Statement from Senator Wiener on Transportation Funding Deal Announcement

Sacramento –  Today, Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) released the following statement after the announcement of a proposed deal on transportation funding by Governor Jerry Brown, Senate President Pro Tem Kevin De Leon, and Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon:

"To meet our climate goals, reduce the gridlock on our roads and highways, and grow our economy, California must have a robust and expansive public transportation system. We can no longer afford to ignore our crumbling and limited public transportation infrastructure, and that’s why I made it clear that I wanted to see more funding for public transportation in whatever package moves forward.

"The package announced today is a better deal for public transportation - almost tripling guaranteed public transit investment compared to the original proposal, to almost $800 million- and I’m happy to support it. Yet, this package is only the beginning of our public transit funding efforts. I will continue to pursue efforts to increase public transportation funding, including my Senate Constitution Amendment 6 to lower the voting threshold for local transportation measures to 55%. I want to thank Senator Jim Beall and Assemblymember Jim Frazier for leading on this issue, as well as the leadership in both houses of the Legislature. I look forward to continuing to work with my colleagues in the Senate and Assembly to ensure that we move this package forward."

Previous Statements from Senator Wiener on the need for more public transportation funding:

Sacramento Bee op-ed by Senator Wiener and Senator Ben Allen: California’s transportation funding package must do more for public transit  (1/30/17)

Senator Wiener on the need for more public transportation funding in Transportation and Housing Committee (1/25/17) (VIDEO)