Items 47, 49, 261, 337
Transit/infrastructure investments, local and national, Cal Trans and Los Angeles County Department of Public Works:
There has been little change to positively affect Los Angeles County's distinction for having the worst traffic in the nation.
Over many years, there have been an abundance of proposals for rapid transit, trains and monorails. But just as proposed improvements of the freeway system from the 1960's until present were compromised by graft, contractor corruption, third world planning and scheduling, the apathy of career politicians who see no direct gain for themselves and hence do nothing appears to have been the dominant theme.
Locally and nationally, there must be effective oversight within Cal Trans and the Departments of Public Works so that the executives are accountable in allocating taxpayer money as if they were spending their own.
Providing that the legislation is worded to direct funds responsibly, I will work toward the funding and construction of the California monorails down the north-south 405 freeway from Ventura to Long Beach and east-west in directions across L.A. County to connect our airports, tourist attractions and entertainment centers, in conjunction with incentives to encourage businesses and citizens to "park and ride.”
Providing that the legislation is worded to direct funds responsibly, I will also work toward making the bullet train a reality because of the short term benefits from creating jobs, and the infusion of capital into the economy, and the long-term benefits that will derive from more closely connecting the businesses and people of California.
47. Implement effective traffic solutions: Public works contractors in Los Angeles have done some wonderful things, such as repairing the city's freeways after the 1994 earthquake ahead of time and under budget. But there is a thin line between corruption and incompetence, and on more than one occasion, Cal Trans and Public Works have let bids to private contractors who began work on contracts worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, when they knew, or should have known, that the engineering department plans were totally wrong, the project was ill-timed, or unnecessary, and that taxpayer money was being squandered.
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