Basic Infrustructure & Transporation
Spending on transportation is out of control - but the roads are getting worse.
Spending on transportation is out of control - but the roads are getting worse.
You can feel it every time you get in your car – Our transportation infrastructure is crumbling.
According to the 29th Annual Highway report, our state ranks 49th in the Nation in Overall Cost-Effectiveness and Condition of our roads, sliding several places since 2021.
Unfortunately, it’s not for a lack of spending. California spends $49,989 per mile of road, the 44th highest in the country.
It is HOW that money is being spent. Instead of focusing on maintaining the infrastructure we rely on everyday, our state has wasted precious resources on pet projects that have gone nowhere and benefited no one.
A lack of accountability and oversight has allowed budgets to balloon away from core transportation spending.
You have likely heard of the infamous “rail to nowhere” project, which was supposed to connect LA to SF by high speed rail. To date, the scope of the project has been reduced to Merced and Bakersfield, and the project has spent nearly $15 billion dollars, with $6.8 billion in federal funds. Due the lack of progress and delays in the project, the federal government has rescinded the remaining funding, resulting a billions of dollars lost from the state transportation budget.
The money spent on the high speed rail project could have funded the DOT's Road Maintenance and Rehabilitation Account for over 6 years.
Would that $15B have been better spent paying for 6 years of road repairs or more light rail in LA?
Unfortunately this lack of oversight is not unique to the high speed rail project.
In our district, the LAX Automated People Mover, 2.25-mile train system has cost a whopping $3.34 billion, making it one of the most expensive rail systems per mile anywhere in the world. It was supposed to be finished in 2023 and cost $1B less.
The DMV’s DXP project to continue website and IT infrastructure upgrades will cost nearly half a billion dollars ($414,676,034), a 60% increase over the initial 2024 estimates. Their 2026 budget request includes the hiring over over 44 additional project management office and project owner positions – a request that would sound absurd for a project of such magnitude in private industry.
Any future federal grants for transit must be accompanied by strict independent oversight provisions, ensuring that our taxes are spent efficiently on road repairs and infrastructure upgrades, and not diverted to pet projects.
The LAX Peoplemover will cost $1.48B per mile. Making it one of the most expensive rail systems ever built.
You can feel it every time you get in your car – Our transportation infrastructure is crumbling.
According to the 29th Annual Highway report, our state ranks 49th in the Nation in Overall Cost-Effectiveness and Condition of our roads, sliding several places since 2021.
Unfortunately, it’s not for a lack of spending. California spends $49,989 per mile of road, the 44th highest in the country.
It is HOW that money is being spent. Instead of focusing on maintaining the infrastructure we rely on everyday, our state has wasted precious resources on pet projects that have gone nowhere and benefited no one.
A lack of accountability and oversight has allowed budgets to balloon away from core transportation spending.
You have likely heard of the infamous “rail to nowhere” project, which was supposed to connect LA to SF by high speed rail. To date, the scope of the project has been reduced to Merced and Bakersfield, and the project has spent nearly $15 billion dollars, with $6.8 billion in federal funds. Due the lack of progress and delays in the project, the federal government has rescinded the remaining funding, resulting a billions of dollars lost from the state transportation budget.
The money spent on the high speed rail project could have funded the DOT's Road Maintenance and Rehabilitation Account for over 6 years.
Would that $15B have been better spent paying for 6 years of road repairs or more light rail in LA?
Unfortunately this lack of oversight is not unique to the high speed rail project.
In our district, the LAX Automated People Mover, 2.25-mile train system has cost a whopping $3.34 billion, making it one of the most expensive rail systems per mile anywhere in the world. It was supposed to be finished in 2023 and cost $1B less.
The DMV’s DXP project to continue website and IT infrastructure upgrades will cost nearly half a billion dollars ($414,676,034), a 60% increase over the initial 2024 estimates. Their 2026 budget request includes the hiring over over 44 additional project management office and project owner positions – a request that would sound absurd for a project of such magnitude in private industry.