My New Opportunity

I’m very excited to announce that last week I was appointed by Speaker Anthony Rendon to serve as the chair of the assembly Transportation Committee.
I am grateful for this new leadership opportunity and understand the great responsibility that goes with it.

This committee has jurisdiction over the California High-Speed Rail Authority, California Highway Patrol, California Transportation Commission, Dept. of Motor Vehicles, Dept. of Transportation (Caltrans), driver’s licenses, freight, regional transportation agencies, transit authorities, intercity rail, mobile sources of air pollution, fuels, rules of the road, state highways, local streets and roads, vehicles, aircraft, bicycle and pedestrian facilities, and vessels. The work of this committee has a huge impact on our state’s economy, our environment, housing and way of life.

Since being elected in 2016, I’ve served on this committee where I’ve worked on a number of transportation bills including measures to change the way we set speed limits, change how we invest in high-speed rail, prioritize transit and active transportation, and address the environmental impacts of the transportation sector.

I’ll admit, working on those measures hasn’t been easy. Now that I have the opportunity to serve as chair, the momentum has shifted and I plan to tackle these issues and more.

We are at a pivotal moment when it comes to transportation. Transportation-related emissions are on the rise and are one of the state’s largest contributors to climate change. Pedestrians and cyclists are endangered and killed because of outdated street engineering and our prioritization of cars. We need to make smart, significant investments in mass transit to relieve congestion and improve mobility options. The world during and after this pandemic is going to be very different, and we need to be ready for that.

As most of you know, I’ve been very passionate about these issues over the years. I’ve secured millions of dollars to fund transportation projects in our district, including $20 million for the Glendale Narrows Riverwalk Bridge. I’ve enjoyed hosting conversations across our district about the future of transportation. In addition, I’ve been working for years to revise the 85th percentile rule, which determines how speed limits are set across the state, an effort that has met a lot of opposition in Sacramento.

This effort includes my bill that created a Zero Traffic Fatalities Task Force to review this methodology and other factors leading to traffic fatalities. The task force concluded and released its policy recommendations in 2019. Last week, I introduced AB 43 to implement their findings.

Right here at home, we can see the impacts and, to be candid, sometimes failures, of statewide transportation policies. Our district is home to several major freeways, interstates, and highways including the 210, 2, 134, 5 and 101. Yet almost no one in our district has convenient or practical access to mass transit. We have an amazing collection of parks and green spaces, wildlands nestled in urban centers, and yet our active transit corridors are disjointed. To travel on a bicycle between the north of our district, the Crescenta Valley, to the southern end, containing Griffith Park and Los Angeles, the journey would be confusing and often perilous.

The lives of many residents of the 43rd Assembly District are tied to their cars. That dependence brings increased emissions and dramatic impacts on the air we breathe. I believe we can do better – and be happier and healthier as a result.
I am also concerned about how we invest taxpayer dollars in transportation projects. I don’t think I need to remind too many La Crescenta or La Cañada Flintridge residents about the frustrating, behind-schedule and over-budget 210 Freeway project; or the disruptive, mismanaged and over-budget I-5 freeway expansion in Burbank.
We need to be smarter about how we spend taxpayer money. Our transportation projects need to be better conceived and better managed. As stewards of public funds, we should work every day to ensure our investments take into account the holistic needs of our community. As Transportation chair, I will now be in a position to impact these projects, and to fight for a better future for mobility in our region.

As chair, I will work to influence the committee’s efforts away from our focus on freeway and road expansions and towards forward-thinking policies such as investing in mass transit, bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure, zero-emission vehicles, road safety and sustainability. I will focus on policies that consider the needs of all Californians, and work for more equitable access to mobility while fighting to get our transportation sector on the right track with key climate targets.

It is an exciting new adventure and an opportunity to continue the work we have done over the years in a new space. I look forward to getting right to work and collaborating with you to help make our state safer, more sustainable, and equitable for all Californians.

What do you think about our transportation needs in our district? Do you have any suggestions, including legislative ideas? As always, please reach out to me with any comments, questions or concerns through my District Office at (818) 558-3043 or Assemblymember.Friedman@Assembly.ca.gov.

Laura Friedman represents Burbank, Glendale, La Cañada Flintridge, La Crescenta, Montrose, and the Los Angeles neighborhoods of Atwater Village, East Hollywood, Franklin Hills, Hollywood Hills, Los Feliz, and Silver Lake.