A Los Angeles lawmaker said Monday that he wants Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom’s proposal to guarantee high-speed rail $1 billion annually also to dedicate more funding to Southern California transit agencies.
What happened: State Sen. Henry Stern (D), who represents portions of Ventura and western Los Angeles counties, said in an interview that the region’s transit agencies should receive a greater share of state funding if the high-speed rail project receives its $1 billion under Newsom’s spending plan for revenue from the state’s trading program for greenhouse gases.
“Metro and Metrolink are in the middle of critical capital projects with major ridership potential,” Stern said. “We don’t want to be at the back of the line for state transportation dollars anymore.”
Stern said that while he does not oppose the plan to fund high-speed rail with cap-and-trade auction revenues, Southern California is “eager to get its fair share.” He suggested that the region’s agencies should also receive $1 billion in ongoing funding.
