GOOD AFTERNOON. THE ASSEMBLY
TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE IS
CALLED TO ORDER. WELCOME
EVERYBODY. THE HEARING ROOM IS
OPEN FOR ATTENDANCE OF THIS
HEARING, AND IT CAN BE WATCHED
FROM A LIVE STREAM ON THE
ASSEMBLY'S WEBSITE. WE ENCOURAGE
THE PUBLIC TO PROVIDE WRITTEN
TESTIMONY BY VISITING THE
COMMITTEE WEBSITE. PLEASE NOTE
THAT ANY WRITTEN TESTIMONY
SUBMITTED TO THE COMMITTEE IS
CONSIDERED PUBLIC COMMENT AND
MAYBE READ INTO THE RECORD OR
REPRINTED. WE WILL ALLOW.
DEPENDING ON THE NUMBER OF
PEOPLE WISHING TO GIVE TESTIMONY
WILL EITHER OFFER EACH WITNESS
ONE OR TWO MINUTES EACH. IN
SUPPORT AND OPPOSITION,
DEPENDING ON THE NUMBER OF
PEOPLE WHO PLAN TO COMMENT AFTER
THE PRESENTATION AND DISCUSSION
OF EACH ITEM, SO WE'RE GOING TO
ALLOW FOR PUBLIC COMMENT AFTER
EACH PARTICULAR ITEM. WE'RE
GOING TO START WITH WITNESSES IN
THE ROOM AND THEN WE'RE GOING TO
PROCEED TO THE TELEPHONE TO USE
OUR TELEPHONE SERVICE. THE
NUMBER TO CALL IS 87769 TO 89 57
, AND THE ACCESS CODE IS 18 50
1100. FINALLY THE ASSEMBLY HAS
UNFORTUNATELY EXPERIENCED A
NUMBER OF DISRUPTIONS TO
COMMITTEE AND FLOOR PROCEEDINGS
IN THE LAST FEW YEARS. CONDUCT
THAT DISRUPTS, DISTURBS OR
OTHERWISE IMPEDE THE ORDERLY
CONDUCT OF THE HEARING IS
PROHIBITED. SUCH CONDUCT MAY
INCLUDE TALKING OR MAKING LOUD
NOISES FROM THE AUDIENCE,
UTTERING LOUD THREATENING OR
ABUSIVE LANGUAGE SPEAKING LONGER
THAN THE TIME ALLOTTED EXTENDED
DISCUSSIONS OF MATTERS NOT
RELATING TO THE SUBJECT OF THE
HEARING AND OTHER DISRUPTIVE
ACTS. TO ADDRESS ANY DISRUPTIVE
CONDUCT. I WILL TAKE THE
FOLLOWING STEPS. IF AN
INDIVIDUAL DISRUPTS OUR HEARING
PROCESS, I'LL DIRECT THEM TO
STOP AND WARNED THEM THAT
CONTINUED DISRUPTIONS MAY RESULT
IN REMOVAL FROM THE BUILDING. WE
WILL ALSO DOCUMENT ON THE RECORD
, THE INDIVIDUAL INVOLVED AND
THE NATURE OF THE DISRUPTIVE
CONDUCT. I MIGHT HAVE TO
TEMPORARILY RECESSED THE
HEARING, HOPEFULLY NOT AND OF
THE CONDUCT DOES NOT STOP. I
WILL REQUEST THE ASSISTANCE OF
THE SERGEANTS AND ESCORTING THE
INDIVIDUALS FROM THE BUILDING. I
WANT TO THANK ALL OF YOU IN
ADVANCE FOR YOUR COOPERATION.
WITH THAT WE'RE GOING TO BEGIN
OUR HEARING. TODAY WE'RE HOLDING
AN INFORMATIONAL HEARING ON FIVE
OF THE 10 PROPOSALS REGARDING
MAJOR PUBLIC INFRASTRUCTURE
PROJECTS RELATED TO
TRANSPORTATION THAT THE
ADMINISTRATION RELEASED ON MAY
19TH 2023, AND THAT THE
ADMINISTRATION HAS REQUESTED A
QUICK QUICK ACTION ON AND
FEEDBACK FROM THE PROPOSALS,
ACCORDING TO THE GOVERNOR, ARE
INTENDED TO SPEED UP DELIVERY OF
MAJOR INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS
AND SHORTEN THE AMOUNT OF TIME
CERTAIN PROJECTS SPENT IN
COURTS. TODAY WILL BE AN
OPPORTUNITY FOR THE
ADMINISTRATION TO PRESENT THEIR
PROPOSALS TO HEAR FROM THE
LEGISLATIVE ANALYST'S OFFICE TO
ALLOW ASSEMBLYMEMBER'S TO ASK
QUESTIONS AND TO HEAR FROM
STAKEHOLDERS. AS WE CONSIDER
THESE. I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO
KEEP TO HOLD IN MIND. ALWAYS
TRYING TO REMEMBER WHAT THE
ACTUAL PROBLEMS ARE THAT WE'RE
TRYING TO SOLVE WITH THE
PROPOSALS. WHAT THE DEMONSTRATED
EVIDENCES OF IMPLEMENTS AND
BOTTLENECKS AND WHAT WHAT? HOW
WHAT IS BEING PROPOSED WOULD FIX
THOSE PROBLEMS AND SPEED UP THE
PROJECTS THAT WE ALL WANT IN
CALIFORNIA. WHAT ARE THE TRADE
OFFS THAT MIGHT BE ASSOCIATED
WITH THE SOLUTIONS? AND COULD
SOME OF THOSE PROBLEMS BE
ADDRESSED MORE INCREMENTALLY AND
OF THE PROPOSALS? WHAT ARE THE
NEAR TERM COULD BE DONE WITH
MINIMAL HARM? WHAT SHOULD BE
CONSIDERED FOR MEDIUM TIMELINE
AND WHAT WE'VE CONSIDERED FOR A
LONGER TIMELINE, AND IS THIS
PROCESS A GOOD ONE FOR SOLVING
THE DEMONSTRATED PROBLEMS? UM I
WILL JUST SAY THAT I SHARE THE
ADMINISTRATION'S DESIRE TO GET
THINGS MOVING IN CALIFORNIA AND
TO GET US BUILDING AND I THINK
THAT WE DO HAVE TO LISTEN TO
PEOPLE WHO HAVE CONCERNS ABOUT
ANY UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES AND
TAKE THOSE SERIOUSLY SO THAT
WHATEVER COMES OUT TO THE FLOOR
OF THE LEGISLATURE IS THE
ABSOLUTE BEST LEGISLATION THAT
IT COULD BE. WITH THAT. I'D LIKE
TO SEE IF ANY OF MY COLLEAGUES
HAVE ANY OPENING REMARKS.
REMEMBER, CARILLO SAID THAT I
AGREE WITH YOU WITH SUPPORTING
THOSE PROJECTS LOOKING FORWARD
TO WORKING ON THOSE. THANK YOU.
THANK YOU. ANYONE ELSE? OKAY? SO
WE ARE GOING TO THEN BEGIN. I'D
LIKE TO INVITE REPRESENTATIVES
FROM THE ADMINISTRATION AND THE
L A O TO THE TABLE. I BELIEVE WE
HAVE GAIL MILLER, SENIOR COUNSEL
AND INFRASTRUCTURE AND CLEAN
ENERGY FINANCE TOOK SO MUCH
AACHEN, SECRETARY OF THE
CALIFORNIA STATE TRANSPORTATION
AGENCY, FURTHER TOUR TO BE KNOWN
AS COW. HOW STUFF FOR THE REST
OF THE HEARING. MARK TOLLEFSON,
UNDER SECRETARY SECRETARY OF
CALISTA MY CHEEVER CHIEF DEPUTY
DIRECTOR CALTRANS. RACHEL
EHLERS, DEPUTY LEGISLATIVE
ANALYST, ENVIRONMENT AND
TRANSPORTATION AND FRANK JIMENEZ
SENIOR FISCALLY FISCAL AND
POLICY ANALYST. SO WE'RE GOING
TO FIRST HEAR PRESENTATION FROM
THE ADMINISTRATION ON EACH
PROPOSAL. AND THEN AFTER THAT,
WE'RE GOING TO ASK THE L A. OH
IF THEY HAVE ANY COMMENTS THAT
I'M GOING TO HAVE MEMBERS ASK
QUESTIONS ABOUT THE PROPOSAL. TO
WHOEVER THEY LIKE ON THE PANEL,
AND WE'D LIKE ALL OF YOU TO STAY
UP HERE IF YOU CAN, WHEN WE OPEN
UP THE COMMENTS TO THE PUBLIC AT
THAT POINT OKAY, SO THE ITEMS
THAT WERE GOING TO BE HEARING IS
. SO WE'RE GONNA START WITH ITEM
NUMBER ONE ACCELERATING
ENVIRONMENTAL MITIGATION. YOU
NEED TO PUSH THE BUTTON FOR THE
MICROPHONE. THANK YOU. THANK
YOU. I APPRECIATE IT. HI I'M
GAIL MILLER. I'M THE SENIOR
COUNSELOR ON INFRASTRUCTURE AND
CLEAN ENERGY FINANCE AND ALSO UM
, CHIEF DEPUTY FOR POLICY AT THE
CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF FINANCE
. REALLY GRATEFUL THAT YOU'RE
OPENING THIS UP AND ALLOWING US
AN OPPORTUNITY TO TALK ABOUT THE
PROPOSALS IN GENERAL. IS IT OKAY
WITH YOU IF WE DO KIND OF A
BROAD OVERVIEW AND THEN WE'LL
HAVE CALISTA SPEAK TO EACH OF
THE PROPOSALS AS WELL. WOULD
THAT BE OKAY, MADAM CHAIR? SO WE
WERE WE WERE SO IF YOU'RE SAYING
THAT THEY'RE GOING TO SPEAK TO
EACH OF THE PROPOSALS. WE WERE
GOING TO TAKE THE PROPOSALS ONE
BY ONE AND ASKED FOR COMMENTS
SEPARATELY FROM THE PUBLIC. GOT
IT. OKAY IF YOU THINK THERE'S A
BETTER WAY TO DO IT, WE'RE OPEN
TO THAT. BUT WE THOUGHT SOME
PEOPLE WANT TO WEIGH IN ON ONE
ITEM OR A DIFFERENT ITEMS, SO
THIS WOULD GIVE THEM THAT'S
GREAT, OKAY? YES COVER THE WHOLE
THING. YOU THINK SECRETARY OKAY?
IS IT OKAY TO DO THE WHOLE THING
AT ONCE? JUST GIVING TIMING.
OKAY? AND THEN WE'LL EAT WHAT?
WE'LL ALL BE HERE TO ANSWER
SPECIFIC QUESTIONS, SO I THINK I
JUST WANTED TO START WITH START
WITH THE HOW WE CAME UP WITH
THIS PROPOSAL. OBVIOUSLY EACH OF
YOU ON THE COMMITTEE HAVE WORKED
TO ENSURE THAT WE ARE BUILDING
AS MUCH AS WE CAN AS FAST AS WE
CAN IN CALIFORNIA. SO WHAT
YOU'LL HEAR WITH THIS WHOLE
PACKAGE AS WE REALLY MAINTAINED
ALL OF THE PIECES OF SEQUEL
MITIGATION AND PUBLIC PROCESS
WHAT WE TRIED TO WORK ON OR
PIECES THAT THE LEGISLATURE HAS
WORKED ON IN THE PAST. TO REALLY
AFFECT THE AMOUNT OF TIME THE
AMOUNT OF DOCUMENTS NECESSARY
AND COST SAVINGS. SO A LOT OF
THE QUESTIONS I KNOW AND WHAT
YOU'LL HEAR FROM SECRETARY ON
THE SHOCKING TODAY IS WHY THE
URGENCY WHY NOW, SO WE'LL
ACTUALLY GIVE YOU SOME SPECIFIC
EXAMPLES OF HOW WE IN FACT, DO
THINK THAT THESE THAT SPECIFIC
PROJECTS WILL MOVE FORWARD
FASTER THAN IF THIS WERE TO BE
PASSED IN AUGUST OR JANUARY.
THAT THESE REALLY DO MAKE A
DIFFERENCE, AND, OF COURSE, IT'S
BOTH FOR THE FEDERAL FUNDING AND
YOU'LL HEAR ABOUT COMPETITIVE
FUNDING. I DO WANT TO BE REALLY
CLEAR THAT EVEN THE
INFRASTRUCTURE FUNDING FROM THE
I J. A ABOUT 39% OF THAT MONEY
HAS COMPETITIVE SO IT'S NOT ALL
FORMULA FUNDING. AND THEN, OF
COURSE, MUCH OF THE INFLATION
REDUCTION ACT IS COMPETITIVE. SO
AS WE GET MORE AND MORE
INFORMATION FROM THE FEDERAL
GOVERNMENT ON COMPETITIVE
PROGRAMS AND GRANTS AND NO FOES
AND APPLICATIONS. WE REALLY ARE
SEEING THE QUESTIONS. HOW LONG
WILL IT TAKE? AND WE WANT
CALIFORNIA TO REALLY BE ABLE TO
ANSWER THAT QUESTION. AND THEN
THE SECOND PIECE AND YOU'LL HEAR
THIS FROM DEVELOPERS OF CLEAN
ENERGY OF HOUSING. IT'S THAT
WATER AND SEWER SYSTEMS AND
STREETS AND ROADS, ALL SUPPORT
GENERAL INFRASTRUCTURE, AND WE
NEED THOSE IN PLACE IN ORDER TO
GET THINGS BUILT SO WE DO, IN
FACT, THINK THERE IS A REAL
URGENCY AND, OF COURSE, LOOK
FORWARD TO REALLY WORKING
TOGETHER TO SEE THIS AS PART OF
THE GOVERNOR'S BUDGET, SO YOU'RE
GOING TO HEAR KIND OF THREE
GENERAL CATEGORIES. THE
ALTERNATIVE DELIVERY METHODS
YOU'LL HEAR A LOT ABOUT THIS
COMMITTEE HAS ALREADY WORKED SO
MUCH ON THAT WE'VE SEEN
BROADBAND, FOR EXAMPLE. GO FROM
33 MONTHS TO 11 MONTHS JUST FROM
PIECES THAT MANY ON THIS
COMMITTEE WORKED ON. UM YOUR
WE'LL HEAR ABOUT THE EXPEDITED
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW AND THE
PERMITTING STREAMLINING, ALL OF
WHICH I THINK AND WE'LL GET YOU
MORE AND MORE INFORMATION WE'VE
WITH OUR COLLEAGUES AT THE LA OR
HAVE STARTED TO REVIEW ALL OF
THE NO FOLKS COMING UP ALL OF
THE INFORMATION LISTED ON
FEDERAL WEBSITES. SO YOU'RE
REALLY GETTING THIS REAL TIME
INFORMATION AS WE GET IT SO THAT
YOU CAN BE AS TRANSPARENT AS
POSSIBLE IN TERMS OF WHAT WE
THINK CAN BE BUILT A LOT FASTER,
SO AGAIN. THE TIMING ABSOLUTELY
MAKES A DIFFERENCE. EVERYTHING
WE DO IN CALIFORNIA, UNLIKE ANY
OTHER STATE IN THE NATION, IS
WITH THE COUNTRY'S MOST
AMBITIOUS CLIMATE GOALS IN PLACE
. AS THE GOVERNOR SAID, WE DON'T
EXPECT TO SEE THIS KIND OF
INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENT. AGAIN
IN IN THE VERY NEAR FUTURE. WE
HAVE $180 BILLION. WE CAN INVEST
400,000 DIRECT AND INDIRECT JOBS
. YOU'LL HEAR A LOT ABOUT THE
FOLKS THAT ARE REALLY THAT WE'RE
HOPING, REALLY GET PUT TO WORK
THROUGH THIS PROJECT. SO
GRATEFUL TO BE HERE. NO THERE'S
A LOT OF QUESTIONS JUST REALLY,
REALLY THANKFUL FOR THE
OPPORTUNITY. AND IF IT'S OKAY
WITH YOU, MADAM CHAIR TO TURN IT
OVER TO SECRETARY ALMOST
SHOCKING CAN BE A LITTLE MORE
SPECIFIC AND THEN OBVIOUSLY WANT
TO ANSWER AS MANY QUESTIONS AS
AS WE POSSIBLY CAN. THANK YOU
AGAIN. THANK YOU. THANK YOU,
GAIL. FOR THOSE THOSE OPENING
COMMENTS, CHAIR AND COMMITTEE
MEMBERS THANK YOU FOR THE
OPPORTUNITY TO PRESENT ON
GOVERNOR NEWSOM'S TRANSPORTATION
TRAILER BILL PACKAGE THIS
AFTERNOON. BEFORE I START
SHARING MORE INFORMATION ON WHY
THIS PACKAGE IS SO IMPORTANT.
LIKE TO SHARE A LITTLE BIT ABOUT
WHAT DRIVES OUR WORK IN
TRANSPORTATION TODAY IN
CALIFORNIA. TRANSPORTATION
SYSTEMS ARE ABOUT PEOPLE. AND
ULTIMATELY IMPROVING THEIR
QUALITY OF LIFE. OUR WORK AT THE
AGENCY. CASTOR IS DRIVEN BY FOUR
PRIORITIES WE CALL THE CORE
FOUR. SAFETY EQUITY, CLIMATE
ACTION AND ECONOMIC PROSPERITY.
TRANSPORTATION POLICY DONE RIGHT
CREATES WELL PAYING JOBS. IS A
GOOD STEWARD OF THE ENVIRONMENT.
AND POWERS OUR ECONOMY. THE
STATE HAS ALREADY MADE MANY
STEPS IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION IN
RECENT YEARS, BEGINNING WITH THE
ADOPTION OF THE CLIMATE ACTION
PLAN FOR TRANSPORTATION
INFRASTRUCTURE, ALSO KNOWN AS
CAPTAIN. BY ADOPTING CAPTIVITY.
THE STATE COMMITTED TO INVESTING
BILLIONS OF DISCRETIONARY AND
FORMULA TRANSPORTATION DOLLARS
ANNUALLY TO AGGRESSIVELY COMBAT
AND ADAPT TO CLIMATE CHANGE
WHILE SUPPORTING PUBLIC HEALTH.
SAFETY AND EQUITY. THEREFORE. IT
IS IMPERATIVE WE CONTINUE TO
MAKE PROGRESS. THE GOVERNOR'S
INFRASTRUCTURE PACKAGE
REPRESENTS ANOTHER AMBITIOUS
EFFORT. AND AIMS TO MAXIMIZE
TAXPAYER DOLLARS AND DELIVER
RESULTS WHILE CREATING HUNDREDS
OF THOUSANDS OF GOOD JOBS AND
WORKING TOWARDS ACHIEVING
CALIFORNIA'S WORLD LEADING
CLIMATE GOALS. THIS PACKAGE
WOULD EXPEDITE A NUMBER OF
TRANSPORTATION PROJECTS FROM
ROUTINE HIGHWAY MAINTENANCE. AND
SAFETY PROJECTS TO INNOVATIVE
AND COMPLEX TRANSPORTATION
IMPROVEMENTS THAT TAKE YEARS TO
IMPLEMENT. AND REQUIRE COSTLY
AND TIME CONSUMING, PERMITTING
AND MITIGATION. ACCELERATING
PROJECTS WILL ALLOW CALTRANS
OBLIGATE FUNDS OR MORE PROJECTS
THROUGH EARLIER CONTRACTING
OPPORTUNITIES AND WILL AVOID
INFLATIONARY IMPACTS OF DELAY.
CONTRACTING OUT MORE QUICKLY
ACCELERATES PROJECTS SHOWS THE
STATE'S READINESS AND MAKES THEM
MORE COMPETITIVE FOR FEDERAL
GRANT FUNDING THROUGH NOTICES OF
FUNDING OPPORTUNITY. THERE ARE
AT LEAST A DOZEN FEDERAL GUN
OPPORTUNITIES AVAILABLE NOW AND
DOZENS MORE TO COME. CREATING
HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS
OF OPPORTUNITY FOR CALIFORNIA
INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS. AND
POTENTIALLY EVEN BILLIONS, FOR
EXAMPLE, BILLIONS ARE EXPECTED
TO BE MADE AVAILABLE NATIONWIDE
THIS SUMMER. THROUGH THE MEGA
INFRA AND RURAL SURFACE
TRANSPORTATION PROGRAMS. IN
ADDITION TO FEDERAL PROGRAMS TO
RECONNECT COMMUNITIES CREATE
GREAT SEPARATION PROJECTS AND
REHABILITATE AGING BRIDGES
ACROSS THE STATE. THIS PACKAGE
WOULD MAKE THE STATE MORE
COMPETITIVE. FOR THESE UPCOMING
GRANT OPPORTUNITIES. PROGRESSIVE
DESIGN BUILD AUTHORITY, FOR
EXAMPLE, WOULD ALLOW FOR EARLIER
CONTRACTING. OUT AS EARLY AS THE
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW PHASE, THEN
DESIGN BUILD, WHICH REQUIRES 30%
DESIGN BEFORE CONTRACTING OUT.
ADDITIONALLY JOB ORDER
CONTRACTING WAS SAVING MONTHS
OFF OF PROJECT DELIVERY,
ALLOWING CALTRANS TO TASK ON
CALL CONTRACT. THERE'S SOONER
FOR ROUTINE HIGHWAY WORK. MOVING
THIS PACKAGE THROUGH THE BUDGET
WILL ALLOW CALTRANS TO GET
CONTRACTS OUT QUICKER AND
ACCELERATE PROJECT DELIVERY
DURING THE NEXT CONSTRUCTION
SEASON. THE PAST TWO BUDGETS
MADE UNPRECEDENTED INVESTMENTS
IN OUR STATE'S INFRASTRUCTURE,
INCLUDING 12.8 BILLION IN CLEAN
TRANSPORTATION. COMBINED WITH
FUNDING FROM THE FEDERAL I J. A
AND IRA CALIFORNIA WILL INVEST
UP TO $180 BILLION OVER THE NEXT
DECADE IN CLEAN INFRASTRUCTURE,
WHICH WILL CREATE 400,000 GOOD
JOBS WHILE HELPING MEET THE
STATE'S CLIMATE GOES, THESE
INVESTMENTS WILL ADD TO THE
CONTINUED REVENUE MADE BY THE
HISTORIC ROAD REPAIR AND
ACCOUNTABILITY ACT OF 2017, ALSO
KNOWN AS SB ONE. BY STREAMLINING
PERMITTING, CUTTING RED TAPE AND
ALLOWANCE STATE AGENCIES TO USE
NEW TYPES OF CONTRACTS. THESE
PROPOSALS WHAT? MAXIMIZE
TAXPAYER DOLLARS IN A CELL
ARRAY, TIMELINES OF PROJECTS
THROUGHOUT THE STATE. ALL WHILE
MAINTAINING THE STATE'S ROBUST
NATION, LEADING ENVIRONMENTAL
STANDARDS AND ENSURING
APPROPRIATE ENVIRONMENTAL
REVIEW. IF YOU DON'T MIND. LET
ME JUST QUICKLY GO OVER JUST
FIVE OF THESE PROPOSALS THAT
WE'VE SET OUT THAT THE GOVERNOR
SET OUT FOR US TO TAKE ON THAT
WILL BE TRY TO BE AS BRIEF AS I
POSSIBLY CAN BE ON THESE FIVE
DIFFERENT AREAS. FIRST OF ALL,
UH, JOB ORDER CONTRACTING. AS I
MENTIONED EARLIER. THIS PROPOSAL
WOULD ALLOW CALTRANS TO USE JOB
ORDER CONTRACTING FOR ROUTINE
HIGHWAY AND FACILITY
MAINTENANCE, SAFETY PROJECTS AND
REPAIR OF ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION.
FACILITIES ACROSS THE STATE.
INDEPENDENT STUDIES FROM OTHER
STATES SHOW USING THIS METHOD
ALLOWS UP TO 8 TO 16. COST
SAVINGS AND TIME SAVINGS OF
AROUND NINE MONTHS ABOUT USING
THIS METHOD. THIS PROVEN
STREAMLINING METHOD IN USE BY
MANY OTHER PUBLIC WORK AGENCIES
IN CALIFORNIA AND ACROSS THE
COUNTRY WOULD ALLOW CALTRANS TO
ESSENTIALLY HAVE ON CALL
CONTRACTORS TO PERFORM
AUTHORIZED WORK IN CERTAIN AREAS
OF THE STATE. USING STANDARD
DESIGN AND SPECIFICATIONS. UH,
NUMBER TWO. PROGRESSIVE DESIGN
BUILD AUTHORITY. THIS PROPOSAL
WILL AUTHORIZE CALTRANS TO PILOT
THE PROGRESSIVE DESIGN BUILD
METHOD OF CONTRACTING UP TO
EIGHT PROJECTS THROUGH 2030.
THIS IS AN INNOVATIVE STRATEGY
TO REDUCE PROJECT DELIVERY COSTS
AND SHORTEN COMPLETION SCHEDULES
BY AS MUCH AS A YEAR. ONCE
SUFFICIENT RECONSTRUCTION WORK
IS COMPLETE ON THE PROJECT, THE
PROGRESSIVE DESIGN BUILDING THAT
THAT WOULD ALLOW CALTRANS TO
NEGOTIATE. CONTRACT FOR ANY
REMAINING PRE CONSTRUCTION WORK.
AS WELL AS CONSTRUCTION. NUMBER
THREE ACCELERATING ENVIRONMENTAL
MITIGATION BUT FOR
TRANSPORTATION THIS PROPOSAL
WILL IMPLEMENT SEVERAL
RECOMMENDATIONS OF A B 12 82.
TRANSPORTATION PERMITTING TASK
FORCE REPORT. TO ACCELERATE
ENVIRONMENTAL MITIGATION FOR
TRANSPORTATION PROJECTS, WHICH
IS A TIME INTENSIVE PROCESS THAT
FACES MANY ADMINISTRATIVE
BARRIERS. NUMBER THREE. DIRECT
CONTRACTING AUTHORITY FOR I 15
THE WILDLIFE CROSSINGS. THIS
PROPOSAL WOULD ALLOW CALTRANS TO
DIRECTLY CONTRACT WITH BRIGHT
LINE WEST TO DEVELOP DESIGN. AND
CONSTRUCT THREE WILDLIFE
CROSSINGS AS A PART OF THEIR
PROJECT IN THE MEDIAN OF
INTERSTATE. I 15 NIPAH. THIS
PROPOSAL REMOVES THE CURRENT
SUNSET PROVISIONS AND
PERMANENTLY AUTHORIZES THE
CONSENT OF CALIFORNIA SORT OF
JURISDICTION OF FEDERAL COURTS
AND WAIVER OF IMMUNITY TO
CALIFORNIA SECRETARY OF
TRANSPORTATION IN REGARDS TO THE
PERFORMANCE OF CERTAIN
ENVIRONMENTAL RESPONSIBILITIES
UNDER NIPAH. THROUGH THIS
PROPOSAL, THE STATES FEDERAL
AGREEMENT WILL REMAIN IN PLACE
PROJECT DELIVERY WILL CONTINUE
TO ACCELERATE IN CALIFORNIA WILL
CONTINUE TO BENEFIT BENEFIT FROM
NIPAH, SIMON. SO IN CONCLUSION.
GOVERNOR NEWSOM'S PROPOSAL WAS
STREAMLINED PROJECTS TO UNLEASH
CONSTRUCTION ACTIVITIES ACROSS
THE STATE. ACCELERATING THE
BUILDING OF CLEAN INFRASTRUCTURE
SO CALIFORNIA CAN REACH ITS
WORLD LEADING CLIMATE GOALS.
CREATE HUNDREDS OF JOBS,
HUNDREDS AND THOUSANDS OF JOBS.
THESE PROPOSALS REPRESENT AN
AMBITIOUS EFFORT TO CUT RED
TAPE. IT'S TIME TO MAKE THE MOST
OF OUR TAXPAYER DOLLARS AND
DELIVER RESULTS WHILE CREATING
HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF GOOD
PAYING JOBS. I'LL BE HERE TO
TAKE A FEW QUESTIONS FROM
COMMITTEE MEMBERS OF THE
AUDIENCE, BUT ALSO PRESENT WITH
ME FROM OUR TEAM AT CASTOR IS
THE UNDER SECRETARY MARK
TOLLEFSON. SITTING TO MY RIGHT
AND SITTING TO MY FAR RIGHT IS
CALTRANS IS CHIEF DEPUTY
DIRECTOR MIKE CHEEVER AS WELL TO
TAKE ON MORE DETAILED QUESTIONS
AS WELL, BUT I'LL BE GLAD TO
STAY FOR A LITTLE BIT AND TAKE
SOME SOME QUESTIONS FROM MEMBERS
OR FROM THE AUDIENCE. MADAM
CHAIR. GOOD TO SEE YOU AGAIN.
AND THANK YOU. THANKS FOR BEING
HERE SO YOU KNOW THE NICE THING
ABOUT AN INFORMATIONAL HEARINGS.
WE CAN KIND OF CHANGE THINGS A
LITTLE ON THE FLY. SO WE HAD
THIS VISION OF DOING EACH OF
THESE INDEPENDENTLY, BUT CLEARLY
WE'RE NOT DOING THAT. SO THAT'S
FINE. WE WEREN'T SURE IF IT WAS
GOING TO MAKE SENSE THAT WAY
ANYWAY, OR WOULD MAKE MORE SENSE
THIS WAY. YOU'VE TOLD US
BASICALLY THAT IT'S IT MAKES
MORE SENSE DOING IT THIS WAY. SO
I JUST WANT TO LET EVERYONE KNOW
THAT WE'RE GONNA MIND, MADAM,
WERE YOU KNOW THE GREAT THING
ABOUT BEING CHAIR IS I CAN JUST
DECIDE AND SO WE'RE GOING TO DO
THEM ALL AT ONCE THE WAY YOU
JUST DID. AND SO WE'LL LET
EVERYONE SPEAK ON WHATEVER IT
IS. YOU WANT TO SPEAK ABOUT? OUT
WITH ANY OF THE FIVE AREAS AND
THEN WE WILL GO TO THE PUBLIC
AND TAKE TESTIMONY ANYTHING ON
ANY OF IT. AND BECAUSE WE'RE
ONLY GOING TO GO TO THE PUBLIC
NOW ONCE WILL GIVE TWO MINUTES
TO ANY MEMBER OF THE PUBLIC. WHO
WANTS IT. YOU DON'T HAVE TO USE
YOUR TWO MINUTES. YOU DON'T HAVE
TO. YOU CAN JUST SAY I DON'T
LIKE IT OR I DO. KEEP IT AS
SHORT AS YOU LIKE, UM, BUT WE
WILL GIVE EACH MEMBER OF THE
PUBLIC TWO MINUTES. UM SO THANK
YOU. AND WHO ARE WE GOING TO
NEXT WITH YOUR GROUP? WE'RE ALL
HERE NOW, MADAM CHAIR TO ANSWER
QUESTIONS, SO WE'RE DONE WITH
THE ADMINISTRATION AND WE REALLY
APPRECIATE THE INDULGENCE OF
HEARING ALL OF THE PROPOSALS.
NÓI IT WORKED OUT VERY WELL.
THANK YOU, AND I WANTED TO SEE
IF THE LÀ HAS COMMENTS. THANK
YOU, MADAM CHAIR. GOOD AFTERNOON
MEMBERS. RACHEL ADLER'S WITH THE
L. A. OH WE THINK THAT THE
GOVERNOR'S PROPOSALS FOCUS ON
SOME REALLY IMPORTANT ISSUES.
NAMELY HOW CAN WE REDUCE
BARRIERS TO BUILDING PROJECTS
THAT WE REALLY NEED TO BUILD AS
PART OF OUR WIDE RANGING STATE
GOALS? WHETHER IT'S INCREASING
OUR RESILIENCE TO THE IMPACTS OF
CLIMATE CHANGE, TRYING TO REDUCE
THOSE IMPACTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE
, UM INCREASING ENERGY
RELIABILITY, BUILDING
WAREHOUSING. THESE ARE REALLY
IMPORTANT ISSUES TO FOCUS ON. SO
WE THINK THE EXPRESSED INTENT
HAS A LOT OF MERIT, AND SOME OF
THE CONTENT OF THE PROPOSALS
LIKELY HAS MERIT. UH I THINK AND
COULD RESULT IN REALLY IMPORTANT
BENEFITS FOR CALIFORNIA, BUT I
THINK OUR CONCERNS ARE REALLY
AROUND THE TIMING AND THE
PROPOSED TIMELINE OF WHEN YOU'RE
GETTING THESE PROPOSALS AND WHEN
YOU ARE BEING ASKED TO ACT ON
THEM, UM, THE GOVERNOR IN THE
PRESS CONFERENCE TO ANNOUNCE
THESE CHANGES INDICATED THAT THE
ADMINISTRATION HAS BEEN WORKING
ON THESE PROPOSALS FOR OVER A
YEAR. BUT THEY'RE ASKING YOU TO
TAKE ACTION IN LESS THAN A
MONTH. AND WE THINK YOU WOULD
BENEFIT. MAYBE YOU NEED A YEAR.
MAYBE YOU NEED MORE THAN A YEAR
. MAYBE YOU NEED LESS THAN A
YEAR. MAYBE, BUT BUT YOU NEED
THE TIME THAT YOU NEED TO
UNDERSTAND WHAT THE IMPLICATIONS
OF THESE PROPOSALS ARE, UM, AND
WHAT THE BENEFITS MIGHT BE. AND
WHAT SOME OF THE UNINTENDED
CONSEQUENCES OR IMPACTS MIGHT BE
, UM, WE HAVE. WE HAVE SPENT THE
LAST WEEK REVIEWING THESE
PROPOSALS IN DEPTH. WE GOT
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION IS, MISS
MILLER NOTED, EVEN JUST TODAY
THAT WE'VE BEEN WORKING WITH THE
ADMINISTRATION TO TRY TO
UNDERSTAND SO FAR BASED ON OUR
REVIEW. WE HAVEN'T SEEN EVIDENCE
THAT'S COMPELLING THAT JUSTIFIES
YOU NEEDING TO ACT IMMEDIATELY
ON THESE PROPOSALS. THERE
CERTAINLY ARE COMPETITIVE
FEDERAL GRANTS. UH THERE IS ONE
QUESTION ON THESE APPLICATIONS
AS WE UNDERSTAND FROM THE
ADMINISTRATION ASKING, YOU KNOW
WHAT? HOW WILL CALIFORNIA
IMPLEMENT THESE PROJECTS QUICKLY
. THAT WILL BE A NARRATIVE
RESPONSE. SO IT COULD BE THAT
THESE PROPOSED CHANGES HELP
IMPLEMENT PROJECTS MORE QUICKLY
. IT COULD BE THAT INDICATING
THAT TO THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
COULD YIELD SOME, UM, ADVANTAGES
IN OUR APPLICATION. BUT WE
HAVEN'T SEEN INSTANCES WHERE,
UM, YOU KNOW, KIND OF HOW MANY
EXTRA POINTS WITH THAT GIVE US
HOW SPECIFICALLY IS THIS WEIGHT
IN THE APPLICATIONS THAT LEVEL
OF KIND OF COMPELLING EVIDENCE
AND SPECIFICITY WE HAVEN'T SEEN
. SO I THINK OUR GUIDANCE TO YOU
AT THIS POINT BASED ON WHAT WE
HAVE SEEN IS TO TAKE THE TIME
YOU NEED TO CONSIDER THESE
CAREFULLY TO HEAR FROM
STAKEHOLDERS TO WEIGH THE
IMPLICATIONS. WE DON'T THINK YOU
NEED TO CONSIDER ALL OF THESE
TOGETHER AS ONE PACKAGE. YOU
COULD TAKE DIFFERENT TIMELINES
FOR THE DIFFERENT PIECES,
DEPENDING ON YOUR COMFORT LEVEL.
WITH WHAT THE PROPOSALS ARE. AH
YOU KNOW THE WING THE TRADE OFFS
OF WHAT THE BENEFITS OF THE
PROPOSALS ARE WITH WHAT SOME OF
THE POTENTIAL IMPLICATIONS OR
TRADE OFFS MIGHT BE, WHETHER
THAT'S IN PUBLIC INPUT, WHETHER
THAT'S AN ENVIRONMENTAL
PROTECTIONS WHETHER THAT'S IN
LEGISLATIVE INVOLVEMENT. THERE
ARE A LOT OF TRADE OFFS INVOLVED
WITH THESE PROPOSALS, AND SO
JUST MAKING SURE YOU'RE
COMFORTABLE WITH WHAT ALL OF
THOSE POTENTIAL IMPLICATIONS AND
TRADE OFFS MIGHT BE BEFORE YOU
ACT. UM AS I SAID, WE ARE. WE
HAVE BEEN, UH, LEARNING AS MUCH
AS WE CAN IN A VERY SHORT TIME
PERIOD. BUT MY COLLEAGUE, MR
JIMENEZ AND I ARE HERE TO ANSWER
QUESTIONS TO THE BEST OF OUR
ABILITY AS WE CAN. THANK YOU.
THANK YOU. IS THERE ANYONE ELSE
ON THE PANEL? WHO WANTS TO ADD
ANYTHING AT THIS TIME? YES. I
JUST WANT TO ADD UP A BRIEF
COMMENT, MADAM CHAIR, YOU KNOW,
ON AVERAGE. NATIONALLY TODAY. A
MAJOR TRANSPORTATION PROJECT
TAKES ABOUT 13 YEARS. TO
COMPLETE. UH WHEN YOU LOOK AT
THE COST FOR THE LAYS IN THAT IN
THOSE PROJECTS YOU'RE TALKING
ABOUT ON AVERAGE FOR A $100
MILLION PROJECT YOU'RE TALKING
ABOUT ON AVERAGE $5 MILLION.
ANNUALLY SO FOR $50,000,050
MILLION PROJECT, IT'S $2.5
MILLION AND DELAYS FOR EVERY
YEAR. THAT THAT PROJECT IS THE
LATE TO COMPLETION. SO WHEN YOU
THINK ABOUT 13 YEARS TO ACTUALLY
GET A MAJOR PROJECT DONE, THAT
MEANS A CHILD THAT IS ENTERING
KINDERGARTEN TODAY. UH BY THE
TIME THAT PROJECT IS COMPLETE,
THERE WILL BE A SOPHOMORE IN
COLLEGE. UH, BY THE TIME THAT WE
SEE THAT PROJECT COME TO
COMPLETION, THAT'S HOW LONG IT
TAKES. SO ANY OPPORTUNITY WE CAN
TAKE TO IMPROVE OUR PROCESSES.
WITHIN TRANSPORTATION TO DELIVER
PROJECTS IN A MORE TIMELY
FASHION. UM, IT'S SOMETHING THAT
WE'RE ALWAYS, UH, ALWAYS LOOKING
FOR, AND SO THAT'S WHY AGAIN.
THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT WERE TWO
YEARS. ALREADY INTO THE I J. A
DON'T HAVE THREE YEARS LEFT OF
THIS FEDERAL FUNDING, SO IT'S
IMPERATIVE THAT WE FIGURE OUT
AGAIN. WAYS AND TOOLS LIKE WE'VE
IDENTIFIED HERE TO GET PROJECTS
DONE IN A MORE TIMELY FASHION.
FOR CALIFORNIA. SO UM, I REALLY
APPRECIATE YOU ADDING THAT
COMMENT AND IT ACTUALLY LEADS ME
TO 22 QUESTIONS, SO I THINK
WE'RE READY TO START. OUR
PORTION WHERE WE'RE GONNA ASK
QUESTIONS AND I'LL LEAD OFF. UM
SO YOU MENTIONED, UM, THE
FEDERAL MONEY THAT'S AVAILABLE.
HOW MUCH OF THE TIMING OF
BRINGING THIS FORWARD NOW IS
BECAUSE OF US COMPETING AGAINST
OTHER STATES FOR THAT FEDERAL
FUNDING AND DO YOU AND HOW MUCH
OF AN ACCELERATION WOULD THIS
WOULD WOULD THIS GIVE US FOR
PROJECTS IN GENERAL? THANK YOU.
I THINK WE'RE GOING TO ANSWER
THAT IN TWO WAYS ONE AS AS THE
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AND THE WHITE
HOUSE PUTS OUT THEIR OWN
STREAMLINING PACKAGES THAT THE
DIRECTION TO US IS, AND I THINK
, YOU KNOW, WE QUOTE ONE OF
THEIR PRESS REALIZED RELEASES
THAT, UM, TO BUILD AT THE SPEED
AND SCALE NEEDED TO ADEQUATELY
ADDRESS THE CLIMATE CRISIS
REQUIRES STRATEGIC REFORMS THAT
IMPROVE THE WAY SUCH PROJECTS
ARE CITED AND PERMITTED. AT THE
FEDERAL, STATE AND LOCAL LEVEL,
SO THAT WAS THEIR DIRECTION IN
APRIL, AND SO THAT'S HOW THE
IMPART HOW WE STARTED, BUT I
THINK TO SPEAK TO SECRETARY AND
WAS SHOCKED AND CAN SPEAK TO
SPECIFIC NO FOES THAT A DOZEN OR
SO 10 THAT THAT WE KNOW OF RIGHT
NOW THAT WE THINK WE NEED TO
SHOW THAT WE CAN BUILD IT
FASTER, SO COMPLETELY AGREE WITH
MS SAILORS THAT IT'S IT IS THIS
NARRATIVE QUESTION THAT BECAUSE
WE'RE COMPETING AGAINST STATES
THAT CAN I THINK PROBABLY NOT
CORRECTLY SITE IN 24 HOURS. WHAT
WE'RE TRYING TO SHOW IS A STATE
THAT HAS TRADITIONALLY TAKEN
LONGER THAN OTHER STATES IN THE
COUNTRY THAT WE ARE, IN FACT
GOING TO GO FASTER AND HAVE ALL
THE PROTECTIONS WE NEED, BUT
ALSO BE ABLE TO DELIVER THE
PROJECT AT AT A FASTER PACE. SO
THAT'S WHERE THE BALANCE THAT
WE'RE REALLY TRYING TO CREATE
WITH THIS PACKAGE IS, BUT I
THINK HEARING ABOUT LIKE THIS
SPECIFIC NO PHONES THAT ARE
COMING UP THE NOTICE OF FUNDING
AVAILABILITY, FEDERAL
AVAILABILITY IF WE CAN SPEAK TO
SOME OF THOSE SPECIFIC ONES FROM
THE CALISTA TEAM, I THINK, MR
TOLSON, I THINK THAT WOULD BE
HELPFUL. THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR
AND MEMBERS. SO MARK ELLISON,
UNDERSECRETARY WITH CALISTA, I'M
STILL COMING UP THIS SUMMER. WE
EXPECT A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT
OPPORTUNITIES AT THE FEDERAL
LEVEL TO COMPETE FOR FUNDING ON
. WE'RE TALKING ABOUT HUNDREDS
OF MILLIONS, IF NOT BILLIONS OF
DOLLARS. HE MADE AVAILABLE
NATIONWIDE. SO UM, IN TERMS OF
THE PROJECT OR THE DIFFERENT, NO
PHONES THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT
THE SECRETARY MENTIONED IN PART
OF HIS INITIAL COMMENTS OF THE
INFRA PROGRAM, THE MEGA PROGRAM
, THE RURAL PROGRAM ON THE
BRIDGE INVESTMENT PROGRAM. LOTS
OF THESE OPPORTUNITIES WHERE,
YES, WE HAVE COMPETED, BUT, UM,
YOU KNOW, AS WE ROUND INTO YEAR,
TWO YEAR THREE YEAR FOUR WE WANT
TO MAKE SURE THAT WE CAN
DEMONSTRATE FROM THE CALIFORNIA
PERSPECTIVE THAT WE CAN ACTUALLY
DELIVER ON THESE PROJECTS, SO
NOT ONLY FROM A STATE
PERSPECTIVE DO WE WANT TO GET
THINGS DONE QUICKER AT THE
FEDERAL LEVEL AT THE NATIONAL
LEVEL OF THE WHITE HOUSE WANTS
TO SEE PROJECTS MOVE QUICKER. UM
YOU KNOW, IN TERMS OF THE WHITE
HOUSE, YOU KNOW THEY PUT OUT
THERE. BIDEN HARRIS ACTION PLAN
FOR ACCELERATING INFRASTRUCTURE
BACK IN OCTOBER. A COUPLE OF THE
BIG THEMES THERE WERE MAKING
SURE THAT PROJECTS ARE ON TIME
ON TASK ON BUDGET. WHILE UM
SAILORS HAD MENTIONED THAT SOME
OF THE CRITERIA IS JUST MORE
NARRATIVE FORM. I THINK AT THE
END OF THE DAY BEING ABLE TO
TELL THAT STORY OF CALIFORNIA TO
TELL THAT STORY THAT WE ARE ABLE
TO ADD ADDITIONAL TOOLS TO THE
TOOLBOX TO GET PROJECTS DONE
QUICKER IS GOING TO PUT US ON
ANOTHER LEVEL IN TERMS OF
COMPETING FOR THOSE FUNDS.
SEPARATE FROM THE FEDERAL FUNDS.
I DO WANT TO JUST MENTION IN
TERMS OF OUR OWN DELIVERY HERE
IN CALIFORNIA, EVEN WITH THE
UNPRECEDENTED INVESTMENTS AND
THANK YOU TO THE LEGISLATURE FOR
THE $12.8 BILLION OF CLEAN
INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS THAT WE
HAD IN THE PAST BUDGET. YOU KNOW
, THIS WILL ALLOW US TO MOVE
PROJECTS QUICKER ON THINGS LIKE
JOB ORDER CONTRACTING IF WE WERE
TO HAVE THAT AUTHORITY JULY 1ST
, WE WOULD BE ABLE TO MOVE
PROJECTS. THIS LATE SUMMER THIS
FALL BECAUSE YOU KNOW, WITH JOB
ORDER CONTRACTING A LOT OF TIMES
WERE ABLE TO TAKE A SMALL
PROJECT FOR A LOT OF THAT
ROUTINE TYPE WORK, YOU KNOW OF
PROCUREMENT THAT MAY TAKE NINE
MONTHS WE'D BE ABLE TO SHAVE
THAT DOWN TO APPROXIMATELY FOUR
WEEKS. IF WE'RE TALKING ABOUT,
YOU KNOW DIFFERENT THEMES LIKE
PROGRESSIVE DESIGN BUILD, WHERE
TO HAVE THAT AUTHORITY NOW WE'D
BE ABLE TO START THAT
PROCUREMENT TODAY. AND YOU KNOW
IF WE WERE HAVING TO WAIT,
UNFORTUNATELY, UNTIL NEXT YEAR.
WE COULD VERY WELL MISS A
COMPLETE CONSTRUCTION SEASON
UTILIZED THAT TOOL, UM, TO MOVE
PROJECTS QUICKER, SO I WILL
PAUSE THERE. UM, YOU KNOW, I
THINK IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT NOT
ONLY FROM A FEDERAL PERSPECTIVE
BUT ALSO JUST A CALIFORNIA
PROJECT DELIVERY PERSPECTIVE TO
MOVE SOME OF THESE TOOLS FOR IT.
THANK YOU, SO I'M GONNA MOVE TO
THE ACCELERATING ENVIRONMENTAL
MITIGATION SECTION. UM HOW WERE
THE PROPOSAL IMPACT CURRENT
CALTRANS MITIGATION PROJECTS AND
FUNDING IN THE ADVANCED
MITIGATION PROGRAM. AND WHAT
DOES IT HELP AT ALL TO ENSURE
THAT THERE IS SUFFICIENT FUNDING
FOR MITIGATION? THANK YOU, MADAM
CHAIR MIKE CHEEVER, CALTRANS. SO
WITH THE ADVANCED MITIGATION
PROGRAM WHAT WE HAVE FOUND IS
THAT WE HAVE OPPORTUNITIES. BUT
THERE ARE PLACES WHERE WE CAN'T
SEAL THE DEAL. AND SO WE WERE.
WE ASKED. WE WORKED TOGETHER
WITH THEY, THE BANKS AND
MITIGATION BANKS WITH C D. F W
WHERE ARE WE HITTING OUR
ROADBLOCKS. AND THOSE SPECIFIC
ROADBLOCKS OR WHAT WAS
INTRODUCED INTO UM, THE
PROPOSAL. AND SO. THERE ARE
DIFFERENT BANKS, THEY HAVE
DIFFERENT RULES. A CALTRANS. WE
HAVE CERTAIN RESTRICTIONS ON
WHAT WE CAN DO. AND EVEN THOUGH
WE HAD A WILLING PARTNER WE'RE
HAVING A DIFFICULT TIME
COMPLETING THE PROCESS, SO WE
HAVE BOTTLED UP. UM SEVERAL
REALLY GOOD PROPOSALS AND WE'LL
WORK THROUGH AND TRY TO FIND
THAT PATH THAT ALLOWS US TO GET
THROUGH. AND IT'S TIME CONSUMING
KIND OF BEATING OUR HEAD AGAINST
THE WALL, SOMETIMES. HOW COULD
WE MOVE THESE THINGS FORWARD
WHEN WE HAVE A WILLING PARTNER
AND THIS IS WHAT WE'RE ASKING
THROUGH. THIS PROPOSAL IS WHERE
THE ROADBLOCKS HOW DO WE BREAK
HIM DOWN? SO THE CONCEPT I THINK
HAS BROAD SUPPORT. IT'S A MATTER
OF EXECUTION OF IT. AND THAT'S
WHAT THIS ALLOWS US THE
EXECUTION. THANK YOU FOR NIPAH.
THERE'S A SECTION YOU KNOW, WE
GOT THIS REALLY? JUST ABOUT A
WEEK AGO. I HAVEN'T HAD A CHANCE
TO DO. A DEEP DIVE IN ANALYSIS
WITH MY TEAM YET I'LL BE HONEST,
BUT WAS THERE IS THERE SOMETHING
ABOUT THE NAPA PROCESS WITH
LOCAL AGENCIES? AND IF SO, CAN
YOU EXPLAIN THAT WHAT WITH THE
RATIONALE IS BEHIND THAT AND HOW
THAT'S INTENDED TO OPERATE? SO
IN GENERAL WITH THE NIPAH, UM
ASSIGNMENT CALTRANS TAKES ON THE
FEDERAL ROLE. AND SO WE DO THAT
NOW WITH THE LOCAL
TRANSPORTATION PROJECTS. AND SO
I'M I'M NOT SURE IF THAT ANSWERS
YOUR QUESTION. BUT AS FAR AS THE
LOCAL PROJECTS. CALTRANS TAKES
OVER THE ROLE OF THE FEDERAL
GOVERNMENT. THIS IS MADAME
CHAIR. THIS IS ANITA ASSIGNMENT
. SO THE FEDERAL WE ESSENTIALLY
SIT IN THIS TAKE THE LIABILITY
FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT. AND
WE SAY, AS A STATE THAT WILL
TAKE ALL THOSE RESPONSIBILITIES
. SEQUINS SOMETIMES GREATER AND
WE TAKE ALL THOSE
RESPONSIBILITIES. THIS IS AN
EXTENSION OF A SUNSET THAT'S IN
PLACE. SO SINCE CALTRANS AND MR
CHEEVER CAN CORRECT ME, MY DATA
SAYS WE PROCESSED OVER 16,000
APPROVALS UNDER THIS ASSIGNMENTS
AND 2007. AND THE FINAL
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENTS
SHOWED 124 MONTHS OF SAVINGS, SO
THIS IS ONE WHERE IT'S BEEN IN
PLACE FOR A LONG TIME. THIS IDEA
OF NIPAH SIMON, OBVIOUSLY, THIS
IS JUST FOR THE CALISTA ABILITY
NOT FOR ANY OTHER PROJECT HERE
THAT WE THINK THIS HAS BEEN
EFFECTIVE IN THE PAST, AND THIS
IS AN EXTENSION OF THAT SUNSET.
THIS IDEA OF ASSIGNING
RESPONSIBILITY, FEDERAL
RESPONSIBILITY TO THE STATE.
AND THEN MADAM CHAIR TO YOUR
QUESTION ABOUT HOW THIS SPECIFIC
PROPOSAL WILL NO. I GUESS. HOW
WE WILL ENGAGE WITH LOCALS ON IT
. WHAT I WILL SAY IS THAT WE ARE
IN THE PROCESS OF WORKING
THROUGH AND UPDATED MOU WITH
FEDERAL RAILROAD ADMINISTRATION
AND CURRENTLY ON THIS PROPOSAL
WOULD ALLOW US TO EXPLORE OTHER
OPPORTUNITIES TO WORK WITH
LOCALS TO TAKE ON UM, THAT NIP
ASSIGNMENT ON THEIR BEHALF. SO
PROCESS WISE. WE'RE STILL
WORKING THROUGH, ULTIMATELY WHAT
THAT WOULD LOOK LIKE, UM, SO WE
ARE READY. NEGOTIATING A UPDATE
WITH FEDERAL RAILROAD
ADMINISTRATION AND WE WOULD ALSO
HAVE TO KIND OF WORK WITH
FEDERAL TRANSIT ADMINISTRATION
IF THERE WAS A TRANSIT PROJECT
THAT WOULD UM, THE BEN HEARD
THAT THIS PROPOSAL WOULD BENEFIT
SO THOSE ARE ALL CONVERSATIONS
THAT WE ARE CONTINUING TO HAVE
AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL AND WOULD
ESSENTIALLY DEVELOP A PROCESS
FOR LOCALS TO BRING PROJECTS
FORWARD TO US AS THIS, UM,
AUTHORITY FOR COSTA TO TAKE ON
THE NIPAH ASSIGNMENT. FOR RAIL
AND TRANSIT PROJECTS, SO THAT'S
HELPFUL THAT THAT'S A VERY
HOPEFUL EXPLANATION. CAN YOU
JUST EXPLAIN BRIEFLY? HOW DOES
THAT SPEED UP THE PROCESS,
THOUGH? HOW DOES THAT? HOW DOES
THAT MAKE IT GO FASTER? SO AS MS
MILLER MENTIONED, YOU KNOW, WE
CAN USE THE CALTRANS ASSIGNMENT
THAT THEY'VE HAD FOR HIGHWAYS AS
AN EXAMPLE WHERE WE'VE BEEN ABLE
TO PROCESS I THINK THE NUMBER
WAS 16,000 YOU KNOW DIFFERENT
ENVIRONMENTAL DOCUMENTS ON
BEHALF OF THE FEDERAL
GOVERNMENT. SO A LOT OF THIS AT
THE END OF THE DAY ENDS UP BEING
BANDWIDTH. SO TO THE EXTENT THAT
WE SUBMIT DOCUMENTS TO THE
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT UM, IF WE
ACTUALLY HAVE CONTROL OVER THAT
TO TAKE ON THAT RESPONSIBILITY
ON BEHALF OF THE FEDERAL
GOVERNMENT, WE HAVE MORE CONTROL
OVER THE PROCESS. ON THE OTHER
PIECE. IN TERMS OF THE LOCAL
ENGAGEMENT, LOCALS ARE MUCH
CLOSER TO THE ISSUES THAT ARE
ACTUALLY IMPACTING THAT PROJECT
, AND THEREFORE, JUST BY THAT
INHERENT KNOWLEDGE OF THE
PROJECT. THAT ALSO SPEEDS UP THE
PROCESS. SO WE HAVE SEEN
SIGNIFICANT TIME SAVINGS THROUGH
OUR OWN NEEDED DELEGATION UP TO
THIS POINT. YOU KNOW, WE'RE
WE'RE SEEING FOR, YOU KNOW, KIND
OF SMALLER PROJECTS, YOU KNOW, A
YEAR OF SAVINGS FOR LARGER SCALE
PROJECTS TWO PLUS YEARS AND MANY
INSTANCES WHERE WE'VE BEEN ABLE
TO TAKE ON THAT THAT AUTHORITY,
SO I WOULD SAY THAT YOU KNOW, WE
HAVE THE EXPERIENCE ON THE
HIGHWAY SIDE. WE HAVE DONE SOME
OF THIS ON THE RAIL SIDE ALREADY
, BUT IT REALLY IS ABOUT BEING
KIND OF CLOSER TO THE PROJECT
AND KNOWING THE ISSUES THAT
HELPS US ADVANCE THIS FORWARD
AND ALSO HAVING THE BANDWIDTH
HERE ON THE STATE SIDE. SO I
WANTED TO MOVE TO THE I 15
WILDLIFE CROSSINGS SOMETHING I'M
VERY TWO THINGS I'M VERY EXCITED
ABOUT ONE IS BRIGHT LINE. AND
THE PROSPECT OF HAVING A GREAT
FAST TRAIN TO GET FROM LOS
ANGELES TO LAS VEGAS. AND THE
SECOND IS WILDLIFE CROSSINGS,
SOMETHING ELSE. I'M VERY
PASSIONATE ABOUT. IS THERE
ANYTHING IN THE LANGUAGE OF
THESE AGREEMENTS THAT THAT OF
THE AGREEMENTS THAT WERE
PREVIOUSLY ENTERED INTO BY
CALTRANS AND SEE DFW AND BRIGHT
LINE THAT MAKES THE CONSTRUCTION
OF THE THREE WILDLIFE CROSSINGS
LEGALLY BINDING? SO I'D SAY THAT
IN TERMS OF OUR LANGUAGE, THERE
ISN'T ANYTHING THAT MAKES IT
LEGALLY BINDING. UM, THIS IS
REALLY IN SUPPORT OF THAT MOU
THAT YOU REFERENCED THAT WAS
EXECUTED BACK IN JANUARY, WHERE
WE HAVE THREE PARTNERS, UM,
VISION, WILDLIFE, CALTRANS AND
BRIGHT LINE ALL AGREEING TO MOVE
FORWARD WITH THREE WILDLIFE
CROSSINGS ALONG THAT I 15
CORRIDOR. THIS PROPOSAL DOES. IT
ALLOWS US TO DIRECTLY CONTRACT
WITH RIGHT LINE. TO INCORPORATE
THOSE THREE CROSSINGS INTO THEIR
DESIGN AS WELL AS THE
CONSTRUCTION OF THE PROJECT, SO
WE'RE NOT ESSENTIALLY HAVING
BRIGHT LINE AND CALTRANS DOING
SIMULTANEOUS PROJECTS, WHICH
WOULD LEAD TO INEFFICIENCIES AS
WELL AS POTENTIAL CONFLICTS. SO
THIS UM, LANGUAGE THAT YOU'RE
SEEING THAT YOU'RE ACTING ON,
UM, WOULD ESSENTIALLY HELP
SUPPORT THAT MOU THAT WAS DONE
BACK IN JANUARY. AND SO WHAT
ROLE DOES CALTRANS OR C, D, F W
OR, YOU KNOW, OR OR BRIGHT LINE
? WHAT WHAT ROLE DOES EACH HAVE
IN THE IN THE ACTUAL DESIGN AND
THE CONSTRUCTION? HOW HOW IS
THAT BREAKING DOWN? AND ARE ALL
THE AGENCIES PAYING FOR THOSE
CROSSINGS? AND WHAT? WHAT IS THE
FUNDING MIX OR MECHANISM? YES SO
I APPRECIATE THE QUESTION AND AT
THIS STAGE, YOU KNOW, WE DO
ENVISION THIS AS ESSENTIALLY A
STATE, UM, PRIVATE AND FEDERAL
PARTNERSHIP TO GET THIS DONE. IN
ADDITION TO SOME STATE FUNDS
THAT WE HAVE MADE AVAILABLE FOR
THIS PURPOSE, WE DO ANTICIPATE
GOING OUT FOR A FEDERAL GRANT.
UM AND NOTICE THE FUNDING
OPPORTUNITY IS ALREADY OUT ON
THE STREET WITH APPLICATIONS DUE
IN AUGUST. AND WE DO INTEND TO
HOPEFULLY BE SUCCESSFUL IN
DRAWING DOWN SOME OF THE FEDERAL
FUNDS FOR THIS AS WELL. UM
BRIGHT LINE AS PART OF THAT
AGREEMENT IS, UM, PLANS TO
ESSENTIALLY PROVIDE THOSE IN
KIND RESOURCES TO DO THE DESIGN
DO THE CONSTRUCTION TRANS WOULD
OBVIOUSLY HAVE THE OVERSIGHT
ROLE OVER THAT CONSTRUCTION, BUT
THIS IS INTENDED TO BE
ESSENTIALLY A THREE WAY
PARTNERSHIP WITH BRIGHT LINE
SORT OF IN THE LEAD. IT SOUNDS
LIKE WITH DESIGN AND
CONSTRUCTION. THAT'S RIGHT WITH
CALTRANS OVERSIGHT. GOT IT.
THANK YOU. THAT'S HELPFUL. AND
MADAM CHAIR. MY UNDERSTANDING IS
THAT THAT CONTRACT MR TELLEFSEN
HAS TO BE EXECUTED BY FOLLOW 20.
FOR THE PROGRESSIVE DESIGN BUILD
. ARE THERE ALREADY SPECIFIC
PROJECTS THAT YOU'RE CONSIDERING
FOR THOSE? MR CHEEVER CAN BE CAN
PROVIDE SOME SOME DETAILS ON
THAT. WE'RE LOOKING AT THE SHOP
AT CALTRANS. WE DON'T HAVE A
SPECIFIC LIST OF PROJECTS. YEAH,
BUT THERE'S SOME PROJECTS WITHIN
THE SHOP THAT WE'RE EXPLORING.
BUT MR CHEEVER ANY ADDITIONAL,
AND WHEN YOU DO CAN YOU ALSO
TALK ABOUT THE TIMING? WHAT DOES
ADOPTING THIS NOW? WHAT DOES
THAT DO TO ANY OF THE SHOP OR TO
ANY OF THE ANY SPECIFIC PROJECTS
THAT YOU'RE CONSIDERING? THANK
YOU. CHAIR SO IT OFFERS A COUPLE
OF OPPORTUNITIES FOR US ONE IS
THERE WELL, MORE THAN THE EIGHT
SLOTS OF OPPORTUNITY, I THINK
FOR US, AND SO THERE UM WE WOULD
HAVE FROM OUR CURRENT PALETTE OF
PROJECTS. WE WOULD CHOOSE THOSE
THAT ARE GOING TO BENEFIT THE
MOST. THE OTHER IF YOU THINK
ABOUT IT WITH THE NO PHONES THAT
ARE COMING FORWARD. WITH
PROGRESSIVE DESIGN BILL YOU GET
TO VAULT FORWARD. WE ACTUALLY
GET TO RACE TIME WE GET TO GO
BACK IN TIME. IF YOU WILL, WE
CAN PUT THAT MONEY. UM TO WORK
EARLIER BECAUSE IT'S EARLIER IN
THE PROCESS. SO AS OPPOSED TO A,
UH SECRETARIO MARSHAK AND TALKED
ABOUT IT WITH THE STANDARD
DESIGN BUILD. YOU HAVE TO BE AT
30% OF YOUR DESIGN HERE. WE CAN
ACTUALLY BRING THE CONTRACTOR ON
BOARD. WE CAN TAKE THOSE FUNDS
WHERE WE CAN START COLLABORATING
WITH THEM. AND ALSO, FRANKLY,
FROM THE ENVIRONMENTAL
STANDPOINT. YOU CAN HAVE THAT
CONTRACTOR HELP YOU TO FIND THE
BEST PATH FORWARD AND WORK WITH
THE PERMITTING AGENCIES TO TALK
ABOUT WHAT THAT CONTRACTOR CAN
DO. IN ORDER TO MINIMIZE THE
IMPACTS OF THE CONSTRUCTION
PROJECT. AND SO THERE'S
TREMENDOUS BENEFITS BOTH FROM
THE ENVIRONMENTAL SIDE ON THE
PERMITTING AND THE TIMELINE
THERE AND THEN. GETTING THE
MONEY PUT ALLOCATED UNDER A
PROJECT EARLIER. THANK YOU. AND
MY LAST QUESTION FOR NOW IS
ABOUT THE JOB ORDER CONTRACTING
AND YOU HAD MENTIONED BROADBAND
AND I'M WONDERING, GIVEN THE
BROADBAND EXPERIENCE IF THERE
WERE ANY DRAWBACKS THAT YOU SAW
ADDITIONAL LAWSUITS, YOU KNOW
ANY OF THOSE UNINTENDED
CONSEQUENCES. YET TO MY
KNOWLEDGE, UNLESS ELSE TO TELL
CHANCE DON'T HAVE ANY NO, WE
JUST GOT AUTHORIZATION. UH,
EXCUSE ME. WE JUST GOT
AUTHORIZATION IN, UH, 2021. TO
DO BOTH BROADBAND. UH AND CLEAN
CALIFORNIA PROJECTS, SO IT'S
ONLY BEEN TWO YEARS, BUT WE'RE
SEEING HOW IT'S BENEFITING US
AND BEING ABLE TO DELIVER. CLEAN
CALIFORNIA PROJECTS QUICKER AND
IT'S GOING TO DEFINITELY HELP US
ON THE BROADBAND FRONT. BUT TO
MY KNOWLEDGE TO OUR TEAM,
NOTHING FROM A LEGAL STANDPOINT,
AS FAR AS CHALLENGES RELATED TO
JOB ORDER CONTRACTING. SO FAR,
BUT IT'S VERY HELPFUL, HELPFUL
TOO. RIGHT. THANK YOU. I WANT TO
TURN TO MY COLLEAGUES. MISS. LET
ME GO TO MY ADVICE CHAIR.
ASSEMBLYMEMBER'S CARILLO. BUT
THANK YOU. NO THIS IS EXCITING.
I HAVE TO SAY THAT I'M A CITY
PLANNER BY PROFESSION AND
LOOKING AT ALL THESE FIVE POINTS
HERE. IT'S LIKE A DREAM COME
TRUE FOR A PLANET. YOU'RE GOING
TO HELP US. ANSWER THE QUESTION.
WELL, NO, I DON'T. I'M NOT THAT.
QUEEN ON SPECIFIC QUESTIONS. I
DO HAVE SOME QUESTIONS, BUT
GENERALLY, THIS IS REALLY A
PACKAGE THAT I THINK IT'S
EXCITING FOR CALIFORNIA. I THINK
THAT THIS GIVES US A SECOND
CHANCE TO PROVE THAT WE CAN DO
THINGS RIGHT AND QUICKLY IN A
TIMELY MANNER. BASED ON WHAT WE
EXPERIENCED WITH HIGH SPEED RAIL
. I'M VERY EXCITED ABOUT BRIGHT
LINE. I'VE TALKED ABOUT THAT
BEFORE. UH AND I THINK THAT THIS
IS THE RIGHT. UM APPROACH THE
PUBLIC PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP. I
THINK THAT'S WHAT'S BEEN DONE IN
OTHER NATIONS THAT HAVE BEEN
SUCCESSFUL WITH HIGH SPEED RAIL.
UM AND I THINK ONE OF THE
QUESTIONS WAS WAS HOW MUCH TIME
CAN WE GET TO GET TO THIS POINT?
BEING A NEW MEMBER CHEESE COMING
IN. YOU SAID. 30 DAYS WILL BE
EXCITED TO DO THAT IN 30 DAYS,
BUT I KNOW THAT'S THAT'S GOING
TO BE SOMETHING THAT IS NOT
GOING TO BE POSSIBLE JUST
BECAUSE OF THE WAY THINGS WORK,
BUT I THINK THAT WE CAN
ACCELERATE THIS PROCESS. IF I
UNDERSTOOD CORRECTLY, IT'S UPON
THIS BODY TO SEE HOW LONG WE CAN
HAVE THIS COME TO US TO APPROVE
IT. OR WHAT WOULD BE THE PROCESS
OF GETTING TO THAT POINT. THAT'S
THE QUESTION. I'M ASKING THE
CHAIR. UM. I THINK THE PROCESS
IS GOING TO BE THAT WE'RE DOING
THIS SERIES OF HEARINGS. THERE'S
THE HEARING TODAY. THERE'S
ANOTHER HEARING ON WEDNESDAY. I
THINK THAT THERE'S MAYBE ANOTHER
HEARING AS WELL. UM AND WE NEED
TO FIRST MAKE SURE THAT ALL OF
THE MEMBERS THAT ARE GOING TO BE
VOTING ON THIS. THIS PROPOSALS
FULLY UNDERSTAND THEM. THAT WE
UNDERSTAND THE PUBLIC'S CONCERNS
ABOUT THEM. AND THAT WE MAKE
WHATEVER FEEDBACK WE CAN UM,
MAKE WHAT I TRY TO TALK TO THE
ADMINISTRATION ABOUT ANY CHANGES
THAT WE WANT TO SEE AS A BODY SO
THAT WHEN WE MOVE FORWARD,
HOPEFULLY THEY CAN HIT THAT THEY
CAN COME TO THE FLOOR AND BE
ADOPTED. SO THAT'S THE PROCESS
AND IT REALLY IT'S GONNA TAKE AS
LONG AS IT TAKES. OKAY YOU KNOW
, CERTAINLY THERE'S A SENSE OF
URGENCY FROM THE FROM THE
ADMINISTRATION. UM THEY THEY'VE
ARTICULATED. I THINK VERY WELL,
WHY THEY HAVE THAT SENSE OF
URGENCY. THEY'VE EXPLAINED HOW
LONG THEY'VE BEEN WORKING ON THE
POLICY. UM AND ON THE OTHER SIDE
FOR 80 MEMBERS OF OUR BODY AND
40 ON THE OTHER SIDE. WE HAVEN'T
SEEN THESE BEFORE. AND THEY'RE
VERY DEEP POLICY. UH CHANGES TO
THE STATE SO WE'LL BE, YOU KNOW,
CONTINUING THESE AND HAVING
DISCUSSIONS, I THINK YOU KNOW,
ONLINE AND OFFLINE WITH
STAKEHOLDERS AND WITH THE
ADMINISTRATION AND I WOULD ALSO
, YOU KNOW, ALWAYS SUGGEST TO
ANY MEMBERS ASK QUESTIONS HERE,
ATTEND OTHER HEARINGS. IF YOU
WANT TO ASK THE ADMINISTRATION
DIRECTLY, YOU CAN ALWAYS ASK
THEM QUESTIONS. TRANSPORTATION
STAFF IS ALSO AVAILABLE TO
INTERVENE AND TRANSLATE AND ASK
QUESTIONS. UM AND YOU KNOW IF
YOU'RE HAVING TROUBLE
UNDERSTANDING OR GETTING
RESPONSES BACK THE TEAM UP HERE
AND WITH ALL OF THE OTHER POLICY
COMMITTEES THAT WILL SEE THESE
BILLS. IT WILL BE THE SAME THING
, WHETHER IT'S NATURAL RESOURCES
OR WATER OR LEDGE. THEY ALL OF
THOSE COMMITTEES WILL ALSO BE
ENGAGED AND THEIR STAFF ON
GETTING QUESTIONS ANSWERED. WELL
JUST THE FACT THAT SEQUENCE
COULD BE ACCELERATED. IT'S A BIG
WIN. UH AS YOU KNOW, THAT'S
SOMETHING THAT ITS LENGTHY DAYS
TIME AND A LOT OF EFFORT. UM BUT
I THINK THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE
SHOULD KEEP IN MIND. IS THE
EVENTS HAPPENING IN L. A. THE
OLYMPICS AND THE WORLD CUP
COMING? PEOPLE COMING TO L A ARE
GONNA WANT SOMEWHERE ELSE. MAYBE
I WANT TO GO TO VEGAS. IT CAN
JUMP ON THE TRAIN AND GET AND
GET THERE AND COME BACK. UH SAME
THING WITH THE WORLD CUP. THOSE
ARE BIG EVENTS. AND I SAY THAT
BECAUSE IN BARCELONA IN 1992
WHEN THE OLYMPICS WERE THAT THAT
WAS THE CATALYST FOR BARCELONA
TO BE WHAT BARCELONA IS TODAY.
UM SO THOSE ARE THE THINGS THAT
I HAD AS MUCH AS WE CAN DO IT
MUCH AS I CAN DO. I SHOULD SAY
I'D BE WILLING TO DO THAT.
BECAUSE THIS IS HISTORIC. THIS
IS SOMETHING THAT WE SHOULD TAKE
ADVANTAGE OF. AND AGAIN. I
REALLY SEE THIS AS A SECOND
OPPORTUNITY TO SHOW THE WORLD
THAT WE CAN DO THINGS RIGHT. AND
ALL OF THESE FIVE THINGS. I
THINK IT'S THE WAY THAT WE
SHOULD START THINKING ABOUT
MAKING THIS A REALITY THAT THE
BILLIONS OF DOLLARS THAT ARE
COMING TO THE STATE. IT'S
ANOTHER REASON WHY WE SHOULD BE
WORKING AS MUCH AS WE CAN TO
MAKE SURE THAT WE CAN DELIVER.
UM TO THE PEOPLE OF CALIFORNIA
SO THAT WE CAN DEMONSTRATE ONCE
AGAIN THAT WE CAN BE ABLE TO DO
SOMETHING LIKE THIS. UM ON
ANOTHER NOTE SEPARATE, TOO
BRIGHT LINE. UM IS THERE AN
OPPORTUNITY THROUGH THIS
MECHANISMS TO ACCELERATE WORKS
IN NOT BUILDING NEW FREEWAYS
ABOUT FIXING SAFETY POINTS ON
SEVERAL HIGHWAYS THROUGHOUT THE
STATE. I AM VERY INTERESTED IN
THE 14 FREEWAY, THE CHOKE POINTS
THAT ARE THERE. UH THERE'S A LOT
OF RESIDENTS IN THE ANTELOPE
VALLEY. SAME THING ON THE VICTOR
VALLEY THAT DRIVE DOWN DOWN THE
HILL, AS WE SAY, BUT THERE'S A
THERE'S A REAL CHALLENGE AND
IT'S A SAFETY CONCERN. BECAUSE
OF THE CHALK POINTS THAT ARE
THERE. WILL THIS MECHANISM WILL
THIS BE AVAILABLE TO FIX THOSE
CHOKEPOINTS? YEAH THANK YOU.
ASSEMBLYMEMBER'S AND YOU KNOW,
NOT BEING, YOU KNOW, EXACTLY
FAMILIAR WITH THOSE PARTICULAR
PROJECTS. WHAT I WILL SAY IS
SOMETHING LIKE A JOB ORDER
CONTRACTING OPPORTUNITY. COULD
BE USED FOR THOSE TYPES OF
PROJECTS, WHICH ARE MORE OF YOUR
ROUTINE MAIDEN ENDS OR, YOU
KNOW, KIND OF SOME SAFETY
PROJECTS. YOU KNOW IF IT'S A
GUARDRAIL PROJECT, FOR EXAMPLE,
OR AND OF OTHER FEATURES THAT
AGAIN COULD BE DONE THROUGH THAT
MECHANISM THAT WOULD ULTIMATELY
ALLOW US TO SPEED UP THAT
PROCESS TO GET CONTRACTS OUT FOR
DELIVERY. OKAY I THINK THAT
THERE ARE YOU KNOW IF THERE ARE
OTHER ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES
ASSOCIATED WITH THAT. UM
PARTICULAR SET OF PROJECTS ON
SOME OF THESE OTHER TOOLS COULD
ABSOLUTELY HELP. UM BUT, YOU
KNOW, NOT KNOWING THE SPECIFIC
NATURE OF THOSE TWO PROJECTS.
IT'S A LITTLE HARD FOR ONE LAST
QUESTION. UH, THROUGH MY
EXPERIENCE. UM, CULTURES CAN BE
A LITTLE LENGTHY TO WORK WITH.
CALTRANS CAN HAVE DIFFERENT WAYS
TO, UM MAKE THINGS GO THROUGH A
FASTER WAY. HOW COMMUNITIES
CULTURAL THAT BUILDING. THIS
KIND OF PROJECTS IS GOING TO BE
, UH, SOMETHING THAT CULTURES
WILL REALLY BE WORKING WITH
THOSE THIRD PARTIES LIKE DRYLAND
AND OTHER CONTRACTORS THAT WILL
COME TO THE TABLE. YEAH, JUST
ASSEMBLYMEMBER'S JUST JUST REAL
QUICK. AND UM, CHIEF DEPUTY
CHEEVER MAY HAVE SOME ADDITIONAL
THOUGHTS ON THIS AS WELL AS HE
HELPS TO LEAD THE DEPARTMENT. UM
BUT AND ALSO BY THE WAY, THANK
YOU. FOR THOSE. THOSE INITIAL
COMMENTS YOU MADE ABOUT HOW
EXCITED YOU ARE. WHAT? YOU'RE
PLANNING BACKGROUND. TO BE TO
SEE EFFORTS LIKE THIS, UH, MOVE
FORWARD. IT'S A DIFFERENT DAY.
UM CAL TRANSIT EIGHT. I HAD AN
OPPORTUNITY TO WORK THERE DURING
THE INITIAL YEARS OF THE NEWSOME
ADMINISTRATION. ISSUES LIKE
ACCELERATING PROJECT DELIVERY
ARE ABSOLUTELY A CORE OF HOW, AT
THE CORE OF HOW WE THE
DEPARTMENT DOES ITS WORK TODAY.
SO BRINGING EFFORTS LIKE THIS
FORWARD AS MISS MILLER,
MENTIONED AS AN EXAMPLE, NEED
ASSIGNMENT. THERE'S SOMETHING
THAT THE DEPARTMENT HAS HAD FOR
A LONG TIME. SHE MENTIONED THE
16,000 NUMBER. THINGS LIKE THAT
ARE NOW INGRAINED IN HOW THE
DEPARTMENT DOES DOES ITS WORK SO
EVERY PROJECT IS LOOKED AT. NOT
ONLY THROUGH THE LENS OF THAT
CORE FOR THAT I MENTIONED SAFETY
, CLIMATE ACTION, EQUITY AND
ECONOMIC PROSPERITY. BUT HOW CAN
WE GET IT DONE IN A TIMELY
FASHION? FOR THE PEOPLE OF
STATE, NOT THE USUAL RED TAPE.
SO GIVEN US THE AUTHORITY TO DO
MORE THINGS LIKE THIS IS GOING
TO HELP US LIKE THE
UNDERSECRETARY MENTIONED WITH
THE FEDERAL MONEY THAT'S COMING
AND ALSO THE STATE DOLLARS FROM
SB ONE AND FROM GOVERNOR NEWSOM.
OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS. SO THIS
IS AT THE CORE OF HOW WE SEE OUR
FUNCTION TODAY. UH, UNLIKE SOME
OF THE CHALLENGES THAT WE MAY
HAVE HAD IN THE PAST OKAY.
ASSEMBLYMEMBER'S JUST ON
APOLOGIZE, MR KEEPER IF YOU WANT
TO GO, BUT ON THE ROUTE, THE
ROUTE 14 AT 1 38. IS THAT THE
PROJECT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT IN
THE CITY OF LANCASTER. SO THAT
IS ONE OF THE AND WE WILL GET
YOU THIS PACKET THAT IT'S ONE OF
THE PROJECTS FROM THE RAYS
PROGRAM THAT WOULD BENEFIT IT'S
LISTED ON HERE, AND WE'RE HAPPY
TO GET THAT. TO YOU. OBVIOUSLY,
WE'RE ALSO PUTTING THIS TOGETHER
IN REAL TIME AS WE LEARN MORE.
IS THAT THE PROJECT? YOU'RE
REFERRING TO DETAIL WITH ALL THE
PRESSURES WAS WELL, WE'RE HAPPY
TO FOLLOW UP ON THAT SPECIFIC.
AND LASTLY, I THINK THAT WE
SHOULD ALSO TAKE INTO ACCOUNT
THE OPPORTUNITY TO CREATE SO
MANY JOBS. UH PROJECTS LIKE THIS
WILL HIRE A LOT OF PEOPLE. UH
BRYANT'S ESTIMATED TO BE
COMPLETED BY 2027 NOT ONLY THE
NUMBER OF JOBS THAT THESE WOULD
WE WILL CREATE, BUT THE DEMAND
ON THOSE LOCAL MUNICIPALITIES
FOR HOUSING AND I ECONOMIC
OPPORTUNITIES. THAT'S ANOTHER
REASON. BUT I'M REALLY EXCITED
ABOUT THIS BECAUSE THE HIGH
DESERT IS JUST HUNGRY FOR
OPPORTUNITIES. BRIGHT LINE GOING
THROUGH THE HIGH DESK. IT WILL
BE A CATALYST FOR THE HIGH
DESERT. WITHOUT A DOUBT. CLOSE
MY COMMENTS CHAIR. THANK YOU.
THANK YOU. I ACTUALLY WANT TO
EXPAND JUST A QUESTION FROM
SOMETHING THAT THE ASSEMBLY
MEMBER ASKED AND ALSO A COMMENT
THAT WAS MADE EARLIER WHEN WE
WERE TALKING ABOUT THE JOB ORDER
CONTRACTING SOMEONE. I THINK IT
WAS MR SECRETARY HAD MENTIONED
ROUTINE WORK, SO I'M JUST WANT
TO BE CLEAR ABOUT THE JOB ORDER
CONTRACTING. WHAT WHAT? HOW
ROUTINE WORK ARE YOU PLANNING ON
USING THIS MECHANISM? UM, YOU
KNOW, IT'S CHOKEHOLDS ARE ONE
THING. THOSE CAN BE MAJOR
PROJECTS, BUT THERE'S ALSO A LOT
OF JUST MINOR THINGS THAT GO
INTO MAINTENANCE, SO I THINK
IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE
UNDERSTAND. WHAT THE PARAMETERS
ARE. AROUND THE JOB ORDER
CONTRACTING AND WHAT YOU'RE
ENVISIONING. SO CAN YOU GIVE US
A LITTLE BIT OF CLARITY HERE ON
WHAT KIND OF PROJECTS YOU'RE
TALKING ABOUT? WHAT WOULD BE
CONSIDERED AND WHAT WOULD
ABSOLUTELY NOT BE CONSIDERED. MR
CHEEVER IS GONNA HE'S GONNA HELP
US. UH WELL, THIS QUESTION THANK
YOU. CHAIR AND SO WHAT WE'RE
TALKING ABOUT IS NOT REALLY THE
WORK THAT THE CALTRANS
MAINTENANCE CREWS DO. WHAT WE'RE
TALKING ABOUT IS WHAT WE HAVE
OUR CONTRACTORS. UM CONTRACTORS
THAT BID ON OUR PROJECTS DO BUT
WHAT'S UNIQUE ABOUT THE JOB
ORDER? CONTRACTING IS SAY YOU
HAVE SOME PAVEMENT THAT IS
STARTING TO HAVE YOU KNOW,
DEGRADATION. WE CERTAINLY SAW A
LOT OF THAT AFTER THE YOU KNOW
WINTER STORMS THIS YEAR. YOU
HAVE TO IDENTIFY WHERE IT IS IN
ORDER TO START PROCURING A
PROJECT AND HAVE SOMEBODY COME
OUT TO DO THAT WORK. WITH JOB
ORDER CONTRACTING. YOU ALREADY
HAVE THEM UNDER CONTRACT. ONCE
YOU SEE THE DEGRADATION, YOU CAN
JUST SIMPLY WRITE YOUR TASK
ORDERS. THEY GO OUT THERE NOW.
WE DON'T HAVE TO PUT THAT
PACKAGE TOGETHER BECAUSE WE
ALREADY HAVE THEM. AND SO IT
WOULD BE THINGS LIKE THAT
DEGRADATION THAT WE'RE SEEING ON
THE PAYMENT. IT COULD BE
CLEARING TREES AS WE'RE TRYING
TO PREPARE FOR WILDFIRES AND IT
COULD BE. UH, ON OUR BRIDGE
DECKS. PUTTING UM, CHOCOLATE BUT
BASICALLY MAKING OUR BRIDGE
DECKS LAST LONGER, SO IT'S
THINGS THAT ARE REPEATABLE THAT
WE SEE AROUND THE STATE AND YOU
COULD SAY GO OUT AND DO THIS
HERE. SO THAT THAT IS REALLY,
REALLY HELPFUL. I'LL JUST MAKE
THE COMMENT THAT I THINK THAT
THE LANGUAGE NEEDS TO BE A
LITTLE CLEARER. UM AS WE MOVE
FORWARD TO JUST TO CLARIFY THAT
WE DON'T HAVE THAT. CONFUSION
GOING FORWARD. THANK YOU. RIGHT
IN THE IN THE BILL, MR VICE
CHAIR. THANK YOU, MADAM. CHAIR
FIRST. I LIKE TO COMPLIMENT YOU
ON THE JOB ORDER CONTRACTING
PROPOSAL ACTUALLY CARRIED THE
BILL A B 2996 IN 2018 ACTUALLY
TO EXPAND JOB ORDER CONTRACTING
. SO UH, FIVE YEARS BEFORE IT
WAS THERE, SO I APPRECIATE YOU
BRINGING THAT PROPOSAL FORWARD.
I DON'T KNOW IF IT HELPS YOU
WITH MY COLLEAGUES ON THE OTHER
SIDE OF THE AISLE, BUT I THINK
IT'S A GOOD IDEA. UM AND I THINK
IT WILL I DO CONCUR WITH, UM UH
, WITH THE W DIRECTOR CALTRANS.
IT ACTUALLY IS GONNA BE VERY
USEFUL. UM WITH THAT AUTHORITY
IN TERMS OF THE ACCELERATED
ENVIRONMENTAL MITIGATION. UM CAN
YOU LIKE THE FLESH OUT WHAT
PROJECTS WERE LOOKING TO
COMPLETE WITH THIS AUTHORITY IS
THERE DO YOU HAVE ANY PROJECTS
IN MIND? YEAH AGAIN. I'M GONNA
MR RICE HERE GET GET GET A
CHANCE TO BRIEFLY SEE YOU TODAY
. I'M GOING TO LET MR CHEEVER
ANSWERED THAT QUESTION. I'M LATE
FOR A 4 P.M. BUT I WANT TO LET
YOU KNOW THAT AT ANY POINT OF
ANY MEMBERS WANT TO ENGAGE ME
DIRECTLY ON THIS ON ON THIS BILL
ON THIS PACKAGE, I'M WILLING TO
HAVE A MEETING OR DISCUSSION AT
ANY POINT TO DISCUSS THIS.
APPRECIATE THAT. THANK YOU, MR
KEEPER, SECRETARY MITIGATION.
SPECIFIC EXAMPLES FOR JOB ORDER
CONTRACTING NO FOR THE
ACCELERATED ENVIRONMENT
MITIGATION. LIKE WHAT PROJECTS
ARE YOU LOOKING TO? TO COMPLETE
WITH THIS? THAT IT. AUTHORITIES
ANY PROJECT THAT UM, WOULD
REQUIRE THAT THAT MITIGATION SO
WE AFTER WE RECEIVED THE
AUTHORITY TO DO ADVANCEMENT,
GATIEN, WE HAVE DONE A STATEWIDE
REVIEW OF THE PROJECTS GOING
FORWARD AND TRYING TO IDENTIFY
WHERE IS IT LIKELY WE WILL HAVE
CERTAIN THINGS. MAYBE IT'S YOU
KNOW. UM WATERS HABITAT SPECIFIC
SPECIES WHERE OUR PROJECT IS
GOING TO BE AND THEN. WHERE
SHOULD WE COULD WE INVEST IN THE
ADVANCED MITIGATION? IN ORDER TO
DO THIS WORK AGAIN UP FRONT,
WHICH SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCES THAT
THAT TIMELINE AND SO. WHETHER
IT'S THROUGH THE ADVANCEMENT OF
GATIEN PROGRAM. OR SECOND BEST.
YOU DO IT SPECIFICALLY FOR YOUR
PROJECT EITHER WAY. THIS WOULD
STREAMLINE THOSE OPPORTUNITIES,
SO IT'S REALLY, UM ANY ANY
PROJECT. SO YOU ARE YOU HAVE AN
IDEA? I GUESS YOU HAVEN'T
IDENTIFIED ANY PROJECTS THAT
WOULD BENEFIT FROM ADVANCE
MITIGATION. JUST DON'T HAVE A
LIST OF THEM FOR YOU, UM BUT WE
DO HAVE A LIST THAT WE COULD
PROVIDE. IF YOU COULD GET BACK
TO YOU ON THAT, MR. I'M JUST
TRYING TO THINK LIKE THAT'S A
VERY BROAD. I MEAN, AND NOT THAT
I'M NOT CRITICIZING YOU. I'M
JUST LIKE THAT'S A VERY BROAD,
UM, LIST OF POTENTIAL PROJECTS.
AND SO YOU KNOW, FROM FROM MY
PERSPECTIVE, I WOULD LIKE TO
HAVE AN IDEA IN TERMS OF LIKE,
ARE THESE HIGHWAY PROJECTS ARE
THESE, UH, YOU KNOW? I MEAN,
THAT'S THE BIG ONE, RIGHT? I
MEAN, ARE WE LOOKING AT, UH,
USING ACCELERATING ENVIRONMENTAL
MITIGATION Tð. TO STREAMLINE,
YOU KNOW, ROAD REHABILITATION.
ARE WE LOOKING TO DO? UM YOU
KNOW, ROAD CAPACITY ARE WE
LOOKING TO DO YOU KNOW WHAT ARE
WE LOOKING AT? HAVE MANY, MANY
HIGHWAY ROAD OBJECTS THAT WOULD
AH, BENEFITS SPECIFICALLY FROM
THIS P. YOU KNOW, OUR FIRST
CHOICE IS TO TRY TO AVOID THE
IMPACTS, BUT WE HAVE LOTS OF
PROJECTS WERE ON. UNFORTUNATELY
DO HAVE IMPACTS THAT WE NEED TO
MITIGATE. AND SO THIS WOULD
ALLOW US THE OPPORTUNITY. SURE
ABSOLUTELY. SOMEONE WHO LIVES IN
A YOU KNOW, I REPRESENT RURAL
COMMUNITIES. AND SO OF COURSE,
TRYING TO DO A ROAD SAFETY
PROJECT IN IN, YOU KNOW, IN A
ONE LANE TO LANE ROAD SITUATION
, YOU KNOW THAT THERE'S
DEFINITELY AN AREA THERE. I
COULD SEE WHERE THIS COULD
ACTUALLY HELP TRY TO FACILITATE
A ROAD SAFETY PROJECT, FOR
EXAMPLE, UM I JUST DIDN'T KNOW
IF THAT WAS SOMETHING THAT
YOU'RE ENVISIONING OR WHETHER,
BECAUSE I DON'T WANT I CERTAINLY
DON'T WANT TO IMPOSE. YEAH, I
WOULD IMPOSE. I GUESS IF YOU
ALLOW ME TO, BUT YOU KNOW WHAT?
MY WHAT? MY VIEWS ARE WHAT MY
PROJECTS WOULD BE, UH, IF YOU'RE
LOOKING AT THIS TYPE OF
AUTHORITY. WE'LL GET YOU SOME
SPECIFIC EXAMPLES. THIS PROPOSAL
SPECIFICALLY CAME OUT OF THE A B
12 82 TRANSPORTATION PERMITTING
TASK FORCE FROM THIS COMMITTEE.
SO IN ORDER JUST TO KEEP
MITIGATION BUT STREAMLINE IT, SO
WE'RE HAPPY THAT THOUGH, PROVIDE
ADDITIONAL DETAILS. OKAY THANK
YOU VERY MUCH, AND THEN IN TERMS
OF KIND OF BUILDING ON THE
CHAIRS QUESTION ON PROGRESSIVE
DESIGN BILL AUTHORITY. YOU
MENTIONED THAT THE EIGHT
PROJECTS WOULD COME OUT OF THE
SHOP LIST. UM YOU KNOW, IS THERE
A PARTICULAR CRITERIA? UM IN
TERMS I KNOW MY COLLEAGUE FROM
THE VALLEY YOU MENTIONED HIGHWAY
14. YOU KNOW, WE CERTAINLY IN
THE CENTRAL VALLEY WE KNOW WE'VE
ON A BIPARTISAN BASIS HAS WANTED
TO FINISH 29. YOU KNOW, HIGHWAY
46 HAS BEEN ONGOING CHALLENGE.
YOU'RE VERY WELL AWARE OF THAT.
SO I'M TRYING TO GET A SENSE OF
LIKE. IS THERE A CRITERIA IN
TERMS OF DETERMINING WHAT THOSE
EIGHT PROJECTS WOULD BE? VERY
SIMILAR TO WHAT WE DO WITH OUR
DESIGN, BUILD AUTHORITY AND R C
M G C AUTHORITY. WE WOULD UM
LOOK AT THOSE OPPORTUNITIES.
GIVEN THAT THERE'S A CERTAIN
NUMBER OF SLOTS AND WHERE DO WE
GET THE GREATEST BENEFIT? BUT IT
COMES OFTEN IT'S IN TERMS OF
WHERE IS THEIR INNOVATION
OPPORTUNITIES? WHERE DOES THE
CONTRACTORS MEANS AND METHODS
HAVE A SIGNIFICANCE ON WHAT YOU
ARE ABLE TO DO? AND THEN I
TALKED EARLIER ABOUT THE
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS AND WHERE
THE CONTRACTOR CAN HELP YOU TO
TRY TO LIMIT OR GET YOUR PERMITS
BECAUSE OF THE ABILITY TO
PROVIDE CERTAINTY ON HOW THE
WORK IS GOING TO BE PERFORMED.
SO THOSE ARE ALL EXAMPLES OF THE
TYPES OF THINGS WE RUN THROUGH.
WE SELECT THE PROJECT. AND JUST
SO I UNDERSTAND THE PROCESS IF
THIS AUTHORITY WAS GRANTED WOULD
IT BE THAT WOULD IT BE YOU THAT
WOULD DETERMINE THE EIGHT
PROJECTS OR IS THERE A
STAKEHOLDER PROCESS OR HOW DOES
THAT WORK? SO CURRENTLY THE, UM
AS I MENTIONED FOR THE DESIGN
BUILD AND THE CMG C AUTHORITY WE
WORK WITH OUR LOCAL AGENCIES. A
LOT OF THEM ARE GOING TO BE
LOCALLY SPONSORED TYPES OF
PROJECTS, AND WE WOULD UM, GET
THAT INPUT, BUT ULTIMATELY IT IS
THE DEPARTMENT THAT MAKES THE
FINAL DECISION ON HOW TO USE
THOSE. OKAY THANK YOU VERY MUCH
. AND THEN, UM, IN TERMS OF THE
NIPAH DELEGATION CERTAINLY HAVE
BEEN SUPPORTIVE IN THE PAST OF
THE USE OF THE DELEGATION IN
TERMS OF HIGHWAY PROJECTS, AND
THEN YOU'VE HAD THIS FOR ON THE
RAIL TRANSIT SIDE. UM YOU KNOW
MY EXPERIENCE HAVING DONE
TRANSPORTATION PROJECTS. UM IN
THE CENTRAL VALLEY, CONTINUE
CORRIDORS WITH WHEN I'M SURE
YOU'RE FAMILIAR WITH, UM IN, UM
, THE BIGGEST ONE AREA. THE
CHALLENGES ALWAYS BEEN IN
CLEARLY, MOST MOST HAVE NOT HALF
OF THE MONEY THAT WAS ALLOCATED
TO THAT PROJECT HAS BEEN EATING
AWAY WHEN IT COMES TO
ENVIRONMENTAL CLEARANCE AND
REVIEW. SO CLEARLY SHORTENING
THAT TIME FRAME WOULD BE VERY,
VERY BENEFICIAL, THOUGH I'VE
I'VE SEEN FIRSTHAND THAT THE
CHALLENGE IS THAT THE DELEGATION
PER SE, BUT IT'S TRYING TO MEET
THE SEQUENCE SIDE OF IT BECAUSE
HE ARE SEQUA. UM UH, CRITERIA IS
MORE AGGRESSIVE. THE NIPAH SO
I'M NOT I'M NOT. OF COURSE, WE
AREN'T HEARING THE SEQUEL SIDE
OF THIS PROPOSAL HERE, BUT COULD
YOU KIND OF ELABORATE DOES IS
THERE ANY SEQUENCE? STREAMLINING
THAT THAT IS THAT IS BEING
PROPOSED. IN ADDITION TO THE TO
THE NUBA DELEGATION THAT WOULD
ALLOW KIND OF AS THE FAST TRACK
EVEN MORE. YOU'RE RIGHT THAT THE
PART OF THE REASON WE'RE DOING
THIS IS BECAUSE IN MANY WAYS IS
SUPERIOR TO IN TERMS OF HOW MUCH
REVIEW THERE IS. SO AS I
MENTIONED AT THE BEGINNING THIS
PACKAGE REALLY MAINTAINS ALL OF
THE MITIGATION AND PUBLIC
PROCESS AROUND SEQUA. THERE'S
TWO PROPOSALS THAT WILL BE HEARD
LATER THIS WEEKEND. THE ASSEMBLY
THE ADMINISTRATIVE RECORDS
REVIEW. IS ONE PROPOSAL THAT I
BELIEVE IS BEING HEARD ON
WEDNESDAY AND A JOINT HEARING
BETWEEN ASSEMBLY, JUDICIARY AND
ASSEMBLY NATURAL RESOURCES, AND
THAT IS A QUESTION OF WHICH
DOCUMENTS NEED TO BE RETAINED AS
PART OF THE ADMINISTRATIVE
REVIEW PROCESS AND ITS DOCUMENTS
THAT HAVE HAD ONLY THE DOCUMENTS
THAT IT DECISION MAKER IS
ACTUALLY READ. SO STAFF AND
STAFF COMMUNICATION WOULDN'T BE
INCLUDED. THAT'S ONE AND THEN
THE SECOND IS THE INCIDENTAL
TAKE PROCESS. BEING
ADMINISTRATIVE RATHER THAN
LEGISLATIVE IS ALSO A SECOND.
NEITHER CHANGES SEQUA PER SE, SO
THERE IS NO SEQUEL REFORM. THIS
IS ALL REALLY STREAM LIGHTING
AND PERMITTING REFORM CHANGES.
THE TIMELINES, THE LITIGATION,
THE OPPORTUNITIES TO BUILD, BUT
THE ACTUAL PROCESS OF THE
ANALYSIS AND PUBLIC PROCESS
SEQUENCES MAINTAINED, OKAY.
THANK YOU FOR THAT. I DON'T KNOW
IF I WOULD GO AS FAR IN
WEDNESDAY AS FAR TO SAY THAT
SEEK WAS SUPERIOR. I THINK SEQUA
IS ACTUALLY A BIGGER ROADBLOCK
THAN HIPPA. NOWADAYS I THINK MY
COLLEAGUES IF YOU TALK TO THEM
ON THE HOUSING FRONT WOULD
PROBABLY AGREE WITH ME. THE
GOVERNOR HAS SIGNED 20 BILLS ON
THAT. SO I APPRECIATE THAT
SENTIMENT. I THINK THAT THIS IS
CERTAINLY A FIRST START. THERE
ARE IDEAS HERE THAT I THINK
WOULD CERTAINLY ACCELERATE. ROAD
PROJECTS. I THINK THIS IS AN
AREA THAT MY COLLEAGUE FROM L. A
VALLEY. THAT WE HAVE A LOT OF
DEFERRED MAINTENANCE AND NEED
FOR NEW CAPACITY. AND SO MY HOPE
IS AS WE DEVELOP THESE 2 MILLION
PROCESSES THAT IT ACTUALLY WOULD
GO TO ACTUALLY BUILDING THINGS
AND ESPECIALLY BUILDING ROAD
CAPACITY, ESPECIALLY FOR ROAD
SAFETY AND RURAL COMMUNITIES.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
ASSEMBLYMEMBER'S HEART. I'M
SORRY. YEAH, SOME OF THEM EVER
HURT. UM WELL, I THINK THIS IS A
REALLY IMPORTANT HEARING. AND I
APPRECIATE, UM, EVERYBODY BEING
HERE TO TALK ABOUT THESE
SUBSTANTIVE ISSUES. IT'S AN
ADVANTAGE. I THINK FOR US TO BE
HAVING THIS CONVERSATION FIRST
ABOUT THE TRANSPORTATION
PROJECTS BECAUSE THE NEXUS
BETWEEN WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO
GET THE FEDERAL FUNDING AND MAKE
THESE PROJECTS HAPPEN MORE
QUICKLY IS MORE OBVIOUS HERE IN
THIS SPACE BECAUSE YOU'VE GOT
THE NO FOLKS COMING DOWN AND WE
NEED TO BE IN A POSITION TO BE
ABLE TO COMPETE EFFECTIVELY. BUT
AND I DO THINK WE ACTUALLY HAVE
A REALLY GOOD STORY TO TELL IN
CALIFORNIA ABOUT THE THINGS THAT
WE'VE BEEN DOING TO MAKE THE
CASE TO THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
THAT WERE, YOU KNOW, WE'VE
TURNED THE CORNER. WE'RE DOING
THINGS IN A MORE EFFECTIVE,
EFFICIENT MANNER. AND, YOU KNOW,
STARTING OFF WITH THE NIPAH
DELEGATION, I THINK THAT IS PART
OF THE NARRATIVE THAT WE WANT TO
TELL THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT THAT
WE HAVE TAKEN THIS
RESPONSIBILITY ON. WE'RE ONLY
ONE OF SIX STATES IN THE COUNTRY
THAT HAVE THAT AUTHORITY. AND
BECAUSE OUR SECRET STANDARDS ARE
MORE RIGOROUS AND MORE
PROTECTIVE OF THE ENVIRONMENT.
HAVING THESE PROCESSES COMBINED
DOES MAKE THE PROCESS MORE
EFFICIENT. YOU KNOW, WE'RE NOT
LOWERING THE BAR WITH OUR SECRET
STANDARDS. BUT WE'RE INTEGRATING
THE TWO PROCESSES SO WE'RE NOT
DUPLICATIVE. AND I THINK THAT IN
TELLING THE STORY WE HAVE TO BE
DIRECT AND CLEAR ABOUT WHAT
CALIFORNIA'S ADVANTAGES ARE. AND
THIS I THINK IS ONE OF THOSE
THAT WE CAN SPEAK. CLEARLY TO IN
MY FORMER JOB BEFORE I WAS
ELECTED TO THE BOARD OF
SUPERVISORS ARE WAS THE
EXECUTIVE DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF THE
SANTA BARBARA COUNTY ASSOCIATION
OF GOVERNMENTS, AND WE'RE ONE OF
THE PROJECTS, UM, CHAMPIONING
THE 101 MULTIMODAL HIV PROJECT.
IN SANTA BARBARA COUNTY, AND IT
WAS A PROGRESSIVE DESIGN BUILD
PROJECT AND IT HAS BEEN VERY
SUCCESSFUL. UM I YOU KNOW, I HAD
GREAT, UM UNDERSTANDING OF THAT
PROCESS AND THE ADVANTAGES THAT
PROVIDES BIG PROJECTS YOU GET
THE EXPERTISE OF THE CONTRACTOR
IN THE DESIGN PHASE OF THE
PROJECT TO HELP DESIGN A BETTER
PROJECT. IT'S EASIER TO
CONSTRUCT THAT HAS FEWER IMPACTS
THAT COULD BE DONE MORE QUICKLY.
SO I THINK THAT'S ALSO SOMETHING
THAT WE CAN TALK ABOUT WITH THE
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT HAVING THAT
AUTHORITY HAVING THE PROJECTS
THAT WE'VE ALREADY DONE, YOU
KNOW IS DEMONSTRATING THAT WE
KNOW WHAT WE'RE DOING. SO HAVING
THIS CONVERSATION ABOUT
EXPANDING THAT LENS IS
APPROPRIATE FOR THE PURPOSES OF
HAVING, UM, MORE EFFECTIVE IN
GETTING THESE FEDERAL FUNDS NOT
SURE EXACTLY HOW THE JOB ORDER
CONTRACTING REFINEMENTS RELATE
TO THOSE FEDERAL FUNDING
OPPORTUNITIES. I MEAN, I THINK
IT IT POTENTIALLY DOES INCREASE
BANDWIDTH CALISTA AND AT
CALTRANS, AND I GET THAT BECAUSE
THE ROUTINE MAINTENANCE PROJECTS
THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE
SAFETY PROJECTS I DON'T THINK
ARE GOING TO BE GREAT CANDIDATES
FOR THE FEDERAL FUNDING PROJECTS
, YOU KNOW, CORRECT ME IF I'M
WRONG, BUT I DON'T SEE THAT AS
BEING CRITICAL TIMING PATH ISSUE
IN REGARDS TO THESE NO PHONES
THAT ARE COMING OUT, AND I THINK
THAT'S THE KEY IN THIS. BROADER
CONVERSATION THAT WE'RE HAVING
ABOUT THESE PROPOSED CHANGES IS
WE'RE DOING THIS THROUGH THIS
EXTRAORDINARY PROCESS TO DO IT
FAST. THE READY FOR THESE
FEDERAL FUNDING DOLLARS. I THINK
THAT'S THE IMPERATIVE HERE. AND
SO THERE'S A TENSION AS THE
GENERAL'S OFFICE DESCRIBED
BETWEEN DOING IT RIGHT NOW AND
DOING IT RIGHT AND WE NEED TO BE
CAREFUL ABOUT THAT. AND THAT'S
WHERE I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT FOR
US TO DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THESE
THINGS. NEED TO BE URGENT AND
NEED TO BE IMMEDIATE AND THINGS
THAT CAN TAKE A MORE
DELIBERATIVE PROCESS. SO IF
THERE'S SOMETHING YOU CAN TELL
ME ABOUT THE JOB ORDER
CONTRACTING THAT RAISES ITS
URGENCY IN RELATION TO THESE
FEDERAL FUNDING. I'D LIKE TO
HEAR ABOUT THAT. I THINK THAT
AND THEN I ABSOLUTELY UNDERSTAND
THAT THE QUESTIONS ABOUT URGENCY
WEEK THE GOVERNOR DOES CONSIDER
THIS ENTIRE PACKAGE URGENT AND
TO THE OBVIOUSLY THE FEDERAL
FUNDS OR WHAT MOTIVATED US TO
LOOK AT OUR INFRASTRUCTURE WRIT
LARGE, HOW WE'RE DELIVERING
PROJECTS, AND THIS NEED TO GO
FASTER IS REALLY IMPORTANT. BUT
AS I MENTIONED THE EVEN THE
DRAWING DOWN OF OUR STATE
DOLLARS TOMORROW, AND WATER
PARKS AND WILDLIFE YOU'LL HEAR
ABOUT WATER PROJECTS AND SB $1
THAT STILL HAVEN'T BEEN SPENT.
AND SO I THINK THAT WHAT WHEN WE
LOOK AT DEVELOPMENT, IT'S HARD
TO DO IT IN THE SILOS AND PEACE
MEALS. WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO SAY
IS THAT WE'RE GOING TO HAVE THE
ENTIRE INFRASTRUCTURE WE NEED SO
THAT WE CAN DELIVER DELIVER THE
REST OF THESE PASTORS, SO I'LL
TURN IT TO MR CHEEVER
SPECIFICALLY FOR JOB ORDER
CONTRACTING, BUT A LOT OF THIS
IS WHAT WE'VE LEARNED FROM THE
LEGISLATURE AND THE
LEGISLATURE'S INVOLVEMENT WITH
BROADBAND, FOR EXAMPLE. DRY
BORDER CONTRACTING WAS
INTRODUCED THERE AND THAT'S HOW
WE'VE SEEN THESE TIMELINES
DECREASE. SO SOME, IT IS
ABSOLUTELY TRUE THAT WE'RE
TRYING TO MAXIMIZE FEDERAL
DOLLARS BUT ALSO DELIVER ALL
PROJECTS FASTER SO WE CAN HAVE
THE SUPPORTS. THERE'S NOT A LOT
ABOUT HOUSING IN THIS PROJECT.
BUT WHEN WE HAVE THE ROADS AND
WE HAVE THE WATER PROJECTS,
THAT'S HOW WE'RE ABLE TO DEVELOP
ALL THE INFRASTRUCTURE IN THE
STATE. SO IT'S ABSOLUTELY A
GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE ON HOW TO
ENSURE THAT WE HAVE THIS
INFRASTRUCTURE. THAT HASN'T BEEN
SEEN SINCE GOVERNOR PAT BROWN.
MR KEEPERS. YEAH THANK YOU, AND
I THINK IT'S VERY GOOD QUESTION,
AND SO A LOT OF THE FEDERAL
FUNDS ARE THERE, THERE'S A
THERE'S A GOOD DEAL THAT WE WANT
TO GO AFTER AND BE AS
COMPETITIVE AS POSSIBLE FOR
WHAT'S UP THERE FOR GRABS. WE
ALSO RECEIVED SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT
FROM MY FORMULA, RIGHT SO THEY
DISTRIBUTED TO ALL OF THE STATES
AND WE ALREADY RECEIVED OUR
SHARE. WE WANT TO TAKE THOSE
FUNDS AND THE SECRETARY TALKED
ABOUT THE COST OF TIME, SO THAT
IS PART OF IT, SO WE WANT TO
TAKE THOSE FUNDS AND PUT THEM TO
WORK AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE. YOU
ALSO GET THE BENEFITS EARLIER.
BUT YOU ALSO IF YOU CAN USE
THOSE FEDERAL FUNDS, IT ALSO
GIVES YOU THE OPPORTUNITY.
THERE'S ANOTHER POT THAT COMES
UP FOR GRABS IN IN AUGUST,
AUGUST REDISTRIBUTION ON THE
FEDERAL SIDE AND THAT IF YOU
HAVE SPACE, IF YOU'VE USED YOUR
MONEY, YOU CAN GO AFTER THOSE
FUNDS AS WELL. SO CALIFORNIA'S
BEEN VERY SUCCESSFUL IN THE
PAST. UM RIGHT. WE FORTUNATELY
HAVE SOME VERY GOOD PEOPLE THAT
MANAGE OUR FUNDS FORCE AND THEIR
THEIR SOPHISTICATION AND HOW
THEY DO THAT ALLOWS US TO GO
AFTER THOSE FEDERAL FUNDS AND SO
THERE IS A BENEFIT IN HAVING
THAT VELOCITY OF THE FUNDS GOING
OUT. MAKE SPACE FOR MORE MONEY
TO COME IN BEHIND. WELL, THAT'S
EXACTLY WHAT I WAS THINKING WAS
THE PURPOSE AND THAT MAKES
PERFECT SENSE. UM REGARDING THE
WILDLIFE CORRIDORS ON I 15
PROJECT THE BRIGHT LINE WEST
PROJECT, AND IT MAKES PERFECT
SENSE TO COORDINATE THOSE
PROJECTS. UM THE KEY IS TO MAKE
SURE THAT THEY GET BUILT AND TO
MAKE SURE THAT THERE'S
CONTRACTUAL OBLIGATION THAT THEY
BUILT AND THAT, UM PREVAILING
WAGE AND LABOR STANDARDS.
CALIFORNIA EXPECTS ARE ALSO
APPLICABLE TO THOSE PROJECTS.
AND IS THAT IS THAT GOING TO BE
THE CASE WITH YOUR ATTENTION?
