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Miami Herald
05-08-2025
- Politics
- Miami Herald
How a generation of permitting requirements slows down California's transit projects
California's high-speed rail project has been heavily scrutinized in recent months for its long delays and rising budget. In its decision to pull federal funding from the project, the Trump administration blamed state leadership and the high-speed rail authority. A new report from a San Diego nonprofit points to third-party permitting requirements as another culprit to the project's long delays, and a reason for the slowdown on transit projects across the state. The report from the Circulate San Diego suggests that requirements first imposed decades ago to stop infrastructure projects from ripping up neighborhoods have created new hurdles that have put innovations around transportation years behind schedule. "The policies meant to restrict highways from separating communities, are now preventing the construction of public transit, meant to stitch communities together," Colin Parent, the chief executive and general council of Circulate San Diego, wrote in "The Powerless Brokers: Why California Can't Build Transit." The report was released Monday. The delays in transit projects aren't isolated to California, Parent said. But because the state's high-speed rail train is one of the most ambitious and widely criticized projects in the nation, the consequences of delays are staggering here. Multiple jurisdictions are often required to sign off on a project, outside of the leading transit agency. In the case of high-speed rail, Parent describes disputes that have occurred between the authority and city officials that have prolonged the timeline for construction. In Wasco, for example, disagreements between the city and the authority over the creation of an underpass and other projects led to years-long delays on construction and increased costs. "I think a lot of people assume that when you're building transit, the transit agency decides what projects they want to build, they get funding, they do an environmental review, and then they're ready to go and to build things. And that's just not how it works," Parent told The Times. "They have to go through a whole new series of processes to receive permits and other agreements in order to actually build the projects that they've approved, and those additional sets of processes can create all sorts of delays, additional costs and other challenges to building the projects that policymakers say that we want to do." Environmental reviews can take time, as can trying to gain public support. Not every city or county faces the same challenges when it comes to coordination on projects. The Los Angeles and Bay Area area regions each include 27 separate transit operators, Parent said. In the San Diego region, there are only two. In Los Angeles, Metro often has to coordinate with the Los Angeles Department of Transportation, Bureau of Engineering and Street Services. In the report, Parent highlighted the transit agency's extension project underneath Wilshire Boulevard for the D Line, formerly known as the Purple Line. The project saw broad support from city officials, but faced initial permitting challenges over demands by DWP and the Bureau of Engineering. In the early and middle 20th century, U.S. cities' infrastructure projects went unchecked, leading to the destruction of communities that largely displaced disadvantaged and working class residents. Perhaps no one represents the era better than the late urban planner Robert Moses, who shaped the New York City skyline and whose highway and bridge projects razed city blocks and neighborhoods. From his multiple appointed positions in state and local government, he was one of the most powerful and divisive figures in the state from the 1920s to the 1960s. In an effort to decentralize that kind of power with a system of checks and balances, community advocates pushed for laws to establish environmental standards and regulate project approval so that affected communities could be represented in decision-making. While no one has pushed for a return to the days of someone like Moses, Parent and state lawmakers in California believe that today's requirements have created new obstacles. "A lot of the rules related to permitting that have gotten in the way of building infrastructure, including public transit, have really expanded since the 70s," Parent said Monday. "There's been this multi-decade growth in the kinds of barriers and hoops that applicants and public agencies have to jump through in order to get projects." So, what's the solution? Because the delays in transit projects play out throughout the U.S., Parent believes standards in Quebec and Ontario could present a better model. There, transit agencies are allowed to self-permit if outside parties do not meet specific timeline requirements when it comes to permitting. "Those local governments are under a timeline, and if they don't review and approve or deny those permits within a period of time, then the transit agency gets to self permit," Parent said. State Sen. Scott Weiner, D-San Francisco, introduced a bill this year that takes a similar approach. With focus on high-speed rail, the bill would implement time limits on third-party's approvals and denial process. During a recent state assembly hearing, Wiener said that "any city or water district or special district where some sort of encroachment permit is required" can slow down a project's process by simply doing nothing. "They can just not respond or drag their feet - sometimes for good reason … sometimes for not good reasons - and there is nothing that, in this case, high speed rail, can do about it," he said. Copyright (C) 2025, Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Portions copyrighted by the respective providers.
Los Angeles Times
04-08-2025
- Business
- Los Angeles Times
Report: How permitting requirements slow down California's transit projects
California's high-speed rail project has been heavily scrutinized in recent months for its long delays and rising budget. In its decision to pull federal funding from the project, the Trump administration blamed state leadership and the high-speed rail authority. A new report from a San Diego nonprofit points to third-party permitting requirements as another culprit to the project's long delays, and a reason for the slowdown on transit projects across the state. The report from the Circulate San Diego suggests that requirements first imposed decades ago to stop infrastructure projects from ripping up neighborhoods have created new hurdles that have put innovations around transportation years behind schedule. 'The policies meant to restrict highways from separating communities, are now preventing the construction of public transit, meant to stitch communities together,' Colin Parent, the chief executive and general council of Circulate San Diego, wrote in 'The Powerless Brokers: Why California Can't Build Transit.' The report was released Monday. The delays in transit projects aren't isolated to California, Parent said. But because the state's high-speed rail train is one of the most ambitious and widely criticized projects in the nation, the consequences of delays are staggering here. Multiple jurisdictions are often required to sign off on a project, outside of the leading transit agency. In the case of high-speed rail, Parent describes disputes that have occurred between the authority and city officials that have prolonged the timeline for construction. In Wasco, for example, disagreements between the city and the authority over the creation of an underpass and other projects led to years-long delays on construction and increased costs. 'I think a lot of people assume that when you're building transit, the transit agency decides what projects they want to build, they get funding, they do an environmental review, and then they're ready to go and to build things. And that's just not how it works,' Parent told The Times. 'They have to go through a whole new series of processes to receive permits and other agreements in order to actually build the projects that they've approved, and those additional sets of processes can create all sorts of delays, additional costs and other challenges to building the projects that policymakers say that we want to do.' Environmental reviews can take time, as can trying to gain public support. Not every city or county faces the same challenges when it comes to coordination on projects. The Los Angeles and Bay Area area regions each include 27 separate transit operators, Parent said. In the San Diego region, there are only two. In Los Angeles, Metro often has to coordinate with the Los Angeles Department of Transportation, Bureau of Engineering and Street Services. In the report, Parent highlighted the transit agency's extension project underneath Wilshire Boulevard for the D Line, formerly known as the Purple Line. The project saw broad support from city officials, but faced initial permitting challenges over demands by DWP and the Bureau of Engineering. In the early and middle 20th century, U.S. cities' infrastructure projects went unchecked, leading to the destruction of communities that largely displaced disadvantaged and working class residents. Perhaps no one represents the era better than the late urban planner Robert Moses, who shaped the New York City skyline and whose highway and bridge projects razed city blocks and neighborhoods. From his multiple appointed positions in state and local government, he was one of the most powerful and divisive figures in the state from the 1920s to the 1960s. In an effort to decentralize that kind of power with a system of checks and balances, community advocates pushed for laws to establish environmental standards and regulate project approval so that affected communities could be represented in decision-making. While no one has pushed for a return to the days of someone like Moses, Parent and state lawmakers in California believe that today's requirements have created new obstacles. 'A lot of the rules related to permitting that have gotten in the way of building infrastructure, including public transit, have really expanded since the 70s,' Parent said Monday. 'There's been this multi-decade growth in the kinds of barriers and hoops that applicants and public agencies have to jump through in order to get projects.' So, what's the solution? Because the delays in transit projects play out throughout the U.S., Parent believes standards in Quebec and Ontario could present a better model. There, transit agencies are allowed to self-permit if outside parties do not meet specific timeline requirements when it comes to permitting. 'Those local governments are under a timeline, and if they don't review and approve or deny those permits within a period of time, then the transit agency gets to self permit,' Parent said. State Sen. Scott Weiner (D-San Francisco) introduced a bill this year that takes a similar approach. With focus on high-speed rail, the bill would implement time limits on third-party's approvals and denial process. During a recent state assembly hearing, Wiener said that 'any city or water district or special district where some sort of encroachment permit is required' can slow down a project's process by simply doing nothing. 'They can just not respond or drag their feet — sometimes for good reason … sometimes for not good reasons — and there is nothing that, in this case, high speed rail, can do about it,' he said.
