Washington Post’s Harold Meyerson applaud’s America Fast Forward’s job creation efforts

In an August 2nd editorial for the Washington Post, Harold Meyerson highlights Los Angeles’s innovative approach to job creation and congestion reduction.   He goes on to point out that Metro’s labor agreement sets aside half of apprenticeships for veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan and residents of low-income Zip codes: exactly the innovative job creation approach America needs.

A big week for America Fast Forward

Two key decisions happened this week:

1. On Thursday, the Metro Los Angeles Board voted to place Measure R+ on the November ballot in Los Angeles County. The California State Senate and Governor Brown still need to affirm the same, but this is a critical step in extending the Measure R 0.5% sales tax until 2069. Read more at la.streetsblog.org
2. Today (Friday), the U.S. Congress passed a two-year transportation bill. While this bill leaves a lot to be desired for walking and biking, it expands the Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (TIFIA), which Los Angeles Metro can use to accelerate Measure R projects.   According to Metro’s staff report, Metro the TIFIA expansion allows Metro to obtain 49% of project funding at 2.73%.  The expansion also allows 35-year loans, so extending Measure R beyond 2039 gives Metro more tax receipts to borrow against.

The combination of these two events means that Los Angeles is well on its way to building 30 years worth of transit by 2022.  Even if Measure R+ doesn’t pass in November, TIFIA means project acceleration.  However, Measure R+ will mean more projects accelerated, and the potential for additional projects not in the original Measure R expenditure plan.

The Mayor

When the Mayor and his staff in city hall say that nothing is off the table when it comes to accelerating project development and construction for the transit projects funded by the Measure R sales tax, they aren

WeHo News: Subway Loan Moves Forward

U.S. Senators Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein issued a joint press release on July 6 announcing that the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) was taking a major step

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa Applauds Federal Legislators for Moving America Fast Forward

Today, thanks to the hard work of Senator Boxer, Chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee and our leading champion of America Fast Forward, along with Senators Inhofe, Baucus and Vitter we got a first look at the draft legislation to reauthorize our federal transportation programs. And it’s great news for our transportation infrastructure nationwide. This bipartisan announcement will help cities across the country leverage their limited local funds with federal dollars and create the jobs we need to literally build our way out of the recession.

MinnPost looks at whether America Fast Forward will work in Minnesota

Along with the federal government’s final blessing upon the Central Corridor light rail project at a spirited ceremony on Tuesday came a nagging sense of ambivalence.

Streetsblog: Boxer Tests Out

The Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works discusses America Fast Forward and indexing the federal gas tax to inflation to make up the growing deficit in the transportation Trust Fund..

AFL-CIO Announces Support for America Fast Forward

AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka says that a new transportation and jobs infrastructure plan

Human Transit – Transit acceleration campaign goes national

For over a year now, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa has been spearheading a “30/10″ initiative, designed to accelerate the construction a range of urgently needed transit projects (mostly rail transit lines).

KPCC Discusses America Fast Forward

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa continues to pitch his proposal for federal help with transportation loans. The mayor has enlisted support from his compadres from cities around the country.

Mayor Villaraigosa says more than 75 mayors have signed on to the effort he calls