Letter to Mario Diaz-Balart, Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, and David Price, Ranking Member of the House Appropriations Committee - Transportation Funding

Letter

Dear Chairman Diaz-Balart and Ranking Member Price:

We are writing to request that funding be included in the Fiscal Year (FY) 2016 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development appropriations bill for Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority's (Metro) three New Starts projects: the Regional Connector, the Westside Subway Extension Section 1, and the Westside Subway Extension Section 2. Specifically, we ask that the Subcommittee provide funding for the three projects at the President's FY2016 Budget request amount of $115 million for the Regional Connector, $115 million for the Westside Subway Extension (Section 1) and $100 million for the Westside Subway Extension (Section 2). This level of funding is consistent with two existing Full Funding Grant Agreements and the expected Westside Subway Extension Section 2 Full Funding Grant Agreement slated to be executed in FY2016.

Over the last several decades, the residents of Los Angeles County have made a strong financial commitment to the development of improved transportation by voting for local sales tax referendums. Most recently, in 2008, Los Angeles County voters overwhelmingly backed Measure R. This half-cent sales tax will produce over $35 billion for investment in transportation projects over a 30-year period. The Westside Subway Extension and Regional Connector projects are among the first transit projects that will be financed with a combination of Measure R funds and Federal New Starts funds.

Metro's New Starts projects are a critical part of efforts to improve mobility for Los Angeles County's ten million residents. We appreciate the subcommittee's longstanding leadership in appropriating federal funds for transit projects in Los Angeles County and across the nation.

Sincerely,
Rep. Karen Bass
Rep. Xavier Becerra
Rep. Ted Lieu
Rep. Adam Schiff
Rep. Janice Hahn
Rep. Linda Sánchez