transit Corridor could offer tens of thousands of Los Angeles commuters an alternative to the infamously congested I-405 freeway, if local officials can find the funding.
Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly
Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
San Francisco Suspends Traffic Calming Amidst Record Deaths
Citing “a challenging fiscal landscape,” the city will cease the program on the heels of 42 traffic deaths, including 24 pedestrians.
Bend, Oregon Zoning Reforms Prioritize Small-Scale Housing
The city altered its zoning code to allow multi-family housing and eliminated parking mandates citywide.
Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail
The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.
LA Denies Basic Services to Unhoused Residents
The city has repeatedly failed to respond to requests for trash pickup at encampment sites, and eliminated a program that provided mobile showers and toilets.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
planning NEXT
Appalachian Highlands Housing Partners
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie