ICYMI: Secretary Buttigieg Visits California, Celebrates New Infrastructure Projects as President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Makes Record Investments in Communities Nationwide

WASHINGTON — Last week U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg traveled to California to celebrate new, transformative infrastructure projects underway thanks to President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure law. These projects will make transportation safer, faster, and more affordable for local residents. They will also help alleviate supply chain bottlenecks, support economic growth, and create good-paying jobs in communities across California.

On Tuesday, the Secretary started his visit at the Port of Los Angeles — the busiest container port in North America — where he joined Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, U.S. Representative Nanette Diaz Barragán, and other local leaders in celebrating a new $20 million federal RAISE grant to support needed updates to the port’s infrastructure that will reduce delays, cut emissions, improve safety, and create good-paying jobs.

Wednesday, Secretary Buttigieg traveled to the City of Fontana, where he joined U.S. Representatives Pete Aguilar and Norma Torres, Fontana Mayor Acquanetta Warren, and local union and community leaders to celebrate a $15 million RAISE award that will make it safer for thousands of local students to walk and bike to school, reduce transportation-related carbon emissions, and support economic opportunity and job creation in the Inland Empire.

On Thursday, the Secretary went to San Francisco, where he joined House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, San Francisco Mayor London Breed, as well as local transportation and community leaders, to celebrate the city’s new Central Subway, which will provide fast and affordable public transit to residents in some of San Francisco’s busiest neighborhoods, including Chinatown.

The Secretary rounded out his trip on Friday with a stop in Oakland, where he toured a project underway thanks to a $14.5 million RAISE grant awarded last year by USDOT. The “Reconnecting the Town” project will make it safer for residents to walk and bike, improve bus service, and reconnect several Oakland neighborhoods to the waterfront. U.S. Congresswoman Barbara Lee, Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf, and local transportation leaders accompanied Secretary Buttigieg on the tour.

See below for media coverage and more information about the Secretary’s trip. For more information about this year’s RAISE recipients, click here.

Media Coverage

Los Angeles

Daily Breeze: Port of LA celebrates $20 million grant with Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg

“I think there’s often a misnomer that we can’t have investment in environmental justice in our communities (that doesn’t) impact jobs,” said Democratic Rep. Nanette Diaz Barragán, whose congressional district includes POLA and its surrounding communities, including San Pedro and Wilmington. “But we’re creating jobs, and we’re doing it in a green way and making sure that we are reducing the pollution that’s coming off our ports and our truck traffic.”

Spectrum News: Pete Buttigieg visits Port of LA to announce $20M DOT investment

“The project here that we’re celebrating is a great example of exactly what the Biden-Harris administration’s vision for building a better America looks like in practice,” Buttigieg said from the deck of the USS Iowa

Fontana

Fontana Herald News: Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg visits Fontana to celebrate $15 million federal grant

San Francisco

ABC7 San Francisco: Pelosi, Buttigieg tour SF Central Subway project; service on track to begin this Fall

“This project has been a long time coming and not a minute too soon. Like many other communities Chinatown needs this lifeline,” said Malcolm Yeung, Executive Director of Chinatown CDC.

San Francisco Chronicle: Pete Buttigieg says S.F. Muni’s delayed Central Subway will be worth the wait
“We have the resources and the support from our federal leaders like never before, and that means more opportunity to make things a reality,” [San Francisco Mayor] Breed said. “Many of us never thought the possibility of going to Fisherman’s Wharf underground would even be seen in our lifetime. And the reality is, it could be.”

Sing Tao Daily: Federal officials promote good news that Central Subway will open this fall

Oakland

Mercury News: In Oakland, Pete Buttigieg vows to ‘reconnect’ communities razed by highways

“We saw a literal gash in a neighborhood,” Buttigieg said. “Those who were displaced were never fully made whole, but there are opportunities now, to make right what was wrong in a previous generation.”

KTVU Fox News: Secretary Buttigieg tours parts of Oakland to be improved by federal funding

“This is about people,” [Congresswoman] Lee said.

CBS News Bay Area: Transportation Secretary Buttigieg tours Oakland infrastructure projects getting federal funds