CALTRANS IS SET ASIDE OUR
CONTRIBUTION. AND SO SINCE THESE
ARE PUBLIC WORKS FUNDS IF YOU
WILL FEDERAL AND STATE FUNDS THE
SAME OBLIGATIONS THAT WE HAVE
WITH OUR PROJECTS WOULD BE
INCLUDED IN THAT SO SHORT
ANSWER. YES. THAT'S IMPORTANT
AND THEN AS FAR AS THE ADVANCED
ENVIRONMENTAL MITIGATION, I
THINK THIS IS A REALLY COMPLEX
ISSUE. I THINK EVERYBODY WANTS
TO ACHIEVE THE GOALS THAT YOU'RE
TALKING ABOUT, BUT THERE'S
ALREADY BEEN A LOT OF WORK DONE
UNDER THE ADVANCED MITIGATION
PROGRAM HAS BEEN IN EFFECT FOR A
WHILE. YOUR POINT THAT YOU
HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO SEAL THE
DEAL, I THINK IS EXACTLY WHAT
THE LEGISLATURE NEEDS TO
UNDERSTAND IS WHAT IS THE
PROBLEM SPECIFICALLY, THAT'S
HAPPENED. UM AND I KNOW THAT
THERE ARE REPORTS THAT ARE
REQUIRED TO DESCRIBE THAT. I
THINK THERE'S ONLY BEEN ONE
DURING THE TIME THAT THE PROGRAM
HAS BEEN IN EXISTENCE AND SPEND
ALMOST SIX YEARS SO MORE REGULAR
INPUT FROM YOU ABOUT THE
EXPERIENCES THAT YOU'RE HAVING
WOULD HELP US INFORM THE WAY TO
HANDLE THIS THE BEST AND THERE'S
SOME REALLY SPECIFIC THINGS
ABOUT THIS. YOU KNOW, THEY'RE
THE LANGUAGE THAT YOU'VE OFFERED
SEEMS TO CREATE, CREATE, CREATE
TREAT CREDITS FROM MITIGATION
BANKS, CONSERVATION BANKS. UM OR
IN IN LIEU FRUIT PROGRAM AS
EQUAL, BUT AND IT'S IMPORTANT
FOR THEM TO BE UNDERSTOOD AS TO
HOW THEY WOULD BE APPLICABLE IN
THIS INSTANCE IN THIS YOUR
PROPOSAL AND SHOULDN'T THE
LANGUAGE THERE REFLECT THE
DISTINCTIONS, SO I THINK YOU
KNOW AGAIN. WE'RE IN THIS
TENSION BETWEEN DOING THIS
QUICKLY IN A MONTH VERSUS DOING
IT THOUGHTFULLY AND CAREFULLY
THROUGH THE REGULAR LEGISLATIVE
PROCESS. I THINK THE BURDEN IS
ON YOU TO SHOW US WHY, YOU KNOW,
DID YOU NEED TO DO THESE THINGS
AND WHAT LEVEL OF PRECISION IS
BEING PROPOSED IN THE PROPOSALS
YOU'RE DOING TO GIVE US
CONFIDENCE THAT WE KNOW WHAT
WE'RE DOING. IF I MAY WITH
REGARD TO THAT, I THINK THERE IS
BROAD SUPPORT FOR THE ADVANCED
MITIGATION PROGRAM. I DON'T WANT
TO PRESUME, BUT I DO PERSONALLY
BELIEVE IT'S A VERY GOOD PROGRAM
. IT ALLOWS FOR BETTER
ENVIRONMENTAL OUTCOMES BECAUSE
YOU CAN PLAN HOW ARE YOU GOING
TO TAKE THAT MITIGATION AND THEN
WORK WITH THOSE MITIGATION BANKS
WITH C, D F W TWO S¼. HOW DO YOU
TAKE THIS AND CREATE A
CONSERVATION AREA THAT IS
PLANNED AS OPPOSED TO ONE
PROJECT AT A TIME THAT POSTAGE
STAMP SIZE MITIGATION FOR JUST
THAT PROJECT. YOU BRING THEM ALL
TOGETHER AND YOU CREATE BETTER
HABITAT. WITH WITH THE BANKS,
EACH BANK HAS THEIR OWN RULES.
AND WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO ACHIEVE
THROUGH THIS IS TO SAY. CALTRANS
CAN HAVE THE FLEXIBILITY THAT
WE'RE TRYING TO, UH, INCLUDE IN
THIS PROPOSAL. WE CAN. MAKE
THESE DEALS WITH THE BANKS, SO
WE'RE ABLE TO TAKE THE FUNDS.
AND GET CLARITY THAT WE DON'T
NEED TO GO TO S GROW, FOR
INSTANCE, UH, TO MAINTAIN A
WILDLIFE CROSSING. WE CAN
ALREADY DO THAT. BUT THERE ARE
QUESTIONS WITH SOME OF THEM SAY
, WELL, MAYBE WE NEED TO WORK
THIS OUT. AND SO THEY'RE ASKING
CALTRANS TO CREATE AN ESCROW
FUND IN ORDER TO DO THAT. IT'S
NOT NECESSARY OR THE ABILITY TO,
UM. INVEST THROUGH, UM. THE
BANKS AND NOT NECESSARILY BY THE
PROPERTY DIRECTLY OURSELVES, BUT
BE ABLE TO, UM GO OUT AND.
INVEST WITH THEM. I DO BELIEVE
WE'VE TRIED TO DEFINE EACH OF
THOSE TERMS. BUT IF THERE'S NO
NEED FOR CLARITY ON THE
DEFINITIONS, WE WANT TO TRY TO
CLOSE THOSE LINKS TO ALLOW US TO
COMPLETE THE WORK THAT I BELIEVE
WE'VE BEEN ASKED TO ACHIEVE IN
WORKING WITH. THE ENVIRONMENTAL
SIDE TO ACHIEVE BETTER OUTCOMES
AND ACCELERATE OUR PROJECT
BECAUSE IT IS TIME CONSUMING
WHEN YOU HIT THOSE YEAH, I DON'T
THINK WE WANT, YOU KNOW THEY'RE
TO BE IMPEDIMENTS TO DOING
ENVIRONMENTAL MITIGATION. WE
WANT TO MAKE THAT AS STREAMLINED
AS POSSIBLE. BUT YOU KNOW THE
EXAMPLE THAT YOU USED ABOUT AN
ESCROW ACCOUNT NOT BEING
NECESSARY. I MEAN, THAT'S
TECHNICALLY RIGHT. BUT THERE'S A
CERTAINTY WITH THAT, TOO.
THERE'S A TRADE OFF IN THAT. SO
I THINK ALL THESE THINGS, UM
DESERVE CAREFUL ANALYSIS AND, UM
THE TIME FRAME THAT WE'RE
LOOKING AT MAKES THAT DIFFICULT.
THANK YOU. I'M GOING TO HAVE TO
STEP OUT FOR JUST ABOUT SEVEN
MINUTES. I'M GOING TO PASS THE
GAVEL TO MY VICE CHAIR. BUT
BEFORE I DO REMEMBER JACKSON
THANK YOU VERY MUCH, MADAM
CHAIR. UM. I'M A LITTLE BIT
CONCERNED WHEN WE START THINKING
ABOUT, UM, ACCELERATING A
PROCESS STREAMLINING PROCESSES
BECAUSE SOMETIMES OUR MOST
MARGINALIZED POPULATIONS AND
MINORITY CONTRACTORS AND OTHERS
TEND TO GET LEFT IN THE DUST.
AND I AM ALWAYS REMINDED ABOUT
THE PANDEMIC WHEN WE TRY TO LOOK
FOR THE EFFICIENT WAYS TO DO
THINGS AND WE BEGAN TO CREATE
DISPARITIES AND INTENTIONAL BUT
YET IT HAPPENED. WHAT ARE WE
DOING TO MAKING SURE THAT AS WE
LOOK AT STREAMLINING THESE
PROCESSES OR MAKING, MAKING A
ALLOWING PROJECTS TO GO FASTER?
UM MAKING SURE THAT WE DON'T
LOSE OUT AND MAKING SURE THAT
VARIOUS COMMUNITIES ARE ALSO
HAVING ACCESS TO CONTRACTS AND
OPPORTUNITIES. I'M SO HAPPY. YOU
ASKED THAT, ACTUALLY. SO TWO
THINGS. ONE JOB ORDER
CONTRACTING IS ACTUALLY A REALLY
GOOD EXAMPLE OF HELPING
DISADVANTAGED BUSINESSES AND
MINORITY OWNED BUSINESSES AND
SMALLER BUSINESSES. IT'S A WAY
TO GET MORE CONTRACTORS INTO THE
GAME. UM, I THINK MR TELEVISION
, MR KEEPERS CAN GO INTO MORE
DETAIL ON THAT. AND THEN THE
WHAT OVERLAYS? OBVIOUSLY,
EVERYTHING IN CALIFORNIA IS THE
ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE WORK THAT
THE LEGISLATURE HAS HELPED US
WITH SO MUCH. AND THEN ALSO THE
FEDERAL FUNDING THAT JUSTICE 40
PROGRAM WHICH SAYS 40% GOES OF
ALL THESE FUNDS GO TO
DISADVANTAGED COMMUNITIES.
CALIFORNIA REALLY DOES HOPE TO
EXCEED THAT AMOUNT, AND WE'RE
TRACKING THAT ON THE
ADMINISTRATIVE SIDE WILL HAVE
DASHBOARDS TO SHARE WITH YOU AND
IN A FEW MONTHS AND REAL
ACCOUNTABILITY TO MAKE SURE THAT
THAT EQUITY BOTH ENVIRONMENTAL
JUSTICE AND EQUITY IS EMBEDDED
INTO EVERYTHING THE STATE IS
DOING AND I'M HAPPY TO MEET WITH
YOU AND LET YOU KNOW ALL THE
WAYS WE'RE THINKING ABOUT
MEASURING THAT AND HOLDING
OURSELVES ACCOUNTABLE BECAUSE WE
DO THINK THAT'S A REALLY
IMPORTANT PART OF WHAT WE'RE
DOING. I WOULD LOVE FOR CALISTA
JUST TO SPEAK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT
ALL THE WAYS THAT WE'RE THINKING
THROUGH HOW TO GET MORE
CONTRACTORS BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT
HISTORICALLY, THAT HAS BEEN AN
ISSUE IN CALIFORNIA AND WE'RE
REALLY BIND FULL OF STARTING TO
CHANGE THAT, MR. KEEPERS I DON'T
KNOW IF YOU WANT TO SPEAK TO
OTHER EXAMPLES. THANK YOU.
ASSEMBLYMEMBER'S UH, I THINK YOU
RAISE A VERY GOOD POINT. THIS IS
SOMETHING THAT'S A POINT OF
EMPHASIS FOR CALTRANS AND
SECRETARY OF, UNFORTUNATELY TO
STEP OUT, AS HAS CERTAINLY ALSO
BEEN DRIVING. UM US TO MAKE, YOU
KNOW, CONTINUE TO WORK TO MAKE
PROGRESS IN THIS AREA AND SO ON
THE FEDERAL SIDE UM, YOU KNOW,
WE HAVE A DISADVANTAGED BUSINESS
PROGRAM AND CURRENTLY 24% OR SO
OF THE DOLLARS THIS YEAR ARE
GOING TO DISADVANTAGED
BUSINESSES. UM WE'RE ALSO,
THOUGH, ON THE STATE SIDE, WE
HAVE THE ABILITY TO FOCUS ON
SMALL BUSINESSES AND WE'RE
EXPANDING THAT WE'RE CURRENTLY
DOING, UH, A PILOT TO HAVE SMALL
BUSINESS GOALS. IN ADDITION, UH
, TO WHAT WE HAVE FOR OUR
FEDERAL PROJECTS WITH OUR
DISADVANTAGED BUSINESS GOALS.
AND AS MS MILLER WAS MENTIONING
, JOB ORDER, CONTRACTING
ACTUALLY CAN BE VERY GOOD FOR
SMALL BUSINESSES. UH TYPE OF
WORK TENDS TO BE THE WORK THAT
IS REPEATABLE WERE ALSO
PROVIDING WORKING. WE HAVE A
SMALL BUSINESS COUNCIL, WORKING
WITH THEM TO TRY TO BRING MORE
SMALL BUSINESSES IN I RECENTLY
WENT TO A GRADUATION AND IN
OAKLAND, WHERE WE HAD A NUMBER
OF NEW SMALL BUSINESSES, SOME OF
THEM I MEAN, THEY TESTIMONIALS.
SURE WE COULD PROVIDE THAT TO
YOU. BUT THEY TALKED ABOUT HOW
THEIR BUSINESS HAS GROWN. SINCE
THEY'VE PARTNERED AND STARTED
WORKING ON CALTRANS. UH PROJECT
SO WE'RE SEEKING TO EXPAND THOSE
THAT ARE PARTICIPATING ON OUR
PROJECTS, AND WE WILL BE
PROVIDING MORE OF THAT TYPE OF
WORK THROUGH OUR SMALL BUSINESS
GOALS. THANK YOU VERY MUCH, AND
I WOULD LOVE TO HAVE A PERSONAL
MEETING TO GO THROUGH THAT
PARTICULAR, EVEN SOME OF MY
COLLEAGUES AND THE THAT ARE
MEMBERS OF THE BLACK CAUCUS
DEFINITELY WANT TO HAVE LEARNED
MORE SO WE CAN BE BETTER
EDUCATED ON SOME OF THOSE
THINGS. UM A LOT OF TIMES WE
TALK A LOT ABOUT CLIMATE CHANGE
AND ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE. BUT
WE ALSO KNOW THAT UNFORTUNATELY
, IN THE PAST, WE HAVE BEEN, UH
CALTRANS HAS BEEN INVOLVED IN,
UM RACIALIZED PROJECTS MAKING.
UM FOR INSTANCE, I, UH, GREW UP
PARTLY IN THE CITY OF SAN
MARTINO. UM AND WHICH, UM, THE 2
15 WHEN IT WAS DRAWN, IT WAS
DRAWN IN A WAY TO EXCLUDE, UH,
THE AFRICAN AMERICAN COMMUNITY
FROM HAVING ACCESS, UH TO
ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY. UH, BLIGH
. USUALLY YOUR EXIT IS ON THE
RIGHT HAND, BUT THIS TIME WHEN
IT CAME TO THE AFRICAN AMERICAN
COMMUNITY WAS PUT ON THE LEFT
HAND SIDE. SO NOW PEOPLE WHEN
THEY EXITED, THEY DIDN'T HAVE
THE OPPORTUNITY. LUCKILY ABOUT
10 YEARS AGO THAT WAS FINALLY
CORRECTED. TO ALLOW FOR THAT.
CALIFORNIA HAS SO MANY TIMES I
HAVE SO MANY PROJECTS IN THE
PAST. THAT HAD, UM BEEN BUILT.
TO NEGATIVELY AFFECT COMMUNITIES
OF COLOR. UM AND I'M WONDERING
UM, WHEN WE TALK ABOUT CREATING
OPPORTUNITIES, UM, DECIDING HOW
TO PRIORITIZE PROJECTS. HOW WE
MAKING SURE THAT WE ARE
UTILIZING THESE OPPORTUNITIES TO
ALSO A TONE FROM THE HARM THAT
SOME OF THESE EXISTING OR PAST
PROJECTS HAS DONE IN THE PAST.
UM. YEAH THANK YOU.
ASSEMBLYMEMBER'S AND YOU KNOW,
THAT'S SOMETHING THAT YOU
DEFINITELY, YOU KNOW, CALISTA
AND CALTRANS TAKE HARD, YOU
KNOW, THAT IS SOMETHING THAT YOU
KNOW, WE ARE ABSOLUTELY MINDFUL
OF UM, THANK THANK THANK YOU TO
THE LEGISLATURE FOR PUTTING 150
MILLION AND YOU KNOW THE PAST
BUDGET FOR OUR HIGHWAYS TO
BOULEVARDS PROGRAM, WHICH
DEFINITELY IS INTENDED TO RE AIR
TO COMPLEMENT THAT RECONNECTING
COMMUNITIES, DOLLARS THAT ARE
COMING OUT OF THE I A. J A. SO
THERE ARE A LOT OF OPPORTUNITIES
WHERE WE ARE NOT ONLY LOOKING AT
CAPITAL PROJECTS. HELP WRITE
SOME OF THOSE WRONGS BUT ALSO
SOME OF THE PLANNING DOLLARS
THAT CAN HELP COMMUNITIES REALLY
KIND OF HAVE A FROM THE GROUND
UP PROCESS TO LOOK AT
OPPORTUNITIES TO PROVIDE MORE
CONNECTIVITY, WHERE SOME OF
THOSE PAST PROJECTS HAVE YOUR
CUT THROUGH COMMUNITIES AND
CREATED BARRIERS. THAT'S WHY I
WOULD LIKE US TO MAKE SURE I
WILL. AND ONCE AGAIN THIS IS
JUST THE BEGINNING OF A
CONVERSATION, OF COURSE, BUT
MAKING SURE THAT WE HELP TO, UM
PROMOTE OR TO INCENTIVIZE. AH!
THE X. BUT EXPEDITING PROJECTS
THAT ALSO HELPED TO MAKE PAST
CORRECTIONS FROM THE PAST. I
JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE
ARE ALSO HAVING, UH, OUR OUR
EQUITY LENS WHEN IT COMES TO
WHAT TYPE OF PROJECTS WE ARE
PRIORITIZING. WHAT KIND OF
PROJECTS WE ARE PROMOTING,
ESPECIALLY WHEN WE'RE USING
FEDERAL DOLLARS TO HAVE AN
OPPORTUNITY. AH TO DO THINGS
THAT WE MAY NOT HAVE AN
OPPORTUNITY IN THE FUTURE TO DO
AND SO LOOKING FORWARD TO MORE
CONVERSATIONS WHEN IT COMES TO
THAT. AND THEN LASTLY, UM UH UM.
OBVIOUSLY WHEN WE THINK ABOUT
CONTRACTING, WE'RE ALSO TALKING
ABOUT A LOT OF TIMES IN ORDER TO
UM HAVE HIGHER SCORES ON THEIR
PROJECTS. THEY SUBCONTRACT WITH
THE MINORITY OWNED BUSINESS. UM
BUT THEN LATER ON, WE FIND THAT
, UH, THOSE MINORITY OWNED
BUSINESS WE'RE NOT TRULY
UTILIZED THE WAY THEY. PERHAPS
WOULD HAVE BEEN SHOWN TO DO IN
THE INITIAL APPLICATION. WHAT
ARE WE DOING TO MAKING SURE THAT
IF THEY ARE USING MINORITY OWNED
BUSINESSES AND SUBCONTRACTORS
THAT THEY ARE INDEED BEING USED
THE WAY THAT THEY ARE PROPOSING
TO IS THERE A QUALITY CONTROL
MECHANISM IS THERE A WAY FOR A
SUBCONTRACT WILL BE WILL THERE
BE A WAY FOR SUBCONTRACTORS TO
BE ABLE TO UH, UM, REPORT ON
THESE THINGS WHEN THEY'RE BEING
USED FOR THEIR NAME BUT NOT
UTILIZED ENOUGH FOR THEIR WORK.
THANK YOU FOR THAT QUESTION IS
THERE ARE HOW DO WE MAKE SURE
THAT SOME CONTRACTORS MR KEEPER
? IF YOU WANT TO TALK ABOUT THE
WAY WE ENSURE SUBCONTRACTORS,
ACTUALLY, PART OF THE OVERALL
PROJECT. YES. SO WE HAVE AN
OFFICE OF CIVIL RIGHTS THAT HAS
ROLES IN THIS AS WELL AS OUR OUR
CONSTRUCTION STAFF THAT ARE IN
THE FIELD, AND THEY UM, MONITOR
THAT AND WE'RE ALSO PUTTING IN
PLACE SOME MAYBE IT'S A LITTLE
TOO WONKY. BUT SOME NEW SOFTWARE
CALLED B TWO G NOW, BUT THAT
WILL HELP US IN ORDER TO TRACK
SO TRYING TO BE MORE, YOU KNOW,
DATA FOCUS TO HELP US FLAG WHERE
WE SEE TRENDS THAT AREN'T IN THE
DIRECTION THAT ARE THERE ARE
INTENT IS AND SO WE DO, UM
MONITOR THAT. BUT DOES THAT MEAN
IT DOESN'T HAPPEN? I
UNFORTUNATELY CANNOT SAY THAT SO
WE'RE YOU KNOW. LOOKING TO
INCREASE OUR VIGILANCE AND, UM
MAKE SURE THAT WE FOLLOW THROUGH
ON THE COMMITMENTS THAT ARE
BEING MADE. IS THERE A WAY THAT
EVEN PROVIDE GREATER STRENGTHS
TO THE OFFICE OF CIVIL RIGHTS TO
BE ABLE TO HELP WITH, UH
CONTINUED OR EVEN STRENGTHENED
THE MONITORING PROCESS OR
ACCOUNTABILITY PROCESS? YES WE
HAVE, AND WE'RE CONTINUING TO
LOOK AT THAT. UH NOW, SO WE'VE
ADDED ADDITIONAL STAFF TO THE
OFFICE OF CIVIL RIGHTS IN ORDER
TO UM STRENGTHEN THEIR ROLE IN
THIS AREA AND OTHERS ALSO, AS I
MENTIONED IN BRINGING MORE
CONTRACTORS INTO THE FOLD, IF
YOU WILL, TRYING TO UM PEOPLE
KNOW THE OPPORTUNITIES. HEY, YOU
MAY HAVE WORKED WITH CALTRANS IN
THE PAST, BUT GIVE US ANOTHER
TRY. COME COME BACK. WE WANT TO
SEE YOU BE SUCCESSFUL HERE AND
SO AH, WE HAVE EXPANDED OUR
STAFF IN CIVIL RIGHTS IN ORDER
TO THANK YOU VERY MUCH LOOKING
FORWARD TO THE CONTINUED
CONVERSATION. LIKEWISE THANK YOU
VERY MUCH. MR CHAIR. THANK YOU.
SO LIMBER WILL NOW GO TO SOMEONE
BROKE LARA. THANK YOU, MR CHAIR
. UM AND APPRECIATE MY
COLLEAGUES FOR THEIR THOUGHTFUL
COMMENTS AND QUESTIONS, MANY OF
WHICH I SHARE UH AND ON, UM THE
. ON THE LAST POINT. I THINK
THAT AND I THINK YOU KNOW THE
SENTIMENT OF IT BEING A NEW DAY
FOR CALTRANS. UM YOU KNOW, WE
HAVE A LOT OF US CAME FROM LOCAL
GOVERNMENT. SOMEBODY SOMEWHERE.
CARILLO REFERRED TO THE AND THE
RELATIONSHIPS THAT WE'VE HAD, UM
, THAT HAVE ARE VARIED, BUT I
THINK THAT WE ALL WELCOME A NEW
DAY FOR CALTRANS. QUITE FRANKLY.
UM IN A GOOD WAY, AND SO THE
MORE THAT WE CAN ENSURE THAT, UM
, YOU KNOW, I THINK THE LAST
POINT KIND OF A THE IDEA OF ALSO
WELCOMING IN, UM, CONTRACTORS
THAT MAY NOT HAVE HAD
OPPORTUNITIES OF FOUR. CERTAINLY
OR I MEAN, REJECTED IN THE PAST
567 10 TIMES, BUT WE WELCOME
BACK IN WHAT WOULD BE A VERY
POSITIVE THING. IT WILL BE.
ACTUALLY I THINK INTERESTING TO
GET ANY KIND OF COMMENT FROM THE
ATTORNEY GENERAL AS WELL IN
TERMS OF COMMITMENT FROM THE A G
S OFFICE IN TERMS OF THE SUPPORT
OF THE BOLSTERING OF THE CIVIL
RIGHTS DIVISION IN TERMS OF
ENSURING THAT WE HAVE
RESPONSIBLE CONTRACTORS AND
OPPORTUNITIES AND NOT FOLKS ARE
BEING TAKEN ADVANTAGE OF, UM THE
IN TERMS OF, UM THE AND I'M
GONNA. I THINK I'M SITTING IN
TWO MORE OF THESE HEARINGS. SO I
HAVE A COUPLE OF COMMENTS HERE
AND I'M TRYING TO ABSORB
EVERYTHING AS WELL AT THE SAME
TIME TO YOU KNOW OSAMA HEARTS.
UH, POINT EARLIER. YOU KNOW THE
LOOK. THE BIRD WERE CO EQUAL
BRANCH OF GOVERNMENT AND A LOT
OF STREAMLINING LEGISLATION. A
LOT OF THINGS WE'VE DONE WE'VE
WE'VE DONE THROUGH. OUR HOUSE TO
THE SENATE AND BROUGHT TO THE
GOVERNOR BROUGHT TO THE
ADMINISTRATION. UM, BUT WE'RE
BEING ASKED NOW, I THINK ON A
NUMBER OF REALLY IMPORTANT, UM,
ISSUES THAT ARE ALL IMPORTANT,
ALL THINGS THAT WE WORK TOGETHER
WITH THE ADMINISTRATION ON. UM
BUT WE'RE BEING ASKED TO NOT GO
THROUGH MORE DELIBERATIVE
LEGISLATIVE PROCESS AND SO
THAT'S WHERE I THINK THE
UNDERSTANDABLE CONCERN AND
QUESTIONS AND COME FROM EVEN IF
THE SENTIMENT, GENERALLY
SPEAKING, IS THAT THE INTENTIONS
ARE GOOD FROM ALL PARTIES IN
TERMS OF WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO
ACHIEVE. UM, IN TERMS OF THE
HAVE THE NIPAH. UM, DELEGATION
MY UNDERSTANDING WHAT I BELIEVE
THE CURRENT AUTHORITY DOESN'T
EXPIRE UNTIL 2025. BUT AND SO I
GUESS THE FIRST QUESTION WHY?
WHY DO WHY DO WE NOT DO THIS
THROUGH THE LEGISLATIVE PROCESS?
AND IS IT BECAUSE THE FURTHER
EXTENSION OF DELEGATION TO LOCAL
JURISDICTIONS THAT OF ENOUGH
IMPORT FOR US TO MOVE MORE
QUICKLY ON OR ARE THERE OTHER
REASONS FOR THAT? SPECIFICALLY
ASSEMBLYMEMBER'S? I WAS JUST
TRYING TO USE THE EXAMPLE OF HOW
IT IS WORKING. THIS IS
SPECIFICALLY FOR RAIL AND FOR
THE MEMORY, RANDOM OF
UNDERSTANDING THAT FOLKS WERE
TALKING ABOUT WITH BRIGHT LINE,
OKAY, WE'RE HOPING AND LET ME
SAY THIS FOR THE FALL OF 23. SO
IT IS. IT IS A CURRENT NEED, SO
I JUST WANTED TO MAKE THE
CONNECTION BETWEEN HOW USEFUL
IT'S BEEN AND WHAT WE HOW USEFUL
WE EXPECTED TO BE SO I'M SORRY
FOR THAT CONCLUSION. OKAY. THANK
YOU FOR THAT AND IN TERMS OF JOB
ORDER CONTRACT AND I'VE DONE YOU
KNOW LEGISLATION FOR A LOCAL
AGENCY REGARDING JOB ORDER
CONTRACTING AS WELL. SO I DO
THINK THAT THERE ARE THERE ARE
SITUATIONS WHERE THEY DEFINITELY
CAN INCREASE EFFICIENCY. AND
WHAT HAVE YOU? UM BUT, UM, SOME
OF THE JACKSON ALREADY RAISED
THE POINT OF ENSURING THAT
THEY'RE YOU KNOW, IT WAS BROAD
ACCESS TO SOME OF THE CONTRACTS
EVEN BEYOND THAT. UM PROTECTIONS
TO ENSURE THAT UM, WORK THAT
SHOULD BE DONE IN HOUSE BY UNION
WORKERS NOT CONTRACTED OUT UNDER
JOB ORDER TASKS, AND THERE'S ALL
THE THOSE ARE ALL THE
COMPLICATIONS THAT I THINK ARE
IMPORTANT THAT CAN BE SEEN FROM
SUMMERS. YOU KNOW, CREATING
ANOTHER HURDLE, BUT I THINK
THERE'S A REASON WHY THOSE
HURDLES ARE THERE TO ENSURE THAT
WE'RE PROTECTING THE GOOD
QUALITY IN HOUSE JOBS, AND WHEN
WE DO CONTRACT OUT, MAKING SURE
THOSE JOBS ARE WELL PROTECTED
ALSO, AND SO, UM I GUESS THAT
REALLY JUST SPEAKS TO KIND OF
THE PARAMETERS OF WHEN JOB
ORDER. CONTRACTING WOULD IS
ALLOWABLE AND ENSURING THAT UM,
YOU KNOW THE, UH, ENSURING THAT
WE'RE CAUTIOUS WHEN IT COMES TO
CONTRACTING OUT WORK THAT COULD
OTHERWISE BE DONE IN HOUSE. I
DON'T KNOW THERE'S ANY THOUGHTS
ON THAT. OR IS THAT PART OF THE
KIND OF THE I THINK OF LOOKING
AT THIS TO BEGIN WITH. YEAH I
THINK THAT'S A REALLY GOOD POINT
MR KEEPERS CAN GET. I THINK THE
SPECIFICITY THAT YOU PROVIDED
EARLIER I THINK IS HELPFUL AND
THOMAS FRIEDMAN'S POINT. I THINK
THERE'S UM WE CAN WE CAN OFFER
THAT LEVEL OF SPECIFICITY HERE,
BUT CERTAINLY IT'S NOT. IT'S NOT
JUST FOR ROUTINE WORK. IT IS
SPECIFICALLY FOR HIGHWAY
MAINTENANCE WORK, SAFETY
PROJECTS, FACILITY REPAIR,
REPAIR AND REPLACEMENT OF ACTIVE
TRANSPORTATION. THE COMPLETE
STREET FACILITIES, INSTALLATION
OF STORMWATER POLLUTION AND
CONTROLLED BY ISIS DEVICES SO WE
CAN WE CAN GET YOU SOME VERY
SPECIFIC EXAMPLES, BUT WE DON'T
WE WOULDN'T USE IT JUST FOR
EVERYTHING, AND I HAVE WORKED
WITH OUR LABOR PARTNERS TO MAKE
SURE THAT THAT LANGUAGE IS YEAH.
