$2.1 Billion from D.C. — A Team Effort

by Gary Toebben

I’ve made more than 100 trips to Washington D.C. during my 39 years serving chambers of commerce in four states, but last Wednesday’s trip to D.C. was the most rewarding. Its purpose was the signing by Metro and federal transportation officials of a $1.25 billion Capital Investment Grant and an $856 million Transportation Infrastructure Finance & Innovation Act (TIFIA) loan for phase one of the Purple Line Extension to West Los Angeles County. 

Last week’s $2.1 billion success resulted from the same kind of teamwork that gave the Los Angeles Kings two playoff victories over the Chicago Blackhawks during the Memorial Day weekend. It was the culmination of years of planning and hard work by transportation planners, local and federal elected officials, business leaders, labor leaders and environmentalists. 

Sen. Barbara Boxer, chair of the Senate Committee on Environment & Public Works, and Sen. Dianne Feinstein, a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, both played key roles. So did County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky and former Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa who led the charge on Measure R, the county half-cent sales tax passed by the voters in 2008. Without Measure R, the Purple Line Extension would not have even been on anyone's radar screen in Washington, D.C. 

Other essential components were Mayor Eric Garcetti’s close relationship with President Barack Obama, a new transportation secretary who is a former mayor and touts Measure R as a role model in every speech he gives across America, the Metro Board’s dogged persistence to build the Purple Line, Metro CEO Art Leahy’s skilled leadership and Villaraigosa's 30-10 dream which led to the America Fast Forward initiative that spawned the expansion of the TIFIA loan program. 

Add to these efforts the constant pressure from hundreds of business and community leaders during the Chamber’s annual ACCESS Washington, D.C. meetings with members of Congress and the administration and strong support from organized labor and the environmental community both locally and in Washington, D.C. 

This list of key players is not all inclusive because 68 percent of the voters in L.A. County supported Measure R and many other community leaders and local and federal elected officials have committed their energy, money and reputations to this major initiative to reduce congestion in L.A. County. 

What is clear from this achievement is that there is no limit to what L.A. County can achieve when we all work together. I thank everyone who supported Measure R and everyone who has been lobbying Congress and the administration for additional funding. 

This $2.1 billion in federal funding for phase one of the Purple Line Extension is a really big deal that we can all celebrate. Congratulations Metro and L.A. County!

And that's The Business Perspective.