California Forward (CA FWD) is thrilled to release a report detailing a set of immediate- and medium-term actions to accelerate the delivery of up to $180 billion worth of infrastructure projects to promote equity, environmental sustainability and economic growth in the state.
This release is a major work product of Antonio Villaraigosa’s time as Infrastructure Advisor for the state of California. It is the culmination of a partnership between Governor Newsom’s office, former Los Angeles Mayor Villaraigosa, CA FWD and the Boston Consulting Group, a strategic advisor on delivering new infrastructure ecosystems, who helped support the production of the report.
Through a series of regional meetings in late 2022, over 1,000 Californians from across sectors and industries provided feedback on regions-focused infrastructure spending. With California set to receive an estimated $120 billion in anticipated federal and state infrastructure funds, the state faces an unprecedented moment to leverage that funding into an additional $60 billion and accelerate project delivery.
“California has a once-in-a-generation opportunity to rebuild our infrastructure thanks to up to $180 billion going to infrastructure projects across our state over the next decade,” said Governor Newsom. “These projects will power our homes with clean energy, transform our water delivery and storage system and ensure safe drinking water, rebuild our roads and highways and boost our transit options. Thanks to Mayor Villaraigosa and California Forward, this report will help guide our efforts as a state for how we leverage unprecedented infrastructure funding so we can deliver results for all Californians.”
“The recommendations are the result of meeting with Californians from all walks of life—elected officials from around the state and heads of major transportation agencies but also community leaders and members,” said Mr. Villaraigosa. “Centering community and advancing equity is essential in this work, as is promoting environmental sustainability and expanding economic opportunity for all.”
“We have a remarkable opportunity to improve California’s infrastructure planning and delivery–and to make sure infrastructure projects are built better, faster and with greater transparency,” said Micah Weinberg, CEO of CA FWD. “We look forward to working with the administration to bring community voices forward as the planning for this historic investment gets underway.”
The final report—developed in partnership with CA FWD, Mr. Villaraigosa and the Boston Consulting Group—outlines recommended action steps, the critical roles that different sectors can take and how these improvements can create an estimated 400,000 construction jobs.
Contact: Sarah Walsh sarah@cafwd.org, 661-332-5999
