Build L.A. Transit Now

Hi Erin,

I'm from Los Angeles (I grew up in Culver City), and I love Los Angeles. But I hate the traffic, and I hate the smog.

That's why I'm so psyched about a plan to blitz L.A. with public transportation projects: completing 12 new subway and other transit projects in the next 10 years, creating 165,000 jobs in the process.

We've already set aside the money for these projects, but we need some help upfront to get them built. Can you join me in calling on Sen. Boxer to give L.A. a loan so we can build transit now?

Last fall, Angelenos agreed to fund these 12 projects with Measure R. But unless we get a little help now, building these 12 projects could take 30 years! I think we all agree it would be better to create those jobs now, when we need them most. That's why we are calling on Congress to give Los Angeles a loan, that we will pay back in full over time with Measure R funds.

I think this plan is not only exciting and bold, it's also fiscally sound. After all, we've already decided to fund these projects and have a dedicated revenue stream.

But the benefits of moving quickly are huge: Besides creating a large number of jobs just as we need them most, we'll actually save a lot of money -- an estimated $3.7 billion -- by building the light rail and subway lines sooner. That's because construction costs are much cheaper now than they will be in 20 years.

Not only that, but we'll see cuts in traffic and pollution -- within a decade. Los Angeles residents can reduce our time on the road by 208 million miles per year, reducing congestion and pollution.

This plan makes sense. Sen. Boxer can help get us the loan to start building, and we're making sure she gets the message. Can you sign our letter to Sen. Boxer?

http://www.calpirg.org/action/transit/build-la-transit-now?id4=ES

Sincerely,

Emily Rusch
CALPIRG State Director
action@calpirg.org
http://www.CALPIRG.org