Los Angeles Times
29-07-2025
- Business
- Los Angeles Times
Metro can move forward on subway car plans ahead of Olympics after deal
The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Authority settled a lawsuit over alleged violations of state and federal law and Metro policy related to a multi-million dollar contract to update subway cars ahead of the 2028 Olympics and Paralympics. Advocacy and research group Jobs to Move America sued the transit agency last year after Metro awarded a contract to South Korean Hyundai Rotem, which is a part of Hyundai Motor Group, to build at least 182 new rail cars to replace much of its aging fleet. The group alleged that Metro violated public contract laws and its own manufacturing policy by not disclosing required details about worker pay and benefits, and omitting commitments to hire a workforce of at least 10% 'disadvantaged workers' for the project, which could include homeless people, single parents, veterans and others struggling in the workforce. Metro settled the lawsuit last week for $250,000, which would cover the cost of legal fees, and agreed to modify terms of the $730-million order with Hyundai, according to records, to include the requirements. The deal means that the transit agency can go forward with its initial plans. Metro said 'the delivery timeline has not been impacted' by the lawsuit. The transit agency still expects to receive 42 cars ahead of the Games, as was laid out in the original proposal. Those cars are planned for use on the D Line, formerly known as the Purple Line. The route is currently undergoing an extension project beneath Wilshire Boulevard and is expected to be completed by 2027. Another 140 cars are expected to be delivered by May 2030. The Metro policy, which includes penalties for non-compliance, was adopted in 2022 to ensure that federal and state dollars provided livable wages to blue collar workers. Metro originally tried to update the contract with Hyundai when it learned of the violations, but Jobs to Move America believed the revisions were not satisfactory. The group sued the agency and pushed for Metro to rebid the contract entirely. 'This procurement was an example of something that wasn't done well,' said Madeline Janis, co-executive director of Jobs to Move America. The settlement serves as a compromise and, according to Jobs to Move America, is a win for transparency. In addition to revising the contract with the requirements, Metro also agreed to hire an outside consultant to improve future procurement strategies and to broaden public record access around its contracts. 'It's really important that the nature of the things like public contracting and the business of government be done openly, transparently and with the highest ethics and integrity,' Janis said. 'We're very confident now that Metro will have the tools in place to spend our dollars wisely, to build out our transportation system in a way that gets the most for our money and also gives us the best results.' The next step will be to see if Hyundai complies with the new agreement. A major concern for Jobs to Move America over the contract's lack of stipulations was related to Hyundai's recent issues with U.S. employment standards. Last year, the Department of Justice sued the motor company after finding a 13-year-old girl had worked up to 60 hours a week along an assembly line in Alabama. The suit, which also named auto parts supplier SMART Alabama LLC and a staffing service, alleged child labor law violations. Hyundai said it 'took immediate action' and that its suppliers cut ties with the staffing agency. 'What this [settlement] does is it ensures that Hyundai is held accountable for spending the money — about three quarters of a billion dollars — in a way that's going to maximize the creation of good jobs and opportunities for Americans and Angelenos,' Janis said.
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Metro committee moves forward on $9.4-billion budget as Olympics funding remains uncertain
With a fiscal deficit on the horizon and billions of dollars in federal funding requests still up in the air, a Metropolitan Transportation Authority committee voted to move forward with a $9.4- billion budget for the 2026 fiscal year — a 2% increase of more than $180 million from the previous budget. During a public budget hearing on Thursday and in written comments, residents cited safety as a top priority for Metro after a spate of violence against bus operators in recent years, and regular reports of crime in and around Metro stations. The transit agency's proposal includes more than $390 million for public safety — a nearly 2% increase from the last fiscal year. The bulk of the budget would go to transit operations, with nearly $3 billion marked for rail and bus expansion and more than $2 billion for infrastructure planning for projects, including the Vermont Transit Corridor bus lane project and Sepulveda Corridor rail project, and construction for projects that include the D Line extension to the Westside. But future funding remains uncertain amid questions over how tariffs and inflation will affect the economy, as well as state and federal investments. 'As we look ahead to major events like the 2026 World Cup and the 2028 Olympics, we know we'll have to make some tough decisions. But we'll always use our core values to guide us,' Metro finance, budget and audit committee chair Tim Sandoval said Thursday. The budget will be presented to the full Metro board next week. The agency is facing "a deficit of $2.3 billion through 2030," Metro CEO Stephanie Wiggins warned state leaders earlier this year. In a March letter to Senate Pro Tempore Mike McGuire (D-North Coast), Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas (D-Hollister), state Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) and state Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel (D-Encino), Wiggins said that while the transit agency is at 90% of pre-pandemic ridership numbers after a dip and has exceeded 2019 passenger numbers on Sundays, Metro still faces significant financial challenges. She advocated for the state to include a $2-billion request in its budget for transit operations equitably distributed among state agencies. Gov. Gavin Newsom's budget revision on Wednesday did not include the request, ignoring transit and safe streets activists who have warned that the absence of those funds could cause service cuts for a number of public transit agencies throughout the state, including Metrolink. 'Public transportation is vital for jobs, for the health of our economy, and our goal is to ensure that everybody is able to get to where they need to go — from work to school to play — and we believe that the state has to play a role in ensuring that,' said Eli Lipmen of Move LA. 'The operations and maintenance of our system are also critical because the No. 1 issue for transit riders is reliability.' Lipmen's organization was one of several that hung banners from freeway overpasses throughout the state this week calling on Newsom to 'fund transit.' The state recently sued the Trump administration over its policy to deny billions of dollars in transportation grants if California didn't follow the federal government's plan for immigration enforcement. Lipmen supported the action but said the suit would affect only capital programs and that the state still needs to increase funds for transit operations. The state budget proposal, which is still subject to change, did make a significant revision from January by pulling $17.6 million from the state's highway fund toward Olympics and Paralympics planning. The funding singled out Metro's Games Route Network, which would designate a series of roads for travel by athletes, media, officials, the International Olympics Committee, spectators and workers. Critical parts of Metro's Olympics plans are yet to be nailed down. The agency has yet to confirm $2 billion in funds to lease nearly 3,000 buses, which are integral to Los Angeles' transit-first goal for the Games. The financial crisis affecting the city of Los Angeles, which has a separate budget from Metro, could also jeopardize plans ahead of 2028 as several transit and infrastructure agencies face cutbacks and layoffs. The top leader for the Los Angeles Department of Transportation, for example, warned that cuts would affect support for major rail and bus lane projects ahead of the 2028 Olympics, in addition to parking enforcement, traffic signal updates and goals to improve traffic safety. Streets LA and the Bureau for Engineering — departments responsible for street and bridge repairs — are also facing significant cuts. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles Times
15-05-2025
- Business
- Los Angeles Times
Metro committee moves forward on $9.4-billion budget as Olympics funding remains uncertain
With a fiscal deficit on the horizon and billions of dollars in federal funding requests still up in the air, a Metropolitan Transportation Authority committee voted to move forward with a $9.4- billion budget for the 2026 fiscal year — a 2% increase of more than $180 million from the previous budget. During a public budget hearing on Thursday and in written comments, residents cited safety as a top priority for Metro after a spate of violence against bus operators in recent years, and regular reports of crime in and around Metro stations. The transit agency's proposal includes more than $390 million for public safety — a nearly 2% increase from the last fiscal year. The bulk of the budget would go to transit operations, with nearly $3 billion marked for rail and bus expansion and more than $2 billion for infrastructure planning for projects, including the Vermont Transit Corridor bus lane project and Sepulveda Corridor rail project, and construction for projects that include the D Line extension to the Westside. But future funding remains uncertain amid questions over how tariffs and inflation will affect the economy, as well as state and federal investments. 'As we look ahead to major events like the 2026 World Cup and the 2028 Olympics, we know we'll have to make some tough decisions. But we'll always use our core values to guide us,' Metro finance, budget and audit committee chair Tim Sandoval said Thursday. The budget will be presented to the full Metro board next week. The agency is facing 'a deficit of $2.3 billion through 2030,' Metro CEO Stephanie Wiggins warned state leaders earlier this year. In a March letter to Senate Pro Tempore Mike McGuire (D-North Coast), Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas (D-Hollister), state Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) and state Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel (D-Encino), Wiggins said that while the transit agency is at 90% of pre-pandemic ridership numbers after a dip and has exceeded 2019 passenger numbers on Sundays, Metro still faces significant financial challenges. She advocated for the state to include a $2-billion request in its budget for transit operations equitably distributed among state agencies. Gov. Gavin Newsom's budget revision on Wednesday did not include the request, ignoring transit and safe streets activists who have warned that the absence of those funds could cause service cuts for a number of public transit agencies throughout the state, including Metrolink. 'Public transportation is vital for jobs, for the health of our economy, and our goal is to ensure that everybody is able to get to where they need to go — from work to school to play — and we believe that the state has to play a role in ensuring that,' said Eli Lipmen of Move LA. 'The operations and maintenance of our system are also critical because the No. 1 issue for transit riders is reliability.' Lipmen's organization was one of several that hung banners from freeway overpasses throughout the state this week calling on Newsom to 'fund transit.' The state recently sued the Trump administration over its policy to deny billions of dollars in transportation grants if California didn't follow the federal government's plan for immigration enforcement. Lipmen supported the action but said the suit would affect only capital programs and that the state still needs to increase funds for transit operations. The state budget proposal, which is still subject to change, did make a significant revision from January by pulling $17.6 million from the state's highway fund toward Olympics and Paralympics planning. The funding singled out Metro's Games Route Network, which would designate a series of roads for travel by athletes, media, officials, the International Olympics Committee, spectators and workers. Critical parts of Metro's Olympics plans are yet to be nailed down. The agency has yet to confirm $2 billion in funds to lease nearly 3,000 buses, which are integral to Los Angeles' transit-first goal for the Games. The financial crisis affecting the city of Los Angeles, which has a separate budget from Metro, could also jeopardize plans ahead of 2028 as several transit and infrastructure agencies face cutbacks and layoffs. The top leader for the Los Angeles Department of Transportation, for example, warned that cuts would affect support for major rail and bus lane projects ahead of the 2028 Olympics, in addition to parking enforcement, traffic signal updates and goals to improve traffic safety. Streets LA and the Bureau for Engineering — departments responsible for street and bridge repairs — are also facing significant cuts.