I MEAN, I APPRECIATE THE
SPECIFICITY OF SORRY, BUT
CERTAINLY UNDERSTAND THAT. IF
THAT THE DETAIL MR KEEPERS WENT
INTO WAS HELPFUL, SO WE'LL
PROVIDE THAT AS WELL. IT IS
HELPFUL, AND I APPRECIATE THE
SPECIFICITY. BUT IT'S ALSO
PRETTY BROAD RANGE CATEGORIES,
TOO. SO YOU KNOW IT DOES COVER A
LOT OF POTENTIAL WORK. UM
CUMULATIVELY, CERTAINLY, UH, YOU
KNOW, THROUGHOUT THE STATE, AND
I'M I'M A BIG FAN OF DESIGN
BUILD FROM MY TIME IN SAN JOSE
WITH THE AIRPORT EXPANSION AND
VENTURE CENTER AND THEN WITH
VITA AND KIND OF THE TRANSIT
PROJECTS. UM, I THINK IT
ABSOLUTELY REDUCES THE
LIKELIHOOD OF DESIGN DEFECTS
BECAUSE I HAVE ALSO SEEN THE
OTHER SIDE OF IT. WHERE AT THE
COST OF MANY MILLIONS OF
TAXPAYERS WHEN IT WAS DESIGN BID
BUILD PROJECT. UM YOU KNOW, SO I
THINK THAT THERE IS GREAT
OPPORTUNITY TO CONTINUE THE
EXPANSION OF DESIGN BUILD. I
THINK IT LEADS TO LOWER COST
TYPICALLY AND MOST, I THINK A
BIG PART. WHAT WE'RE TALKING
ABOUT IS STREAMLINING AND KIND
OF A SPEEDIER OUTCOMES. UM AND
THE. KEY ASPECT OF IT AGAIN IS
THE KIND OF LOWEST RESPONSIBLE
BETTER, UM, TO MAKE SURE THAT
IT'S NOT JUST, UM, YOU KNOW,
DOING IT, DOING IT ON THE CHEAP
AND MAKING SURE THAT YOU'VE HAD
UM THE FIRMS THAT ARE BEING
APPROVED OF BECAUSE BECAUSE IT
IS FAR MORE TECHNICAL, UM, YOU
KNOW, HAVE THE EXPERTISE TO DO
IT. AND WHEN WE TALK ABOUT UM.
DOING A DESIGN BUILD TYPE WE'RE
TALKING ABOUT. DOING THESE KINDS
OF CONTRACTS AS WELL. I DO WANT
TO FURTHER TO REITERATE THE
IMPORTANCE OF CONTRACTING WITH
COMPANIES THAT HAVE STRONG
RELATIONSHIPS WITH LABOR AND
DON'T HAVE ACTIVE JUDGMENTS
AGAINST THEM. WHAT HAVE YOU HAVE
SEEN THAT THE ONE THE OCCASIONS
WHERE I'VE SEEN DESIGN BUILD?
NOT BE SUCCESSFUL IS WHEN UM,
CONTRACTORS THAT HAVE HAD THAT
HAVE SHOWN A PRACTICE OF CONDUCT
WHETHER IT HAS TO DO WITH, UM
QUALITY OR HAS TO DO WITH WAGE
STAFFED OR OTHER KINDS OF, UM,
KIND OF JOB SAFETY CONCERNS.
THOSE THE CERTAIN SITUATIONS
WHERE DESIGN BUILD, THEN ENDS UP
COSTING YOU MORE AND SO JUST,
YOU KNOW, I KNOW WE HAVE VERY
STRONG KIND OF STANDARDS WHEN WE
DO THESE KINDS OF PROJECTS, BUT
I JUST WANT TO PUT THAT ON THE
RECORD THAT AS WE GO MORE INTO
DESIGN BILL BECAUSE IT IS FAR
MORE COMPLEX, ALTHOUGH I THINK
EVERYONE THAT HAS THAT
EXPERIENCE OF DEGREES, IT'S
BETTER THAN DESIGN BID BUILD AN
APART MAJORITY OF CASES THAT
THERE'S THAT BECAUSE OF THE
TECHNICAL NATURE, THE MORE
COMPLEX NATURE OF IT. UM AND THE
FACT THAT YOU USUALLY HAVE TO
HAVE NUMEROUS CONTRACTORS,
YOU'RE ENGAGING WITH ALL
SOMEWHAT AT ONE TIME, INCLUDING
SUBCONTRACTORS. SOMETIMES THINGS
CAN GET LOST IN THAT AND SO,
MAKING SURE WE HAVE A STRONG OF
A PROCESS AS POSSIBLE TO MAKE
SURE WE DON'T ALLOW NEFARIOUS
ACTORS TO GET ACCESS TO THESE
CONTRACTS. THANK YOU. ANYONE
ELSE? ANY FINAL COMMENTS BEFORE
WE GO TO THE PUBLIC. OKAY THEN I
WOULD LIKE TO ASK FOR ANYBODY
WHO'S IN THE ROOM. WHO WANTS TO
TESTIFY TO PLEASE COME UP TO THE
MIKE. I'M GOING TO GIVE EVERYONE
UP TO TWO MINUTES AND WE WILL
TIME IT. UM BUT I DON'T THINK
THAT YOUR TESTIMONY IS ANY MORE
POWERFUL. IF YOU USE THOSE FOR
TWO MINUTES, IF YOU WANT TO JUST
SAY I AGREE WITH THE PERSON WHO
WENT BEFORE ME. WE WILL WILL. WE
WILL LOVE YOU EVEN MORE. I
PROMISE. UM WITH THAT, IF YOU
CAN ALSO START BY GIVING US YOUR
NAME AND ANY AFFILIATION THAT
YOU WANT TO OFFER, AND WE'RE
GOING TO BE HEARING, UM THIS IS
NOT A FOUR OR AGAINST KIND OF
LINE UP. THIS IS REALLY ANY KIND
OF TESTIMONY YOU WANT TO GIVE ON
THE ITEMS. THANK YOU SO MUCH.
MADAM CHAIR. I'VE ACTUALLY GOT
TWO SETS OF CLIENTS TO TESTIFY
ON BEHALF OF ON BEHALF OF THE
CALIFORNIA STATE ASSOCIATION OF
ELECTRICAL WORKERS. CALIFORNIA
STATE PIPE TRADES COUNCIL, THE
WESTERN STATES COUNCIL OF SHEET
METAL WORKERS AND THE CALIFORNIA
COALITION OF UTILITY EMPLOYEES.
MY LABOR UNIONS BELIEVE THAT
THERE'S NOT ANYTHING MORE
IMPORTANT THIS LEGISLATIVE YEAR
FOR THE LEGISLATURE TO ACT ON
THEN THE GOVERNOR'S PACKAGE OF
STREAMLINING ACROSS ALL OF THE
INFRASTRUCTURE SECTORS. UM AND
YOU KNOW, WE'VE BEEN FOR 25
YEARS AT THE POINT OF THE SPEAR
AND PROTECTING SEQUA. IN MANY
OTHER OF OUR KEY ENVIRONMENTAL
LAWS IN CALIFORNIA. WE THINK THE
GOVERNOR'S PACKAGE STRIKES VERY
GOOD BALANCE BETWEEN
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AND
MAKING SURE THAT WE EXPEDITE
THESE PROJECTS. I DO WANT TO
MENTION THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM
THAT NONE OF THE PEOPLE IN THE
ADMINISTRATION WILL BE ABLE TO
MENTION WHAT'S IMPORTANT ABOUT
EXPEDITING THESE PROJECTS IS NOT
SIMPLY ABOUT COMPETING AGAINST
OTHER STATES. THIS
INFRASTRUCTURE MONEY WAS ON THE
CUTTING ROOM FLOOR IN THE DEBT
LIMIT. NEGOTIATIONS JUST THIS
MONTH. IT WILL BE BACK IN THE
CROSSHAIRS IN THE VERY NEXT
BUDGET NEGOTIATIONS AND THE
BUDGET NEGOTIATIONS AFTER THAT,
AND LET ME REMIND YOU THAT WE
HAVE A VERY KEY ELECTION IN THIS
COUNTRY IN 2024. SO THIS IS
ABOUT GETTING IN SPENDING THIS
MONEY ON CALIFORNIA PROJECTS
BEFORE IT'S GONE FOREVER BECAUSE
THERE WILL BE A MAJOR EFFORT TO
CLAW THIS MONEY BACK. MAKE NO
MISTAKE ABOUT IT. I'D ALSO LIKE
TO TESTIFY AND STRONG SUPPORT ON
BEHALF OF THE METROPOLITAN
TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION, WHICH
DOES ALL THINGS TRANSPORTATION
IN THE NINTH DAY AREA COUNTIES.
MANY OF THE PROJECTS THAT WILL
BENEFIT FROM THE STREAMING
LININGS WILL BE WITHIN THE VERY
REGION AND WE SEE IT AS VERY
ESSENTIAL. THANK YOU. A MAN
CHAIR KEITH DONE HERE ON BEHALF
OF THE 25 SELF HELP COUNTIES
COALITION DELIVERING $5 BILLION
OF INFRASTRUCTURE. IN
PARTNERSHIP WITH THE STATE OF
CALIFORNIA. I WANT TO SPEAK IN
SUPPORT OF THE PROGRESSIVE
DESIGN BUILD PROGRAM. WE HAVE
SPONSORED LEGISLATION THIS YEAR
SEEKS TO EXTEND THOSE
OPPORTUNITIES FOR PROJECT
DELIVERY TO THE LOCAL AGENCIES
ALSO HAD THE PLEASURE OF WORKING
ON IT FOR LOCAL WATER DISTRICTS
BEFORE WE'LL SAVE TIME AND MONEY
IS MR WHICH MENTIONED WE DO HAVE
A TIME CRUNCH ON THE FEDERAL
DOLLARS. HAVING JUST SPENT SOME
TIME BACK THERE. I CAN TELL YOU
THAT IT'S A VERY REAL EFFORT TO
CLAW BACK THOSE DOLLARS. IT'S
GOING TO BE ONGOING. I ALSO WANT
TO APPRECIATE THE
ADMINISTRATION'S EFFORTS TO DO
SOME STREAMLINING WITH SEQUINS,
MR. WHICH ALSO MENTIONED, YOU
KNOW, LABORED AND IRONWORKERS
WHO ALSO REPRESENT UTILIZE AND
APPRECIATE THE PROTECTIONS UNDER
SEQUA. WE HAVE HAD AND ENJOYED
NIPAH PROCESSING BY CALTRANS FOR
LOCAL AGENCIES. FOR A NUMBER OF
YEARS. I CAN TELL YOU EACH ONE
OF YOU ON THE DIOCESE HAS
PROJECTS WITHIN YOUR DISTRICT.
SAVE BOTH TIME AND MONEY BY
HAVING THE DEPARTMENT ACT AS THE
NIPAH DELEGATION AUTHORITY. WE
HAVE PROTECTIONS THAT WERE BUILT
IN AND NEGOTIATION WITH THE
ENVIRONMENTAL COMMUNITY TO SET
LIABILITY STANDARDS, SO THERE
ARE PROTECTIONS FOR THE
ENVIRONMENT THAT EXISTS WHEN THE
STATE DOES THAT NIPAH
DELEGATION, BUT IT'S CRITICALLY
IMPORTANT AND IT SAVES TIME AND
MONEY AND IT I THINK 1600 WAS
THE NUMBER THAT WAS MENTIONED. I
CAN TELL YOU THAT THERE ARE
THERE PROTECTIONS THAT STILL
EXISTS, BUT WE CAN'T GET ENOUGH
OPPORTUNITIES TO USE IT. SO
THANK YOU VERY MUCH. MADAM CHAIR
MEMBERS BREAD, EVEN ENGLAND,
CALIFORNIA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
HERE IN SUPPORT OF THE PACKAGE
AT LARGE, WOULD LIKE TO COMMEND
THE ADMINISTRATION FOR PUTTING
TOGETHER SOMETHING THAT I THINK
ACTUALLY WILL HELP US CUT GREEN
TAPE HELP THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY
MOVED TOWARDS MEETING OUR SHARED
CLIMATE GOALS SOONER TIMELINE
RATHER THAN UM, BUT WE HOPE YOU
KNOW WHAT WE'RE ANTICIPATING. I
THINK THERE ARE A LOT OF
OBSTACLES IN PLACE. UM SECRET
SEQUENCE. CERTAINLY ONE OF THOSE
OBSTACLES THAT WE FOUND IN THE
BUSINESS COMMUNITY AND YOU KNOW
ANY ANY OPPORTUNITY WE HAD THAT
COULD ACTUALLY HELP US MAINTAIN
OUR ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTIONS
SIMULTANEOUSLY MOVING OUR
TIMELINES FORWARD ARE WELL
RECEIVED ON OUR END. THANK YOU.
MADAM CHAIR AND COMMITTEE
NORTHERN ASPIRIN ON BEHALF OF
THE CALIFORNIA BUILDING INDUSTRY
ASSOCIATION. UM WE SEE BY A
STRONGLY SUPPORTS THE
ADMINISTRATION'S PROPOSALS. WE
BELIEVE THAT THESE PROPOSALS
WILL HELP COLLECTIVELY EXPEDITE
DEVELOPMENT OF HOUSING IN THE
STATE. UM FOR THOSE REASONS WE
SUPPORT. UM THIS PACKAGE. THANK
YOU. GOOD AFTERNOON, MADAM CHAIR
CHRISTMAS KEELEY ON BEHALF OF
THE LOS ANGELES AREA CHAMBER OF
COMMERCE AND SHARE THE COMMENTS
OF THE COUCH CHAMBER AND SUPPORT
THE GOVERNOR'S EFFORTS TO
STREAMLINE INFRASTRUCTURE
PROJECTS IN THE STATE. THANK
YOU. GOOD AFTERNOON, HONORABLE
CHAIR FRIEDMAN AND COMMITTEE
MEMBERS. MY NAME IS ARTIE
VALENCIA AND I'M SPEAKING ON
BEHALF OF YOUR STORE THE DELTA
IN ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE
COMMUNITIES. WE OPPOSED THE
PROPOSED TRAILER BILL FOR THE
NIPAH DELEGATION AUTHORITY AND
THE ADDITIONAL TRIP BILLS AS
THEY REMOVED MUCH NEEDED
PROVISIONS THAT REQUIRE FEDERAL
AGENCIES TO ASSESS THE
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS FOR
PROPOSED ACTIONS AND PROJECTS.
MOST OF ALL, IT COULD EXPEDITE
THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE DELTA
TUNNEL AND TO DO THIS
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS AND
ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE
PROTECTIONS WILL BE BYPASSED AND
IGNORED. EXISTS TO PREVENT OR
TERMINATE PROJECTS THAT HARM
COMMUNITIES AND THE BIOSPHERE
RESTORE THE DELTA HAS ADVOCATED
FOR THE E I R AND D I S TO
INCLUDE WATER, AIR AND CLIMATE
IMPACTS. BUT THE DOCUMENT STILL
FALL SHORT ON ANALYSIS.
MEANWHILE STOCKTON IS AN A B 617
COMMUNITY, WITH THE MAJORITY OF
OUR CITY BEING AFFLICTED BY HIGH
ASTHMA RATES. AND DELTA. WE ALSO
HAVE TRIBES WITH TIES TO THE
LAND, AND THEY NEED TO BE ABLE
TO REVIEW TRANSPORTATION
PROJECTS TO PROTECT THEIR
HISTORIC SITES, AND THE REMAINS
OF THEIR PEOPLE TO INSTEAD MUST
BE ENHANCED TO INCLUDE THESE
GROUPS, TRIBES AND ESPECIALLY
MUST MAKE AN EFFORT TO INCLUDE
TRIBES BOTH RECOGNIZED AND
UNRECOGNIZED. ACTS LIKE THESE
ARE IN PLACE TO INCLUDE THE
PUBLIC IN LEGISLATIVE PROCESS TO
ENSURE THAT THEIR HOME FAMILIES
AND FAMILIES ARE BEING PROTECTED
AND PRIORITIZED. WE NEED TO WORK
TOWARDS A FUTURE WHERE WE
IMPLEMENT PROJECTS THAT WILL NOT
HARM THE QUALITY OF LIFE FOR
COMMUNITIES WHO ALREADY DEAL
WITH THE PAST NEGLIGENCE WHEN IT
COMES TO ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEWS.
THESE TRAILER BILLS AND SOME
EXPEDITE INADEQUATE PLANS AND
INHIBIT DELTA COMMUNITIES AND
TRIBES OF USING THEIR VOICE AND
STRIPS THEIR RIGHT TO A FAIR
PROCESS. THANK YOU. MADAM CHAIR
AND MEMBERS. GOOD AFTERNOON.
JAMES THROW ACTOR WITH THE
CALIFORNIA STATE COUNCIL OF
LABORERS ON BEHALF OF OUR 70,000
MEMBERS STATEWIDE WHO WORK IN
THE HEAVY CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY
. WE'D LIKE TO THANK YOU AND THE
COMMITTEE FOR HOLDING THIS
ROBUST DISCUSSION. WE'D ALSO
LIKE TO THANK THE ADMINISTRATION
FOR, UH, REMAINING COMMITTED TO
THIS BOLD AND VERY PRAGMATIC
PROPOSAL. UM WE BELIEVE THAT
STREAMLINING LEGAL REVIEW
SUSTAINABLE TRANSPORTATION
PROJECTS IS CRITICAL NOT JUST
FOR THE ENVIRONMENT, BUT IT ALSO
HELPS US SUPPORT OUR LABORERS BY
BUILDING ON OUR SUCCESS BY
PUTTING ADDITIONAL WOMEN, PEOPLE
OF COLOR AND SECOND CHANCERS TO
WORK, AND IT CREATES A REAL
PATHWAY TO THE MIDDLE CLASS. SO
WITH THAT WE LOOK FORWARD TO
WORKING WITH YOU AND THE
LEGISLATOR AND THE
ADMINISTRATION GOING FORWARD.
THANK YOU. ALL SUPPORT. THANK
YOU. THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIRMAN
AND MEMBERS MATT CREMINS HERE ON
BEHALF OF THE CALIFORNIA NEVADA
CONFERENCE OF OPERATING
ENGINEERS WERE HERE TODAY IN
STRONG SUPPORT OF THE
ADMINISTRATION'S PACKAGE OF
BILLS, UM, WANTED TO ENSURE TO
URGE YOU ALL TO SUPPORT.
HOPEFULLY WE CAN KEEP THIS
WITHIN THE BUDGET PROCESS. THESE
ARE VERY IMPORTANT PROJECTS THAT
ARE BEING CONTEMPLATED AND HOPE
TO MOVE THEM FORWARD. THANK YOU.
AND MEMBERS ALEX TORRES WITH THE
BERRY COUNCIL HERE, REPRESENTING
OVER 300 EMPLOYERS IN THE NINE
COUNTY BARRIER AND STRONG
SUPPORT HERE TODAY FOR THIS
PROPOSAL, ALSO HERE TODAY AS
PART OF THE NEW CALIFORNIA
COALITION, A STATEWIDE COALITION
OF CALIFORNIA BUSINESS LEADERS,
WE SUBMITTED A LETTER WITH OVER
80 BUSINESS ORGANIZATIONS. ALSO
IN SUPPORT OF THIS PROPOSAL.
LEAVE WITH THE SERGEANT'S FOR
YOU TO REVIEW YOUR OWN LEISURE.
THIS PROPOSAL IS CRITICAL TO
HELP YOU IN CALIFORNIA'S MEET
CALIFORNIA'S INFRASTRUCTURE
NEEDS AND ALL THE SECTORS
MENTIONED. I DO WANT TO CALL OUT
IN A FOLLOW UP TO CAL CHAMBERS.
COMMENTS ON SEQUA PROPOSALS CAP
OF CERTAIN LAWSUITS FILED UNDER
6 TO 9 MONTHS A CHAPMAN LAW
REVIEW ARTICLE PUBLISHES THIS
YEAR UNDERSCORES THE NEED FOR
THESE PROVISIONS AND ALL THE
SECTORS, NOTABLY WATER
INFRASTRUCTURE WAS THE TOP
SECRET LITIGATION TARGET DURING
THE 2019 2021 PERIOD.
TRANSPORTATION PROJECTS WERE NOT
SPARED, EITHER, INCLUDING 15
ROADWAY AND TO TRANSIT PROJECTS
IN AT LEAST 10, DIFFERENT
COUNTIES, SO WANT TO CALL OUT
THOSE PROVISIONS, ESPECIALLY
IMPACTFUL FOR THE BUSINESS
COMMUNITY. WE APPRECIATE THE
DISCUSSION, THE HEARING TODAY
GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO DO A DEEPER
DIVE ON THE PROPOSAL AND HAPPY
TO BE ONE OF THE MANY VOICES
THAT YOU'LL HEAR FROM THE
BUSINESS COMMUNITY IN BROAD
SUPPORT OF THIS, THANK YOU. GOOD
AFTERNOON AND COMMITTEE. MARK
FROM STREETS FOR ALL HERE. I
WANT TO BRING IN A KIND OF
DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE HERE, I
THINK, ULTIMATELY STREETS, FOR
ALL'S PERSPECTIVE IS THAT
PROJECT DELIVERY REFORM IS A
CRITICAL PIECE OF OUR
INFRASTRUCTURE NEEDS. THE
QUESTION IS, ARE WE EXPEDITING
THE CORRECT PROJECT FOR THE SAKE
OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS AND
CLIMATE GOALS? I HAVEN'T HEARD
THAT WITHIN DISCUSSION TODAY,
AND I THINK BUT I ASK IS THAT I
IMPLORE ALL THE MEMBERS HERE IS
ASK QUESTIONS AROUND IS ALL OF
THE HIGHWAY AND ROADWAY CAPACITY
THAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR CRITICAL
. YOU LOOK AT SOMETHING LIKE
HIGHWAY ONE ON ONE IN SANTA
BARBARA COUNTY IS AN IMMENSELY
IMPORTANT ARTERIAL THAT SERVES
AND SERVED AT THE TIME DURING
THE THOMAS FIRES AND MUDSLIDES.
IT'S A CRITICAL PIECE OF
INFRASTRUCTURE, BUT IT'S ALL THE
HIGHWAY WIDENING. WE'RE DOING
ACTUALLY SERVING THE UNDERSERVED
COMMUNITIES THAT WE WANT TO
SPEAK OF. IF WE'RE WIDENING FOR
THE SAKE OF, UH, GETTING RID OF
HOMES, INCREASING BMT GREENHOUSE
GAS EMISSIONS, INCREASING AH,
PARTICULARLY FROM TIRES IN
PEOPLE'S LUNGS. ARE WE ACTUALLY
DOING SOMETHING THAT'S BETTERING
THE COMMUNITY BY DOING THESE? UH
PROGRESSIVE, PROGRESSIVE
PERMITTING REFORM SYSTEMS. SO
WHAT? WE BELIEVE THAT THIS IS
ESSENTIAL. WHILE I HAVE
MENTIONED I THINK THIS IS ALL
THERE IS A LOT OF WORK TO BE
DONE, ESPECIALLY POTENTIALLY IN
THE LOS ANGELES, THE LOS SAME
CORRIDOR AND THE OTHER RAIL
INFRASTRUCTURE. I'M NOT
CONVINCED THAT THIS TIME THAT
THIS IS GOING TO BE WORKING AND
EQUITABLE IN THE WAY IT'S BEING
PROPOSED. THANK YOU. THANK YOU,
MADAM CHAIR MEMBERS OF THE
COMMITTEE. MANY OF THE
CALIFORNIA ALLIANCE FOR JOBS THE
ALLIANCES AND SUPPORTED THE
GOVERNOR'S INFRASTRUCTURE
PACKAGE. WE ECHO MANY OF THE
COMMENTS FROM OUR INDUSTRY
PARTNERS THAT WERE JUST SPEAKING
RIGHT NOW, AND WE ALSO WANT TO
NOTE THAT THE PROPOSED PACKAGE
WILL PROVIDE A SIGNIFICANT OR
PROVIDE SIGNIFICANT ECONOMIC
BENEFITS THROUGHOUT CALIFORNIA,
AND THAT THIS WILL RESULT IN A
GENERATION OF WELL PAYING
CONSTRUCTION JOBS THAT WILL
SUPPORT STRONG A STRONG, VIBRANT
MIDDLE CLASS IN OUR STATE. THANK
YOU VERY MUCH. GOOD AFTERNOON,
MADAM CHAIR AND MEMBERS ADAM
CANTONA'S ON BEHALF OF THE
ASSOCIATION OF CALIFORNIA WATER
AGENCIES HERE IN STRONG SUPPORT
OF THE GOVERNOR'S PROPOSAL TO
STREAMLINE INFRASTRUCTURE. JUST
WANT TO THANK THE GOVERNOR
ADMINISTRATION FOR LEADERSHIP ON
THIS ISSUE, AND PARTICULARLY
WANT TO CALL OUT ONE PROPOSAL.
THE DESIGN BUILD PROGRESSIVE
DESIGN BUILD PROPOSAL. UM I
DON'T THINK IT WAS MENTIONED,
BUT THAT WOULD ALSO APPLY TO THE
DEPARTMENT OF WATER RESOURCES,
WHICH WE THINK IS REALLY
IMPORTANT. UM AS AS MOST OF YOU
KNOW, THE DEPARTMENT OF WATER
RESOURCES MANAGES ONE OF THE
LARGEST WATER DELIVERY SYSTEMS
IN THE WORLD. THE STATE WATER
PROJECT PROVIDES WATER TO OVER
27 MILLION CALIFORNIANS
THROUGHOUT THE STATE. THEY
MANAGE OVER 700 MILES OF
PIPELINE. MANY PUMP STATIONS AND
ENERGY FACILITIES, AND SO, UM
EXPEDITING ANY OF THOSE TYPES OF
PROJECTS CAN BE HUGELY
BENEFICIAL TO THE STATE'S WATER
SUPPLY. UM TO HIGHLIGHT AS MOST
OF YOU KNOW, WE ARE RIGHT NOW
EXPERIENCING THE IMPACTS OF
CLIMATE CHANGE ON CALIFORNIA'S
WATER DELIVERY SYSTEM. ORIC
RAINFALL AND SNOW PACK AND
FLOODING THROUGHOUT THE STATE.
AND SO WE REALLY HAVE TO INVEST
. NOW WE VIEW THIS, UM THIS THE
ADMINISTRATION'S PROPOSAL AS
REALLY NOT UNDERMINING
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW, BUT
INSTEAD CREATING A PATHWAY FOR
THE STATE TO INVEST IN
INFRASTRUCTURE AT THIS PACE AND
SCALE THAT'S NEEDED. TO RESPOND
TO THE IMPACTS OF CLIMATE
CHANGE. SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR TODD
BLUMSTEIN, REPRESENTING THE
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA CONTRACTORS
ASSOCIATION. SCC IS A TRADE
ASSOCIATION OF ALL UNION
CONTRACTORS. WE HAVE SIGNAL
SIGNATORY TO THE OPERATING
ENGINEERS. THE LABORERS, THE
CARPENTERS, AS WELL AS THE
TEAMSTERS WERE VERY SUPPORTIVE
OF THE PACKAGE. WE DO HAVE SOME
CAUTIONS TO SHARE WITH THE
COMMITTEE SPECIFICALLY REGARDING
PROGRESSIVE DESIGN, BUILD IT
HIGHLY FAVORS LARGE CONTRACTORS.
