Second Mobility 21 Transportation Summit Highlights

MTA, L.A. Area Chamber of Commerce and the Auto Club Call for United Effort To Find Solutions to Region's Transportation Problems

LOS ANGELES, Nov. 17 -- Los Angeles' second annual Mobility 21: LA County Moving Together transportation summit concluded with key leaders urging support for efforts to secure local, state and federal funds for transportation improvements for the region. Sponsored by the MTA and the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce, in partnership with the Auto Club of Southern California, Mobility 21 was held Nov. 17 at the Westin Bonaventure Hotel in downtown Los Angeles.

Mobility 21 brought together a countywide group of elected officials, transportation providers, business, labor, community and academic leaders to develop practical solutions to the county's transportation issues.

"The need to work together to tackle our very challenging traffic problems has never been greater," said Zev Yaroslavsky, Los Angeles County Supervisor and MTA Board Chairman. "Traffic congestion affects our economy, our environment and ultimately our quality of life. We need adequate funding from the federal government and Sacramento if we are to build the public transit and highway system needed to address these problems."

In addition to two general sessions, Mobility 21 included seven breakout sessions that produced a series of recommendations on issues including freight movement, airport ground access, infill development and land use, NIMBYism, project delivery, funding opportunities and building partnerships to develop a countywide transit network (see attached list of recommendations).

"It is important that we continue the momentum achieved by Mobility 21 to keep up the pressure in Sacramento and Washington to protect and preserve transportation funding," said MTA CEO Roger Snoble.

In addition to the MTA, L.A. Area Chamber of Commerce and the Auto Club, participating organizations and sponsors included the URS Corporation, The Gas Company, Caltrans, Golden State Gateway Coalition, Carter & Burgess, Laidlaw Education Services, Mercury Air Group, the Port of Long Beach, Southwest Airlines, the fifteen L.A. county municipal transit operators, Alameda Corridor Transportation Authority and others.

Speaking on behalf of Los Angeles Chamber President Rusty Hammer, David Abel, chair of the chamber's transportation, water and infrastructure committee stressed the importance of the private and public sector working together to tackle these issues.

"We have been working throughout the year to ensure that Los Angeles receives our fair share of transportation funds. We need our message to leaders in Washington D.C. and Sacramento to be loud, clear and unified. We also need to take control of in our own hands and explore local solutions that can help address our challenges," said Abel.

Stephen Levy, senior vice president of public affairs and legal for the Automobile Club of Southern California remarked, "Today, improvements to Southern California's transportation system are not keeping pace with growth in population, travel, economic activity and trade. Clearly, things need to change. And, with stronger leadership, better decisions, and wiser use of limited funds, our transportation future can be different."

The opening and closing sessions included addresses by several speakers including Jim Parker, CEO of Southwest Airlines, MTA CEO Roger Snoble, Stephen Lenzi, senior vice president of public affairs and legal for the Automobile Club of Southern California, David Abel, chair of the Chamber Transportation, Water and Infrastructure Committee, MTA Board Chair and Los Angeles County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky and Congressman Earl Blumenauer.

In addition the luncheon featured a panel discussion with elected officials including Los Angeles County Supervisor Mike Antonovich, Assemblymember Judy Chu, Sierra Madre Mayor Bart Doyle, San Gabriel Valley Council of Governments, State Senator Kevin Murray, Assemblymember Fran Pavley, Redondo Beach Councilmember John Parsons, South Bay Council of Governments, Westlake Village Councilmember Mark Rutherford, Las Virgenes-Malibu Council of Governments, and Los Angeles City Councilmembers Greig Smith and Bernard Parks. The session was moderated by Jon Beaupre, award-winning radio journalist and Cal State University, Los Angeles professor.

Breakout session topics included NIMBYs (Not In My Backyard) and building support for projects, creative local funding ideas, cutting red tape for faster project delivery, balancing growth and development, building transit through partnerships, getting to and from the airport and freight movement.

Moderators for the breakout sessions included Julie Bornstein, director of the Keston Infrastructure Institute at the University of Southern California; Arthur Bauer, principal of Arthur Bauer & Associates, a Sacramento-based consulting firm; Martha Welborne, managing director, Grand Avenue Committee; Geoffrey Yarema, partner, Nossaman, Guthner, Knox & Elliot; Dr. Fernando Guerra, director of the Center for the Study of Los Angeles, Loyola Marymount University; Tom Gilmore, president, Gilmore Associates; Donald Brackenbush, Goodell Brackenbush and Beatrice Proo, Pico Rivera mayor and MTA board member.

Urban Partners was named as the recipient of the 2003 Julian Dixon Award for their work focusing on the development of residential and mixed-use projects in urban and highly populated areas of California. The firm led projects including developments along the region's transit corridors including large apartment complexes at the Del Mar Light Union Station in Pasadena and at the Wilshire/Vermont subway station.

The summit also included an awards ceremony to recognize the winners of the Mobility 21 student contest. Los Angeles County elementary, middle and high school students were asked to draw or write about their vision of what Los Angeles County will look like in the future. The winners each received a savings bond as well as a donation for books to their school library.

Mobility 21 executive co-chairs include Congressman David Dreier, Los Angeles Mayor and MTA Board Member James Hahn, Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce President and Board Chairman George Kieffer, Congresswoman Juanita Milliender-McDonald, Senator Kevin Murray, chair, California State Senate Transportation Committee, Lancaster Mayor and MTA Board Member Frank Roberts, Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard and Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors and MTA Board Chair Zev Yaroslavsky.

                DESCRIPTION OF MOBILITY 21 RECOMMENDATIONS

                              Nov. 17, 2003

  Planning for Freight Movement

Endorses countywide freight action plan to provide consistent policy on freight movement; identifies freight movement strategies to minimize impact of freight growth; sets priorities for project development and seeks additional sources of revenue.

Improving Ground Access to Airports

Supports public/private partnerships to identify cost effective solutions to meet ground access needs and seeks increased, flexible funding for passenger and cargo ground access improvements, developing marketing strategies to educate the public and heighten awareness of the variety of transportation options available to access the County's airports.

Building Partnerships to Develop a Countywide Transit Network

Urges the MTA Board to place the proposed 1/2 cent transactions and use tax on the ballot in 2004 to fund major transit and highway projects over the next 6 1/2 years; encourages the MTA to take the lead in convening municipalities and the County to work on joint transit and land use planning efforts.

Balancing Growth Through Infill Development that Enhances Communities

Recommends modifications to the California Environmental Quality Act to streamline the environmental review for infill development projects; recommends the state provide incentives from new funding sources to local governments to support smart growth projects.

NIMBYs: Building Support for Public Transportation, Highways and Infrastructure Projects

Recommends legislative or regulatory changes to streamline and speed up project approval processes without eroding effective environmental protections and urges elected officials and transportation agencies to better anticipate and respond to community concerns and provide leadership to shepherd needed projects from concept to completion.

Creative Local Funding Opportunities

Restore transportation resources that have been diverted to other purposes in recent years; explore alternative pricing for new capacity improvements; support $2.7 billion General Obligation bond to repay Proposition 42 loans; explore proposal to create an independent transportation authority and separate fund for deposit of transportation revenues that would not be available to state government for general use.

Cutting Red Tape for Faster Project Delivery

Support state legislation to allow transportation agencies and joint powers authorities more flexibility in contracting and financing without requiring legislative sign-off including design-build contracting and public-private partnerships; support efforts to allow private equity contributions to highway and transit projects financed with tax-exempt debt.