UM USUALLY IN THE $150 MILLION
RANGE AND UP PROJECT NOW
REMEMBER WHEN A CONTRACTOR HAS
BIDS ON A PROJECT, THEY HAVE TO
PROVIDE BONDING PERFORMANCE AND
PAYMENT BONDING. THAT
REQUIREMENT IS THAT REQUIRES A
CONTRACTOR TO PRODUCE 10% OF
WORKING CAPITAL JUST IN ORDER TO
BID THAT PROJECT, SO THAT MEANS
ON $150 MILLION PROJECT
CONTRACTOR IS GOING TO HAVE TO
PRODUCE $15 MILLION OF WORKING
CAPITAL USUALLY LIQUID NUDITY.
UM, THAT REALLY FAVORS VERY
LARGE CONTRACTORS. UM THERE'S
PROBABLY ONLY AROUND 10,
CALIFORNIA CONTRACTORS THAT
WOULD BE ABLE TO BID THAT
PROJECT. OF COURSE, THERE ARE
OUR NATIONAL CONTRACTORS THAT
WOULD LIKELY COME IN AND BID ON
THOSE THAT WORK. UM, ALSO ONE OF
THE PROBLEMS THAT WE SEE WITH
PROGRESSIVE DESIGN BUILD. IS IT
WORKS AGAINST THE PREMISE THAT
GOOD ON TIME PROJECTS HAVE GOOD
DESIGN PLANS AND GOOD SPECS.
IT'S SOMEWHAT DANGEROUS TO START
WORKING ON A PROJECT WHEN YOU
ONLY HAVE 30% OF THE PLANTS
COMPLETED, BELIEVE IT OR NOT.
CALIFORNIA'S GONE DOWN THIS ROAD
BEFORE, UM IN 2019 99 CHECK OUT
A B 405. THAT WAS A BILL THAT
AUTHORIZED DESIGN SEQUENCING FOR
CALTRANS, AND IT WAS SOMETHING
OF A OF A MIXED RESULT. AS I
RECALL, UM SO THAT'S A THAT'S A
CAUTION. UM AND THEN AND FINALLY
, YOU KNOW, OUT OF THE SPIRIT OF
THE PUBLIC CONTRACT CODE. UM
TAKE A LOOK AT PC 100. THAT
SIMPLY SAYS, UM, IT'S THE PUBLIC
WORK SHOULD PROVIDE ALL
QUALIFIED CONTRACTORS THE
OPPORTUNITY TO BID SO WE'VE
ALWAYS ADVOCATED FOR A RANGE OF
CONTRACTS, NOT NECESSARILY
EXTREMELY LARGE. LARGELY BY
HAVING THAT RANGE YOU MAXIMIZE.
THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU.
GOOD AFTERNOON, MADAM CHAIR AND
MEMBERS ROSANNA CARPACCIO ELLIOT
HERE ON BEHALF OF THE CALIFORNIA
HYDROGEN COALITION IN SUPPORT OF
THE GOVERNOR'S INFRASTRUCTURE
PACKAGE. I WANT TO THANK THE
GOVERNOR FOR INCLUDING HYDROGEN
PROJECTS IN HIS EXECUTIVE ORDER
IN THE CREATION OF THE TASK
FORCE AND ASKED THE LEGISLATURE
TO MOVE THIS FORWARD. THANK YOU.
MELISSA ROMERO WITH CALIFORNIA
ENVIRONMENTAL VOTERS. IT'S GREAT
TO HEAR ALL OF THE SUPPORT FOR
ACCELERATED CLIMATE ACTION. IT'S
SOMETHING WE'RE PUSHING FOR A
VERY LONG TIME NOW, UM, BUT I DO
HAVE TO SAY THAT CALIFORNIA
ENVIRONMENTAL VOTERS HAS
SIGNIFICANT CONCERNS WITH THE
BUDGET TRAILER BILL PACKAGE.
THESE BILLS WOULD MAKE
SIGNIFICANT CHANGES TO EXISTING
ENVIRONMENTAL LAWS IN THE
LANGUAGE HAS BEEN DRAFTED
WITHOUT THE INPUT OF SUBJECT
MATTER. EXPERTS IN THE
ENVIRONMENTAL COMMUNITY. WE ASK
THAT THE LEGISLATURE MOVE THESE
TRAILER BILLS THROUGH THE
REGULATORY OR THE REGULAR
LEGISLATIVE PROCESS, ALLOWING
FOR AMPLE PUBLIC REVIEW AND
COMMENT, FULL DISCUSSION OF
SOLUTIONS AND TRANSPARENT
CONSIDERATIONS OF AMENDMENTS TO
ADDRESS THE SIGNIFICANT CONCERNS
EXPRESSED BY MANY ENVIRONMENTAL
JUSTICE AND CONSERVATION GROUPS
. THE INFRASTRUCTURE PROPOSALS
ARE MISSING VERY IMPORTANT
POLICIES THAT SHOULD ALSO BE
LOOKED AT AND DISCUSSED, SUCH AS
IMPROVING PLANNING AND SIGHTING
OF PROJECTS. MORE ROBUST,
UPSTREAM COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT TO
AVOID UNNECESSARY DELAYS
ALTOGETHER, INCREASE INVESTMENT
AND PERMIT FOR STAFFING AGENCIES
AND MORE COORDINATED AND
EFFICIENT APPROVALS OF
TRANSMISSION AND OTHER KEY
INFRASTRUCTURE NEEDS THAT ARE
ESSENTIAL TO OUR CLIMATE,
RESILIENT FUTURE. AGAIN THESE
ARE ISSUES THAT WE HAVE BEEN
PUSHING FOR MANY YEARS NOW, AND
THE PROPOSALS IN THESE POLICIES
HAVE SOME REALLY DEEPLY
CONCERNING CHANGES THAT REALLY
NEED TO GO THROUGH THE
LEGISLATIVE PROCESS. THANK YOU.
GOOD AFTERNOON, ERIN NORWOOD ON
BEHALF OF THE ALMOND ALLIANCE,
REPRESENTING THE 7600 GROWERS
AND OVER 100 PROCESSORS OF
ALMONDS IN THE STATE
TRANSPORTATION INFRASTRUCTURE
PLAYS A CRUCIAL ROLE IN THE
MOVEMENT OF NEARLY £3 BILLION OF
ALMONDS A YEAR. THAT'S 80% OF
THE WORLD'S SUPPLY AND THE 99%
OF THE NATION SUPPLIED TO PORTS
ACROSS THE STATE. AS WE'VE
PIONEERED A MULTI MORAL STRATEGY
, HIGHWAY IMPROVEMENTS RAIL
TRANSPORTATION INVESTMENTS IN
THE ENHANCEMENT OF PORTS
INFRASTRUCTURE ARE ALL EXAMPLES
OF PROJECTS THAT COULD BE
STREAMLINED WITH THESE PROPOSALS
BENEFITING THE HUNDREDS OF
THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE THAT MAKE UP
OUR INDUSTRY AND OUR COMMUNITY.
AND FOR THESE REASONS WE ARE IN
SUPPORT. THANK YOU. GOOD EVENING
MEMBERS. ROB SPIEGEL, SENIOR
POLICY DIRECTOR FOR THE
CALIFORNIA MANUFACTURERS AND
TECHNOLOGY ASSOCIATION, OR C M T
A FOR CM TA. WE VIEW THE
INFRASTRUCTURE STREAMLINED
PACKAGE AS CRITICAL TO
ACCELERATING CALIFORNIA'S
CLIMATE, CRITICAL ENERGY. EXCUSE
ME, WATER AND TRANSPORTATION
INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS THAT WE
WILL NEED IN ORDER FOR
CALIFORNIA TO ACHIEVE OUR
CLIMATE GOALS. BUT IT'S ALSO
ABOUT PREPARING CALIFORNIA'S
ECONOMY FOR OUR FUTURE AND ALSO
PROVIDING THOUSANDS OF GOOD JOBS
IN THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY AS
WELL AS THE MANUFACTURING
INDUSTRY IN THE STATE.
CALIFORNIA'S MANUFACTURERS ARE
ABOUT $300 BILLION ENTITY TO THE
STATE'S ECONOMY HERE IN
CALIFORNIA, AND WE NEED THE VERY
BEST WORLD CLASS INFRASTRUCTURE
TO BE ABLE TO COMPETE ON THE
INTERNATIONAL INTERNATIONAL
LEVEL THAT WE ARE COMBINED. WE
BELIEVE THAT THESE PROPOSALS
WILL STREAMLINE PERMITTING, CUT
THE RED TAPE, REDUCE TIME
CONSUMING LITIGATION AND MAKE
OTHER CHANGES. THAT WILL TAKE
YEARS OFF THE TIMELINE OF
PROJECTS WHILE WHILE ALSO SAVING
TAXPAYERS, STATE AND LOCAL
GOVERNMENTS AND BUSINESSES
HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS
PER YEAR ON ON THOSE POINTS IN
PARTICULAR MEMBERS SEEM TO S AND
STRONG SUPPORT FOR THESE
PROPOSALS. THANK YOU. MADAM
CHAIR AND COMMITTEE MEMBERS. MY
NAME IS BARBARA BARRY IN PEREA.
I'M WITH RESTORE THE DELTA.
PRESIDENT BIDEN HAS PUT FORWARD
AN EXECUTIVE ORDER CENTERING
ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE
COMMUNITIES AND THEIR NEEDS IN
RESPONSE TO THE INFLATION
REDUCTION ACT. RELATED PROJECTS
. THIS IS IMPORTANT TO KNOW
BECAUSE THE DELTA IS A MAJORITY
DISADVANTAGED COMMUNITY BIPAC
REGION BY A SIGNIFICANT
PERCENTAGE, AND WE ARE GROUND
ZERO FOR ALL OF THE PROJECTS
PROPOSED IN THESE BUDGET
TRAILERS, CARBON CAPTURE
SEQUESTRATION, HYDROGEN ENERGY,
PORT EXPANSION, ROAD EXPANSION
AND THE DELTA TUNNEL. WE ARE
GROUND ZERO FOR ALL THE
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS TO
MITIGATE CLIMATE CHANGE FOR THE
REST OF THE STATE. THE DELTA
CHANNEL WILL REQUIRE NEW ROADS,
BRIDGES WIDENING PROJECTS IN THE
DELTA DUE TO THE THOUSANDS OF
TRUCKS THAT WILL BE PART OF
CONSTRUCTION OVER 15 YEARS. YET
THE DELTA TUNNEL E I. R.
PRESENTLY FAILS TO ADDRESS AIR
QUALITY IMPACTS, ESPECIALLY FOR
STOCKTON'S A B 617 COMMUNITY
NEAR THE PORTERS. STOCKTON'S
EXPEDITING ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
AND MITIGATION OF THESE RELATED
ROAD PROJECTS WILL LEAVE SIZABLE
EG COMMUNITIES AT A GREAT
DISADVANTAGE TO EVEN RESPOND TO
THESE PROJECTS BECAUSE OF THE
NUMBER OF PROJECTS THAT WE ARE
RESPONDING TO PRESENTLY IN THE
DELTA. ACCELERATED MITIGATION
BANKS WITH CDF W WILL NOT BE
IMPLEMENTED IN THE DELTA UNTIL
GETS STRUCK SHIN JUST COMPLETE
15 TO 20 YEARS LATER WITH THE
TUNNEL. WHAT SPECIES WILL WE
LOSE BY THEN? SMART CLEAN
TRANSPORTATION PROJECTS NEED
EXPERT BE EXPEDITED. WE FAVOR
THAT, BUT WHAT WILL BE LUMPED
UNDER CLIMATE CHANGE? UH,
NECESSITY WITH ROAD CONSTRUCTION
, ESPECIALLY WITHOUT A LIST OF
PROJECTS IN THE DELTA. US IS
VERY QUESTIONABLE. ESPECIALLY
FOR NIPAH PROTECTIONS FOR
FEDERALLY RECOGNIZED TRIBES TIED
TO THE DELTA, WHICH HAVE DIRECT
RELATIONSHIPS WITH THE FEDERAL
GOVERNMENT. IF YOU CAN FINISH UP
YOUR POLICY CHANGES NEED TO MOVE
THROUGH REGULATOR REGULAR
LEGISLATIVE PROCESS. THANK YOU.
GOOD EVENING, KIM DELFINO,
REPRESENTING DEFENDERS OF
WILDLIFE AUDUBON, CALIFORNIA AND
THE CALIFORNIA NATIVE PLANT
SOCIETY. UM I THINK WE WOULD
ALIGN OUR COMMENTS WITH THE
COMMENTS MADE BY MELISSA ROMERO
WITH CALIFORNIA ENVIRONMENTAL
VOTERS. I THINK WE HAVE
SIGNIFICANT CONCERNS WITH SOME
OF THE POLICIES THAT ARE POLICY
CHANGES THAT ARE BEING PROPOSED
AND VERY RAPID FASHION THROUGH,
UM, THE TRAILER BILL PROCESS AND
SO WE WOULD DEFINITELY URGED
CLOSE CONSIDERATION OF ALL THE
NUANCES ASSOCIATED WITH THESE
BILLS. UM I THERE'LL BE OTHERS
SPEAKING, UM, WITH RESPECT TO
THE PACKAGE IN FRONT OF YOU
TODAY BECAUSE THEY'LL BE
HEARINGS TOMORROW AND WEDNESDAY
. WE CERTAINLY HAVE ISSUES WITH
THE SECRET CHANGES AND FULLY
PROTECTED SPECIES. BUT HERE AT
THE TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE, WE
WOULD JUST, UM ECHO THE CONCERNS
THAT NEIL DESAI WITH THE
NATIONAL PARKS AND CONSERVATION
ASSOCIATION, A FEW PEOPLE BEHIND
ME WILL MAKE REGARDING THE I 15
WILDLIFE CROSSING. WE SHARE
THOSE CONCERNS. AS WITH RESPECT
TO THE ENVIRONMENTAL
ACCELERATING ENVIRONMENTAL
MITIGATION, UM YOU KNOW, I THINK
, GENERALLY SPEAKING, WE
UNDERSTAND AND SUPPORT THE
CONCEPT THAT'S BEING PUT FORWARD
HERE. WE DO HAVE SOME CONCERNS
WITH SOME OF THE LANGUAGE. WE
THINK THAT IT SHOULD BE
ACCURATELY, UH, INCLUDING
MITIGATION CREDIT AGREEMENTS.
IT'S MISSING IN ONE PROVISION,
AND IT'S IN ANOTHER PROVISION.
MAYBE IT'S A DRAFTING ERROR. WE
DON'T KNOW. UM AND THEN, WITH
RESPECT TO THE CHANGE TO THE
ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT PROPOSED
IN THE TRAILER BILL, WE HAVE
QUESTIONS ABOUT WHY IT'S DRAFTED
THE WAY IT IS IN TERMS OF
TALKING ABOUT PRESUMING ADEQUACY
OF A FUND THAT WE DON'T ACTUALLY
KNOW HOW MUCH MONEY IS ACTUALLY
IN THAT FUND FOR MAINTAINING THE
HIGHWAY CROSSING STRUCTURES AND
WHY IT'S ONLY WITH RESPECT TO
THE STRUCTURES AND NOT THE
HABITAT ON THE STRUCTURES. I
THINK THESE ARE QUESTIONS THAT
MAYBE ARE NOT REASONS NOT TO
MOVE THE BILL FORWARD, BUT THEY
ARE DEFINITELY QUESTIONS THAT
NEED TO BE RESOLVED IN ORDER TO
GET TO A PLACE WHERE PEOPLE FEEL
GOOD ABOUT THE LEGISLATION THAT
THEY'RE ULTIMATELY GOING TO BE
PASSING AND UNDERSTAND WHAT THE
IMPLICATIONS OF THEM ARE. SO WE
WOULD URGE THAT THOSE ISSUES GET
ADDRESSED. THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
MADAM. SHE REMEMBERS ANDREW
ANTWI WITH CHARLIE UTTER ANTWI
SCHMELZER AND LAYING HERE TODAY
ON BEHALF OF THE LOS ANGELES
COUNTY METROPOLITAN
TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY. WE
SUPPORT THIS PACKAGE. WE THINK
THE COMMITTEE HAS DONE GOOD WORK
TODAY TO PROVIDE THIS REVIEW TO
AID IN THE PUBLIC'S
UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT THE
GOVERNOR HAS PUT ON THE TABLE.
IN LOS ANGELES COUNTY. WE THINK,
UH, A COMBINATION OF THESE
PROPOSALS WILL ALLOW LAY METRO
TO MEET ITS OWN GOALS AND
REDUCING VM T AND CLIMATE
EMISSIONS. ON TOP OF THAT. WE
THINK IT WILL HELP US DO THAT IN
A MORE EFFICIENT MANNER. AND AS
WE PREPARE THE REGION IN THE
STATE TO HIGHLIGHT SEVERAL LARGE
SCALE EVENTS, INCLUDING THE 2026
WORLD CUP AND THE 2028 GAMES, WE
THINK THESE CAN BE TOOLS THAT
ARE AT OUR DISPOSAL IN ORDER TO
MAKE SURE THAT THE REGION IS
READY AND WILL HAVE BENEFITS. UM
WELL BEYOND THE GAMES, JUST FROM
MOBILITY AND WITHIN THE REGION
AND STATEWIDE. SO FOR THOSE
REASONS WE SUPPORT. HI. GOOD
AFTERNOON, MADAM CHAIR AND
MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEE. NEIL
DECIDE WITH THE NATIONAL PARKS
CONSERVATION ASSOCIATION. THANK
YOU SO MUCH FOR HOLDING THIS
HEARING. WE WERE ONE OF, UH MANY
ORGANIZATIONS THAT HAVE CALLED
ON THE LEGISLATURE TO FIX THE
PROBLEMS WITH THE I 15 WILDLIFE
CORRIDORS BILL. THE FACT THAT WE
ARE HERE FIVE MONTHS AFTER THE
STATE CREATED IN AGREEMENT WITH
BRIGHT LINE WITH THE PARTY
SAYING, GUESS WHAT? WE DON'T
HAVE STATUTORY AUTHORITY TO EVEN
DO THIS WORK IS ONE OF THE MANY
SIGNIFICANT HOLES THAT ARE
WITHIN THIS AGREEMENT, AND THE
LEGISLATURE HAS AN OBLIGATION TO
FIX ALL OF THESE HOLES, NOT JUST
THE ONES THAT THE ADMINISTRATION
HAS IDENTIFIED. THE BIGGEST ONE
BEING AS THE ADMINISTRATION HAS
ADMITTED TODAY THAT THESE
WILDLIFE CROSSINGS ARE NOT
GUARANTEED. THERE'S AN INTENT TO
DO IT, BUT THEY ARE NOT
GUARANTEED AND WE NEED AN
AMENDMENT TO ENSURE THAT THESE
WILDLIFE CROSSINGS ARE
CONSTRUCTED BY THE STATE PRIOR
TO OR DURING CONSTRUCTION OF THE
RAIL PROJECT, IF ANY OF YOU CARE
ABOUT SEEING THIS RAIL PROJECT
DEVELOPED YOU SHOULD CARE ABOUT
WANTING TO REMOVE ANY
ADMINISTRATIVE AND LEGAL
CHALLENGES. THIS HAS BEEN AN
ISSUE THAT HAS BEEN FLOATING
AROUND FOR MANY YEARS. I THINK
I'M THE ONE WHO BROUGHT THIS
ISSUE TO THE STATE MANY YEARS
AGO. UM SO WE NEED TO FIX IT AND
TO FIX IS VERY CLEAR. AND SO I'M
HOPING THAT THIS IS SOMETHING
THAT THE ADMINISTRATION WILL NOT
RESIST. GENERATIONS OF PEOPLE
HAVE WORKED TO PROTECT OUR
CALIFORNIA DESERT. WE ARE NOT
GOING TO ALLOW A REAL PROJECT.
THAT'S 20 YEARS IN THE MAKING TO
RUIN THAT INVESTMENT THAT WE
HAVE MADE. UM THERE ARE OTHER
NUMEROUS OTHER CONCERNS THAT ARE
ALSO EASY TO FIX IN THE TRAILER
BUILT. I MEAN THE LANGUAGE
SUBVERTS THE STATE'S OWN
AGREEMENT BY ALLOWING PUBLIC
FUNDS STATE AND FEDERAL FUNDS TO
BE FUNNELED TO BRIGHT LINE WEST
TO DO DESIGN WORK. BUT THE
AGREEMENT CALLS ON BRIGHT LINE
TO ACTUALLY FUND THAT WORK. SO
IT'S THINGS LIKE THAT, UM, THE
ADMINISTRATION TODAY MENTIONED
AND UPCOMING FEDERAL GRANT
OPPORTUNITY TO MINUTES ARE UP.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH. LET ME KNOW
IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS THAT
LATER. THANK YOU SO MUCH. ALWAYS
THE SHORTEST ONE IN THE ROOM.
OKAY UM, MY NAME IS SUSAN
JORDAN. I'M THE DIRECTOR OF THE
CALIFORNIA COASTAL PROTECTION
NETWORK. AND I JUST WANT TO
EMPHASIZE WHAT I CONSIDER TO BE
THE THRESHOLD QUESTION. FOR THIS
ENTIRE PACKAGE OF BILLS,
INCLUDING TRANSPORTATION, WHICH
WILL ALL HAVE TO VOTE ON ALL OF
THEM. UM IS THE BUDGET TRAILER
PROCESS IN JUST A COUPLE OF
SHORT WEEKS, THE APPROPRIATE
PROCESS TO EVALUATE THE
SIGNIFICANT POLICY CHANGES THESE
BILLS CONTAIN. I DON'T BELIEVE
SO. AND NEITHER DO OVER 100 OF
MY COLLEAGUES. I DON'T BELIEVE
THAT. AND SO, MY GUESS FOR WHERE
I COME AT THIS IF I WAS SITTING
IN YOUR SEAT, THE ADMINISTRATION
COULD HAVE CHOSEN TO INCLUDE THE
LEGISLATURE AND OTHER
STAKEHOLDERS. IN THEIR
DEVELOPMENT OF THESE PROPOSALS,
THEY DID NOT. THEY COULD HAVE
INTRODUCED THEIR PROPOSALS VIA
POLICY BILLS MUCH EARLIER IN
YOUR LEGISLATIVE SESSION. THEY
CHOSE NOT TO. SO MY CONCERN IS
BOTH ON SUBSTANCE AND PROCESS.
THIS HIGHLIGHT TRUNCATED
PROCESS. IS IT THAT THE
ADMINISTRATION IS PUSHING, I
BELIEVE, REPRESENTS A
SIGNIFICANT DEPARTURE FROM
LEGISLATIVE PRACTICE THAT I HAVE
OBSERVED OVER THE LAST 25 YEARS
WE SAW LAST SUMMER WITH THE
DIABLO CANYON AND A B 205 BUT TO
HAVE 11 BILLS DROPPED AT THE
LAST MINUTE. HONESTLY, I
CONSIDER IT TO BE OUTRAGEOUS.
AND WHAT I FEAR IS THAT THIS
PROCESS THIS APPROACH THAT THE
ADMINISTRATION IS TAKING TO LAST
MINUTE BUDGET TRAILER BILLS THAT
HAVE SIGNIFICANT POLICY ISSUES.
I BELIEVE IT UNDERMINES THE
LEGISLATURE'S AUTHORITY AND ALSO
YOUR RESPONSIBILITY TO CAREFULLY
THAT THESE BILLS. THERE'S A LOT
OF UNANSWERED QUESTIONS HERE ARE
JUST SOME OF THEM CAME UP TODAY.
UM THERE'LL BE THREE MORE
HEARINGS THIS WEEK. I BELIEVE
YOU OWE IT TO YOUR CONSTITUENTS
TO DO THIS IN THE PROPER WAY.
AND IT'S NOT THROUGH THE BUDGET
TRAILER PROCESS. THANK YOU. AND
CHAIR MEMBERS. BEVERLY YOU ON
BEHALF THE STATE BILLION
CONSTRUCTION TRADES COUNCIL.
THANK YOU FOR HOLDING THIS
HEARING AND THE ROBUST
DISCUSSION ON THIS PANEL TODAY.
WE COMMEND THE GOVERNOR FOR HIS
EFFORTS TO MAXIMIZE FEDERAL
FUNDS THROUGH PROGRAMS LIKE THE
INFLATION REDUCTION ACT AND
TACKLING THE BOTTLENECK FOR
PROJECTS LIKE SITES, RESERVOIR
SUPPORT THESE EFFORTS AND
OVERALL INTENT OF THE GOVERNOR'S
INFRASTRUCTURE PACKAGE. FOR THE
ITEMS ON THE AGENDA. TODAY WE
ARE SEEKING AMENDMENTS SPECIFIC
TO JOB ORDER, CONTRACTING AND
PROGRESSIVE DESIGN BUILD. WE ARE
SUPPORTIVE OF THE OTHER ITEMS
REGARDING JOB ORDER CONTRACTING
IN 2021 846, AUTHOR BY
ASSEMBLYMEMBER'S LOW EXTENDED
THE SUNSET FOR UTILIZATION IN
SCHOOLS AND COMMUNITY COLLEGES,
2027 AND ALSO INCLUDED A NEW
REQUIREMENT TO UTILIZE THE
SKILLED AND TRAINED WORKFORCE.
WE BELIEVE THE UTILIZATION OF
JOB ORDER CONTRACTING FOR THE
PROJECTS IDENTIFIED IN THIS
PROPOSAL SHOULD MIRROR WHAT WAS
IN THE REQUIREMENTS FOR A B 846
SIMILARLY FOR PROGRESSIVE DESIGN
BILL IS A TOPIC THAT HAS BEEN
DRESSED PREVIOUSLY BY THE
LEGISLATURE IN 2016 82 551,
AUTHORED BY ASSEMBLYMEMBER'S
GALLAGHER. FIRST PROVIDED LOCAL
AGENCIES. THE ABILITY TO USE
PROGRESSIVE DESIGN BUILD FOR
SPECIFIC WATER PROJECTS. IT UM
THIS BILL PROHIBITED A
CONTRACTING CONTRACTING ENTITY
FROM BEING PREQUALIFIED UNLESS
IT PROVIDED AN ENFORCEABLE
COMMITMENT TO THE LOCAL AGENCY
THAT THE ENTITY AND
SUBCONTRACTORS WOULD USE A
SKILLED AND TRAINED WORKFORCE IN
2022. SP 991, AUTHORED BY
SENATOR NEWMAN EXPANDED THE USE
OF PROGRESSIVE DESIGN BUILD AND
THE RELATED PROGRAM
PREQUALIFICATION PROCESS WITH
STRONG LABOR STANDARDS. WE
BELIEVE IT IS CRITICAL THAT THE
LEGISLATURE BUILD UPON THE WORK
THAT IT HAS ALREADY DONE AND
APPROVED. SO WE LOOK FORWARD TO
WORKING WITH THIS COMMITTEE, THE
LEGISLATURE OF THE MINISTRATIONS
TO MAKE SURE THESE PIECES ARE
ADDRESSED. WE HAVE PROVIDED YOUR
COMMITTEE WITH THE LANGUAGE THAT
WE ARE SEEKING. AND WE LOOK
FORWARD TO WORKING WITH YOU ON
SECRET JUDICIAL STREAMLINING
LANGUAGE AS WELL. THANKS SO MUCH
. THANK YOU AT THIS TIME SEEING
NO OTHER WITNESSES IN THE
HEARING ROOM. WE WILL MOVE TO
THE OPERATOR. TO TAKE TESTIMONY
FOR THE ASSEMBLY TRANSPORTATION
COMMITTEE'S HEARING ON THE
ADMINISTRATION'S INFRASTRUCTURE
PACKAGE. OPERATOR CAN YOU PLEASE
TELL US HOW MANY CALLS YOU HAVE
IN QUÊ? YES FOR PUBLIC COMMENTS
. YOU MAY PRESS ONE AND THEN
ZERO. AGAIN THAT IS ONE AND ZERO
FOR PUBLIC COMMENT. WE HAVE
ABOUT 15 IN QUÊ. WE WILL GO TO
LINE 11. YOUR LINE IS OPEN. GOOD
AFTERNOON. ASSEMBLYMEMBER'S I'M
STEPHEN KING WITH ENVIRONMENT,
CALIFORNIA. WE RELEASED A LETTER
LAST FRIDAY OUTLINING OUR
POSITION ON THE GOVERNOR'S
INFRASTRUCTURE TRAILER BILL
PACKAGE IN WHICH WE ACKNOWLEDGE
THE URGENT NEED TO BUILD CLEAN
ENERGY INFRASTRUCTURE IN
CALIFORNIA, BUT ALSO EXPRESSED
CONCERNS ABOUT ABANDONING OUR
BEDROCK ENVIRONMENTAL
PROTECTIONS LIKE NIPAH AND SEQUA
, WHICH PLAY A FUNDAMENTAL ROLE
IN MINIMIZING HARM TO THE
ENVIRONMENT AND WILDLIFE WHILE
DEVELOPING INFRASTRUCTURE. WE
NEED COMMON SENSE SOLUTIONS FOR
MORE ENERGY EFFICIENCY,
CONSERVATION AND CLEAN ENERGY IN
CALIFORNIA, WHILE ENSURING
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTIONS THAT
GOVERN INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS
REMAIN STRONG TO THAT, AND WE
SUPPORT SOME OF THE SPECIFIC
BILLS BEING DISCUSSED TODAY THAT
ACCELERATING ENVIRONMENTAL
MITIGATION, DELEGATE MY
AUTHORITY TO THE STATE AND ALLOW
DIRECT CONTRACTING AND JOB ORDER
CONTRACTING. THESE BILLS WILL
COLLECTIVELY STREAMLINED
TRANSPORTATION PROJECTS
ACCELERATE TIME INTENSIVE
ENVIRONMENTAL MITIGATION,
SHORTENED DELIVERY SCHEDULES FOR
PUBLIC WORKS PROJECTS AND AVOID
DELAYS. THANK YOU, AND WE LOOK
FORWARD TO WORKING TOGETHER ON
SOLUTIONS TO BUILD MARKLEEVILLE
ENERGY WHILE KEEPING
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION STRONG.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMENTS. IS
THERE ANYBODY ELSE IN THE LINE?
THANK YOU. LINE 23 ALIGN IS
OPEN. YES THANK YOU. THIS IS
OLIVIA SEIDMAN, CLIMATE POLICY
COORDINATOR WITH LEADERSHIP
COUNCIL FOR JUSTICE AND
ACCOUNTABILITY. UM THANK YOU,
KAREN MEMBERS FOR THE
OPPORTUNITY TO COMMENT TODAY.
LEADERSHIP COUNCIL WOULD LOVE
LIKE TO ENSURE THAT PROGRESSIVE
DESIGN BUILD JUDICIAL,
STREAMLINING AND OTHER
STREAMLINING MEASURES FOR
TRANSPORTATION PROJECTS INCLUDE
LANGUAGE THAT EXCLUDES HIGHWAY
OR OTHER MAJOR ARTERY EXPANSIONS
OR ENTERTAINED EXPANSIONS FOR
ELLEDGE FROM ELIGIBILITY FOR
JUDICIAL, STREAMLINING PDB AND
OTHER MEASURES TO FAST TRACK
THESE PROJECTS. THESE PROJECTS
OFTEN PROMOTE INDUSTRIAL
DEVELOPMENT NEAR AND CUT INTO
DISADVANTAGED COMMUNITIES, AS
WE'VE SEEN IN MULTIPLE INSTANCES
IN THE CENTRAL VALLEY, INCLUDING
SOUTH CENTRAL FRESNO AND MASINI
TRACKS INTO LARRY COUNTY, WHILE
THESE PROJECTS PURPORT TO REDUCE
CONGESTION IN THE MEDIUM AND
LONG TERM, LATENT INDUCED DEMAND
MEANS THAT THEY DO NOT ACTUALLY
REDUCE CONGESTION AND OFTEN
INCENTIVIZE MORE FREIGHT TRAFFIC
AND UNDERMINE THE STATE'S RACIAL
EQUITY COMMITMENTS. AS SUCH,
THESE EXPANSIONS SHOULD NOT BE
INCLUDED IN STREAMLINED PROJECTS
. CONSISTENCY WITH CAPTA IS
INSUFFICIENT TO PREVENT THESE
PROJECTS FROM BEING STREAMLINED
WHEN, BECAUSE REDUCING
CONGESTION, IMPROVING SAFETY OF
AN INTERSECTION OR OTHER
PRINCIPLES THAT ARE IN LINE WITH
TRAPPED. I ARE OFTEN USED TO
EXCUSE THESE EXPANSIONS. THAT
INCREASED THE MTN AIR POLLUTION
WITHOUT EXPLICIT LANGUAGE
PROHIBITING EXPANSIONS. WE RUN
THE RISK OF STREAMLINING THESE
EXPANSIONS USING CAPITAL
PRINCIPLES AS WE FREQUENTLY SEE
ALREADY. FINALLY I WANT TO MAKE
THE POINT THAT TRANSPARENCY IS
ALSO VERY KEY TO ENSURING THAT
EQUITY IS ACHIEVED THROUGH THIS
BILL PACKAGE, AND THERE SHOULD
BE PUBLICLY AVAILABLE
INFORMATION PERTAINING TO WHICH
A TRANSPORTATION PROJECTS ARE
BEING CONSIDERED FOR PROGRESSIVE
DIÆN BILLS DESIGNED BUILDING
CALTRANS. BEYOND SIMPLY SAYING
THAT THEY WILL COME FROM THE
SHOP LIST, WHICH IS QUITE LARGE
. SO UM, THAT'S ALL. THANK YOU
SO MUCH. UM THANK YOU. THANK YOU
FOR THOSE COMMENTS ANYBODY ELSE?
THANK YOU. 24 ULAN OPEN. THANK
YOU, MADAM CHAIR COMMITTEE
MEMBERS AND PANELISTS FOR YOUR
TIME TODAY I'M ZACHARY CARDI,
SENIOR TRANSPORTATION ADVOCATE
AND RDC POSITION ON THE
TRANSPORTATION. ELEMENTS OF THE
GOVERNOR'S PROPOSALS HINGES
FIRST ON ENSURING THAT THESE
PROPOSALS WILL STREAMLINE SHOVEL
WORTHY PROJECTS THAT ADVANCE OUR
STATE'S EQUITY GOALS, REDUCE
TRAFFIC DEATHS AND INJURIES AND
CLEAN OUR AIR, TRANSFORMATIVE
BUS, RAPID TRANSIT PROJECTS FROM
ROBUST SIDEWALK AND PROTECTED
BIKE LANE NETWORKS BUILDING AT
YOUR OWN. MISSIONS VEHICLE
INFRASTRUCTURE AT SCALE. THESE
ARE KINDS OF PROJECTS THAT
FOSTER HEALTHY, THRIVING
COMMUNITIES, AND THESE ARE THE
KINDS OF PROJECTS THAT WE NEED
TO PRIORITIZE STATE, ESPECIALLY
UNDER ANY STREAMLINING PROPOSALS
. WE NEED TRANSPARENCY ON WHICH
PROJECTS WILL BE PUT FORWARD
FIRM COMMITMENTS TO EXCLUDE
HIGHWAY CAPACITY PROJECTS FROM
ANY STREAMLINING COMMITMENT TO
COMPLETE STREETS DESIGNED IN ANY
STREAMLINED MAINTENANCE
PROJECTS. SECOND, WE'D LIKE TO
SEE THE LEGISLATURE WORK WITH
THE GOVERNOR'S OFFICE TO
IMPLEMENT APPROPRIATE SAFEGUARDS
TO ENSURE THAT THESE NEW
STREAMLINING AUTHORITIES WILL
CONTINUE TO BE USED FOR SHOVEL
WORTHY PROJECTS BY FUTURE
ADMINISTRATIONS WHO MAY OR MAY
NOT SHARE THIS ADMINISTRATION'S
OR THIS LEGISLATURES GOALS.
FINALLY WE'RE CONCERNED ABOUT
USING THE DESIGN BUILD APPROACH
TO ADVANCE THE DELTA CAN VANCE
PROJECT MAKING IT CHEAPER AND
FASTER TO MAINTAIN THE STATUS
QUO IS PRECISELY THE PATH THAT
WE MUST AVOID THE STATUS QUO OF
TRANSPORTATION INFRASTRUCTURE
INVESTMENT IN CALIFORNIA HAS
GIVEN US THE HIGHEST GREENHOUSE
GAS EMITTING SECTOR 4000,
CALIFORNIA'S KILLED ON OUR ROADS
ANNUALLY DEPENDENCE ON CARS AS
THE MOST EXPENSIVE MODE OF
TRANSPORTATION FOR CALIFORNIA
HOUSEHOLDS DIVIDED IN DISPLACED
COMMUNITIES. AND YET WITH
CONGESTION AS BAD AS EVER, AND
WE ALL PAY THE PRICE WITH AN
EVER INCREASING ROAD MAINTENANCE
COST BURDEN, THE ONLY WAY TO
ADVANCE OUR SHARED GOALS UNDER
THESE PROPOSALS. IS TO INCLUDE
CLEAR LEGISLATIVE GUIDANCE
ENSURES THESE TOOLS ARE USED FOR
THE EXCLUSIVE BENEFIT OF SHOVEL
WORTHY PROJECTS, THE CLEANER AIR
AND CENTER THE NEEDS OF MOST
IMPACTED COMMUNITIES. THANK YOU.
THANK YOU FOR THAT. APPRECIATE
IT. ANYBODY ELSE IN THE LINE.
THANK YOU LYING 27. YOUR LINE IS
OPEN. THANK YOU. UM UM MICHAEL
PIMENTEL, EXECUTIVE RECTOR OF
THE CALIFORNIA TRANSIT
ASSOCIATION, REPRESENTING 85,
TRANSIT AND REAL AGENCIES HERE
IN THE STATE OF THE ASSOCIATION
ARE MEMBERS SUPPORT THE PACKAGE
OF PROPOSALS THAT GOVERNOR
NEWSOM AND HIS ADMINISTRATION
HAS ADVANCED AND SPECIFICALLY
WOULD LIKE TO SHOW OUR SUPPORT
FOR THE DELEGATION AUTHORITY
PROPOSAL. BEFORE THE COMMITTEE
TODAY. OF COURSE, YOU LOOK
FORWARD TO SUPPORTING THE
ADMINISTRATIVE RECORD REFORMS IN
JUDICIAL STREAMLINING PROPOSALS
THAT WILL BE BEFORE YOUR
COLLEAGUES IN THE JUDICIARY AND
THAT'S RESOURCES COMMITTEE LATER
THIS WEEK. WE SEE THESE
PROPOSALS HAS BEEN CRITICAL FOR
MOVING CLEAN TRANSPORTATION
PROJECTS FORWARD. THEY ARE IN
KEEPING WITH PAST ACTIONS THAT
THIS LEGISLATURE AND THE
ADMINISTRATION HAVE SIGNED OFF
ON, INCLUDING SB 92. 2 88 AND SB
44 BEFORE THOSE REASONS WILL
URGE YOUR SUPPORT AT THE
APPROPRIATE TIME. THANK YOU.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH. ANYBODY
ELSE? THANK YOU. LINE 39. YOUR
LINE IS OPEN. GOOD AFTERNOON ON
BEHALF OF SESSIONS THEY MAYOR
MET MAYHEM TO EXPRESS MY SUPPORT
FOR THE GOVERNOR'S PROPOSAL. THE
STRUCTURE PACKAGE TO TOLERATE
CLINICAL CREASY CLEAN
INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS. THANK
YOU. THANK YOU. SNACKS ANYBODY
ELSE? THANK YOU. LINE 40. YOUR
LINE IS OPEN. PLEASE GO AHEAD.
THANK YOU CHAIR MEMBERS OF THE
COMMITTEE OUT WITH THE
ENVIRONMENTAL LAW FOUNDATION,
ECHOING THE THEME THAT MANY OF
THE PREVIOUS COMMENTS HAVE
RAISED, THESE BILLS WILL MAKE
SIGNIFICANT CHANGES TO THE
ENVIRONMENTAL LAWS IN THE
LANGUAGE THAT HAS BEEN DRAFTED
WITHOUT THE INPUT OF SUBJECT
MATTER. EXPERTS, THE
ENVIRONMENTAL COMMUNITY. WE
ASKED THE LEGISLATURE MOVED
TRAILER BILLS THROUGH THE
REGULAR LEGISLATIVE POLICY
PROCESS AND ALLOW FOR AMPLE
PUBLIC REVIEW AND COMMENT AND
DISCUSSION OF THE SOLUTIONS.
THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
EVERYBODY ELSE. THANK YOU. 25.
YOUR LINE IS OPEN. GOOD
AFTERNOON, CHRISTINA'S PARENTS
FOR THE CENTER FOR BIOLOGICAL
DIVERSITY, REFERENCING WRITTEN
COMMENTS SUBMITTED LAST WEEK,
ALONG WITH 23 OTHER
ORGANIZATIONS, URGING THE
COMMITTEE TO INCLUDE AMENDMENTS
FOR LEGALLY BINDING AND
ENFORCEABLE MANDATES TO
CONSTRUCT WILDLIFE CROSSINGS.
THESE ORGANIZATIONS ARE AMONG
MANY WHO HAVE ADVOCATED FOR
YEARS TO THREE WILDLIFE
CROSSINGS AND THE PROPOSED
BRIGHT LINE WEST HIGH SPEED RAIL
PROJECT. THESE ARE CRITICAL
WILDLIFE CORRIDORS, WILDLIFE CAN
AND DO ALREADY CROSS 15 BRIGHT
LINES PROPOSED TWIN CONCRETE
BARRIER WALLS WOULD COMPLETELY
BLOCK WILDLIFE MOVEMENT ACROSS
NEARLY 150 MILES OF FRAGILE
DESERT ECOSYSTEM. THEY WOULD BE
DEVASTATING TO BIGHORN STREET,
SHEEP AND MOUNTAIN LIONS, AMONG
OTHER SPECIES. THE CURRENTLY
PROPOSED MITIGATION ISN'T ENOUGH
AGENCIES, EXPERTS AND ELECTED
OFFICIALS HAVE AGREED. THESE
CROSSINGS ARE IMPERATIVE RIGHT
LINES ANNUAL OPERATING PROFIT
PROJECTIONS APPARENTLY APPROACH
$1 BILLION, AND THEY'RE
REQUESTING HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS
IN TAX EXEMPT BONDS FROM THE
STATE AS WELL AS 3.75 BILLION IN
FEDERAL SUBSIDIES WITH ZERO
ALLOCATION FOR THESE WILDLIFE
CROSSING. RIGHT LINE ASKED
FEDERAL AGENCIES NOT TO INCLUDE
THE THREE CROSSINGS AS
MITIGATION. IN FEBRUARY, THIS
PRIVATE COMPANY ENTERED AN
AGREEMENT WITH CALIFORNIA
AGENCIES TO SHIFT ABOUT $100
MILLION IN NON DESIGN COSTS TO
THE STATE TO CALIFORNIA
TAXPAYERS. WE NEED A LEGALLY
BINDING AGREEMENT FOR BRIGHT
LINE OR THE STATE MANDATING
CONSTRUCTION OF THE THREE
WILDLIFE CROSSINGS. THE
ADMINISTRATION'S ADMISSION TODAY
AND IT'S FACT SHEET ON THE
TRAILER BILL RAISES MORE DOUBTS,
DESCRIBING POTENTIAL ISSUES
AROUND PROJECT AUTHORITY
CONFLICTS, DELAYS AND COSTS. THE
LEGISLATURE MUST HOLD ALL
PARTIES ACCOUNTABLE TO ENSURE
THESE CROSSINGS. TIMELY
COMPLETION. THANK YOU. THANK YOU
VERY MUCH. ANYBODY ELSE? LINE
34. YOUR LINE IS OPEN. GOOD
AFTERNOON. MY NAME IS AARON
WOOLY SPEAKING ON BEHALF OF FEAR
CLUB CALIFORNIA WE HAVE
SIGNIFICANT CONCERNS WITH MOVING
THIS PACKAGE FORWARD THROUGH THE
TRAILER BILL PROCESS. THE
PROPOSED TRAILER BILLS INCLUDE
LEGAL AND POLICY ISSUES THAT
SHOULD BE MOVED THROUGH THE
REGULAR LEGISLATIVE PROCESS AND
NOT RUSHED FORWARD. AS PART OF
THE BUDGET, HE SPELLS MAKE
SIGNIFICANT CHANGES TO EXISTING
ENVIRONMENTAL LAWS, AND THE
LANGUAGE WAS DRAFTED WITHOUT THE
INPUT OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL OR
ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE COMMUNITY
AND WITH EXTREMELY LIMITED TIME
FOR THE LEGISLATURE AND THE
PUBLIC TO REVIEW IT. THE
LEGISLATURE MOVED THE TRAILER
BILLS THROUGH THE LEGISLATIVE
THE REGULAR LEGISLATIVE POLICY
PROCESS, INSTEAD TO ALLOW FOR
AMPLE PUBLIC REVIEW AND COMMENT
AND TRANSPARENT DISCUSSION AND
DEBATE AND CONSIDERATION OF
AMENDMENTS TO ADDRESS THE
SIGNIFICANT SUBSTANTIVE CONCERNS
HAVE BEEN EXPRESSED. SEVERAL OF
THE PROPOSALS DIRECTLY IMPLICATE
SIGNIFICANT WATER RELATED
PROJECTS, AND I ALSO WOULD URGE
THE LEGISLATURE TO ADHERE
SPECIFICALLY TO THE SP 626
REQUIREMENTS REGARDING THE
DEPARTMENT OF WATER RESOURCES
DESIGN BUILD AUTHORITY AGAIN.
THESE PROPOSALS ARE MISSING
IMPORTANT POLICY CONSIDERATIONS
AND SHOULD BE MOVED FORWARD
THROUGH THE LEGISLATIVE PROCESS,
WHERE FURTHER DISCUSSION IN
PUBLIC INPUT CAN BE INCLUDED TO
ADDRESS THESE CONCERNS. THANK
YOU. THANK YOU. ANYBODY ELSE IN
LINE? LINE 42 YEAR LINE IS OPEN.
GOOD AFTERNOON. MY NAME IS ZAK
LOU, AND I'M, THE COALITION
MANAGER FOR THE CALIFORNIA GREEN
NEW DEAL COALITION, WHICH IS THE
STATEWIDE ALLIANCE OF COMMUNITY
AND REGIONAL JUSTICE,
ENVIRONMENTAL AND LABOR
ORGANIZATIONS. WHILE WE
UNDERSTAND THE NEED FOR THE
RAPID BUILD OUT OF A CLIMATE,
RESILIENT, CLEAN ENERGY
INFRASTRUCTURE, WE WERE SHARE
SOME OF THE CONCERNS THAT HAVE
ALREADY BEEN EXPRESSED ABOUT THE
PROPOSED INFRASTRUCTURE PACKAGE,
UNDERMINING CRUCIAL
ENVIRONMENTAL REGULATIONS. IN
ADDITION TO THAT, WE REALLY WANT
TO UNDERSCORE THE GLARING
OMISSION OF EQUITY PRIORITIES
AND THE INFRASTRUCTURE POLICY
PACKAGE. AS THE COALITION WAS CO
SPONSORS OF 24 19. LAST YEAR,
THE CALIFORNIA JUSTICE SPORTY
ACT AUTHORED BY ASSEMBLYMEMBER'S
ISAAC BRIAN, WE PUSHED FOR THE
STATE TO ESTABLISH CRUCIAL LABOR
AND EQUITY STANDARDS IN THE
IMPLEMENTATION OF FEDERAL
FUNDING. THIS STATE NOW
CONSIDERS A SET OF PROPOSALS FOR
PRIORITIES AND INFRASTRUCTURE
DEVELOPMENT. WE REALLY URGED THE
LEGISLATURE TO USE THIS AS AN
OPPORTUNITY TO INCLUDE POLICY TO
IMPLEMENT STRONG LABOR AND
EQUITY STANDARDS THAT BOTH THE
LION STATE AGENCIES WITH AND
ALLOW US TO GO ABOVE AND BEYOND
THE MINIMUM FLOOR SET BY JUSTICE
40 AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL. WE HOPE
TO WORK WITH THE LEGISLATURE TO
ESTABLISH THESE STRONG STANDARDS
TO ENSURE INFRASTRUCTURE
INVESTMENTS, ADDRESSED THE
LEGACY OF RACIST POLICIES AND
THIS INVESTMENT WELL, ALSO
ADVANCING ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE
AND CREATING GOOD JOBS. THANK
YOU. THANK YOU FOR THAT ANYBODY
ELSE? THANK YOU. LINE SEVEN.
YOUR LINE IS OPEN. GOOD
AFTERNOON. I'M MARIELLA ROCCO
WAS FROM THE AMERICAN LUNG
ASSOCIATION, CALIFORNIA WHEN IT
COMES TO TRANSPORTATION PROJECTS
, WE WOULD BE CONCERN OF
APPROVING PROJECTS THAT DON'T
REDUCE THE MTS AND WOULD
THEREFORE NOT FURTHER, UH,
FURTHER INCREASE POLLUTION. WE
DON'T WANT TO SEE, UH, POLLUTION
PROJECTS FAST TRACKED. THERE'S A
LACK OF INFORMATION FOR RUNNING
THESE POLICIES FORWARD. IN
ADDITION, UM 98% OF CALIFORNIA'S
ALREADY BREATHE THE MOST
POLLUTED AIR IN THE NATION, WITH
TRANSPORTATION BEING THE MAIN
SOURCE. SO AGAIN, WE LACK. UM WE
ARE CONCERNED ABOUT SOME OF
THESE, UM FORWARD, SO THANK YOU.
THANK YOU FOR THAT. IS THERE
ANYBODY ELSE? THANK YOU. LINE,
12. YOUR LINE IS OPEN. GOOD
AFTERNOON CHAIR AND COMMITTEE
MEMBERS. MY NAME IS CHRIS WILSON
WENT TO LOS ANGELES PARTY
BUSINESS FEDERATION. WE WANNA
THANK YOU FOR HOLDING VERY
IMPORTANT INFORMATIONAL HEARING.
MEMBERS OVER THE NEXT DECADE.
CALIFORNIA WILL BE INVESTING
$180 BILLION WITH THE B INTO
INFRASTRUCTURE. THIS IS A BIG
DEAL THAT DESERVES SWIFT ACTION.
THE GOVERNMENT PROPOSAL ONE SURE
THAT THESE MONIES WILL NOT GET
HELD UP BY UNNECESSARY RED TAPE
AND ENDLESS LAWSUITS. TOLD YOU
TODAY WE HEARD THAT A MAJOR
TRANSPORTATION PROJECT IN
CALIFORNIA TAKES ABOUT 13 YEARS
13 YEARS. AND THAT'S ON A GOOD
DAY. THAT FIGURE ALONE SHOULD
GIVE US GIVE US NOW GIVE US THE
REASON TO ACT NOW AND WITH
INTENTION. I ALSO WANT TO
COMPLIMENT THE COMMUNITY
CONVERSATIONS EARLIER AROUND JOB
ORDER CONTRACTS IN THE
GOVERNOR'S PLAN. HERE. AND SO
CAL STUDIES SHOW THAT THE 7 10
FREEWAY IS ONE OF THE MOST
DANGEROUS FREEWAYS IN THE IN IN
THE STATE, AND THAT IS BECAUSE
OF THE LACK OF SAFETY
INFRASTRUCTURE AND ENHANCEMENT
ALONGSIDE THE CORRIDOR. THE
GOVERNOR'S CLIENT WILL HELP
ENSURE AND LEVERAGE FAST TRACK
RESOURCES TO KEEP USAGE OF THE
HIGHWAY STATE AND A GOOD FLOWING
. WE URGE THIS FIVE TO ACT
SWIFTLY QUICKLY TO SUPPORT THE
GOVERNANCE TACTICS THAT WILL
REMOVE HURDLES THAT DELAYED
CONSTRUCTION OF CLEAN ENERGY,
TRANSPORTATION AND OTHER
CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE
PROJECTS. CALIFORNIA THANK YOU
SO MUCH MEMBERS. THANK YOU. IS
THERE ANYBODY ELSE? THANK YOU.
I'M 32. YOUR LINE IS OPEN. HI MY
NAME IS SUSIE GOLD. I'M A VOTER
. I LIVE IN SOUTH PASADENA AND I
SUPPORT THE GOVERNOR'S
INFRASTRUCTURE PACKAGE. I THINK
IT'S ODD. HOW MANY ENVIRONMENTAL
GROUPS ARE HERE ARE STANDING
AGAINST THIS PACKAGE,
CONSIDERING IT'S INTEGRAL TO
BRING OUR PLANS FOR EUROPE.
CARBON FUTURE INTO REALITY
TIMING SEEMS TO BE IMPORTANT
WITH THESE MEASURES, AND I THINK
WE SHOULD PASS LEGISLATION NOW
SO WE DON'T MISS OUR
OPPORTUNITY. THANK YOU. THANK
YOU FOR THAT. IS THERE ANYBODY
ELSE IN LINE? THANK YOU. THERE'S
LIKE 35. YOUR LINE IS OPEN.
THANK YOU, MR CHAIR. THANK YOU
FOR YOUR UNDERSTANDING AND
PATIENCE. MY NAME IS MARK WATTS
WITH TRANSPORTATION CALIFORNIA
COALITION OF CONTRACTORS,
MATERIAL SUPPLIERS AND ALLIED
LABOR. WE DO CONGRATULATE THE
ADMINISTRATION FOR PRESENTING
THIS VERY COMPREHENSIVE PROPOSAL
. TRANSPORTATION CALIFORNIA
SUPPORTS THE APPROVAL OF THE
PACKAGE WITHIN THE BUDGET
TIMELINE. WE HAVE BEEN
SUPPORTIVE OF MANY ASPECTS.
SIMILAR ASPECTS PROJECT
STREAMLINING IN THE PAST THAT
ARE REPRESENTED HERE AND WE FEEL
THAT IT'S NOT APPROPRIATE TO
MOVE FORWARD AND WE THANK YOU
FOR YOUR TIME. THANK YOU. THANK
YOU. ANYBODY ELSE? THANK YOU.
LINE 43. YOUR LINE IS OPEN. MR
CHAIR AND MEMBERS. THIS IS
MATTHEW HARGROVE WITH THE
CALIFORNIA BUSINESS PROPERTIES
ASSOCIATION. WE STAND WITH THE
MANY BUSINESS AND LABOR GROUPS
THAT YOU'VE HEARD FROM TODAY AND
SUPPORTING THE GOVERNOR'S
INFRASTRUCTURE PACKAGE. THANK
YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU FOR
YOUR COMMENTS. IS THERE ANYBODY
ELSE? THANK YOU. WE HAVE NO
FURTHER PUBLIC COMMENT AND QUÊ
AT THIS TIME. WELL, THANK YOU.
NOT SEEING ANYBODY ELSE WANTED
TO COME AND COMMENT ON THIS, SO
SHE'S GOING TO THINK THE
PERCENTERS. THANK YOU FOR YOUR
TIME. THIS WAS VERY
INFORMATIONAL, AND I LOOK
FORWARD TO WORKING WITH YOU. UH
WITH THAT, WILL YOU HAVE ANY
CLOSING STATEMENTS OR NO, JUST
THANK YOU ASSEMBLYMEMBER'S
THEORY AND OBVIOUSLY TO THE TEAM
OF ASSEMBLY TRANSPORTATION. I
KNOW HOW HARD IT IS TO PUT
TOGETHER SUCH AN INCREDIBLE
BACKGROUND IN SUCH A SHORT
AMOUNT OF TIME. SO WE'RE REALLY
GRATEFUL. THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
THANK YOU WITH THAT WILL ADJOURN
THIS MEETING. THANK YOU,
EVERYBODY.