CA Transit Association: On Board With… California State Senator Lena A. Gonzalez (D-Long Beach)

 

 

When you were a member of the Long Beach City Council, did you see yourself taking a Senate seat as quickly as you did in 2019, after Ricardo Lara won his bid for state Insurance Commissioner? Was becoming a member of the California State Senate always a goal for you?

 

In my five years as a Councilwoman, I had amazing experiences getting to know local businesses, community members and the challenges that our city faced. I also had the opportunity to work on policies like digital inclusion, environmental sustainability, park equity, and much more. 

 

I never thought I would have a career in politics, but given my own personal experiences and the experience I gained through work and volunteering, the more I became convinced that I can bring my life lessons to government. You know, I was nineteen years old when I became a mom, and at the same time, I pursued my education at Cal State Long Beach. It was not easy, but it was so worth it. I want other young women and girls to see and believe that they can do the same. 

 

It must have been a whirlwind, taking the June 2019 special election by such a large margin, and immediately being appointed to the (Senate) Judiciary Committee and (joint) Legislative Audit Committee. How would you characterize your first year?

 

It was definitely a whirlwind — in a great way! I had to dive into the work and by all means the Judiciary Committee and Joint Legislative Audit Committee were both huge assignments and no easy task, but I was glad to be a part of critical efforts to ensure agencies are performing well in service to our constituents across the state.

 

Less than a year later, the pandemic was in full force. You were appointed Chair of the Special Committee on Pandemic Emergency Response in May and maintained that role until recently. What perspective and policy priorities did you bring to that position and what was the main focus of the oversight hearings you conducted?

 

Many neighborhoods across my district, unfortunately, have been some of the hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. Families in South and Southeast Los Angeles are predominantly Black and Latinx, low-income families, with about 23 percent of the population living below the poverty line. They are also more likely to be immigrants or refugees, with approximately 90 percent of households speaking a native language other than English and 26 percent without a broadband internet subscription at home. Other families across my district and Californians across the state are facing similar challenges, so it was with this perspective that I stepped into my role in the Special Committee on Pandemic Emergency Response. We had hearings to address equitable access to COVID-19 testing, health and safety protocols at workplaces, skilled nursing facilities and state prisons, adequate PPE supply and hospital capacity, as well as special education services and fast internet connectivity access for students, among other important subjects. 

 

I am proud to share that, as a result of our work in this committee, I have introduced SB 606 for this year’s legislative session. The bill would give the Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) the necessary tools to hold large employers accountable for workplace health and safety violations and strengthen worker protections to encourage workers to report unsafe working conditions and prevent employer retaliation. I have also introduced SB 4, the Broadband for All Act, to help bridge the digital divide as we move toward COVID-19 recovery to support small businesses, students who are learning remotely, and medically fragile patients who need telehealth services. 

 

When the global pandemic mitigation restrictions took effect in California in March of 2020, public transit ridership plummeted. Today agencies continue to struggle with ridership losses of up to 90 percent in some locations, with ridership levels expected to remain depressed until 2023. While our industry is incredibly thankful for the federal relief received to-date, we know it only keeps transit agencies afloat and doesn’t address calls by policymakers and advocates for improving public transit service. How can the Legislature further support transit agencies to deliver improvements to transit service? Are there particular policy priorities you will pursue, as chair of the Senate Transportation Committee, in this area?

 

Public transportation is extremely important, and I believe we should do everything we can to support improvements to transit services. Many low-income communities of color, immigrant communities and essential workers all across the state depend on public transportation to provide for their families. Not to mention, it is a great way for us to move forward in advancing our emissions reductions goals to fight climate change and protect the health of our communities. 

 

My priorities as Senate Transportation Chair include making way for and supporting policies that will help us improve transit services efficiently and responsibly. Especially as we recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, we must help our transit sector, working families, and those in need of high quality and reliable transportation, while at the same time taking care of our planet, protecting air quality, and the health of Californians. 

 

You represent Senate District 33, which encompasses heavy industry and resident populations that are more than two-thirds Hispanic and primarily working class. Your constituents, like all Californians, benefit from the various roles public transit plays in improving air quality, congestion management, expanding opportunity to employment centers, access to healthcare and more. How do we broaden the conversation within Sacramento and in communities across the state, so that public transit is viewed as more than just buses and rail cars and is instead seen as a key partner in the pursuit of a variety of societal goals? 

 

I think we need to uplift the voices of our community as much as we can to help broaden the conversation and to place the real-life impacts of public transit at the front and center of this narrative. At times, we are so focused on the present and we resist change because the current state of things is what we know, but if we pause to dig in deeper and remind ourselves of why this is important, there’s just no way busses and rail cars is all there is to see. There are people’s lives, people’s health and wellbeing at the core of this service. 

 

Improving public transit would be a change, a positive one. Better public transportation could mean one less costly burden for a family trying to get by that cannot afford a car payment, car insurance, and maintenance; it could mean more green space available for parks instead of parking lots and roads; it could mean less traffic congestion and cleaner air to breathe; it could mean a more convenient, less time-consuming way to get around. An accessible and reliable bus or train ride can make the difference in whether a grandmother will decide to make her doctor appointment or whether she has to post-pone it until a family member can take her. It could also be a deciding factor on whether someone can take that new job opportunity they were offered. There are many important aspects of people’s lives influenced by transportation, and good public transit systems can improve people’s quality of life in a multitude of ways, we need to remember that every time we talk about public transit. 

 

As you know, California’s transit agencies are required to convert their bus fleets to zero-emission technologies by 2040. Assembly Majority Leader Eloise Gómez Reyes (D-San Bernardino) introduced legislation to bring the Clean Transportation Program up to date to achieve the state’s new environmental targets. You recently introduced SB 726 to modernize the California Energy Commission’s Clean Transportation Program. Can you tell us a little bit about the bill and how it would impact transit agencies? 

 

The program was developed nearly a decade ago and is in great need for updates. Both Assembly Majority Leader Eloise Gómez Reyes (D-San Bernardino) and I introduced legislation to bring the Clean Transportation Program up to date to achieve the state’s new environmental targets. SB 726 and AB 1389 will reflect clean vehicle technological advancements, align with current clean air and climate goals and move away from reliance on fossil fuel powered vehicles that emit harmful air pollutants.

 

SB 726 will help fund heavy-duty vehicle technology and support the transition of bus fleets to zero-emission in the transit sector. By funding heavy-duty vehicle technologies like infrastructure and zero-emission technologies, California can support the market for these types of buses. 

 

The pandemic for public transit leaders has shined a spotlight on the inequities in our society and to the moral imperative of centering governmental services on the needs of people of color and other vulnerable populations. Public transit has worked to expand equitable outcomes across a variety of metrics by increasing service in areas where riders may not have access to cars, deploying special shuttles to vaccination sites, instituting food delivery services, providing free masks and hand sanitizing stations, and focusing on COVID-19 mitigation education. Some agencies even offered free Wi-fi buses to help students to access their distance learning. As restrictions lift, and services that were reduced (due to rider demand and driver availability) are fully restored, public transit agencies around the state will continue to re-evaluate their services with an eye toward improving equity. Are there particular policies you would encourage transit agencies to pursue? How might our readers share with federal, state, and local policymakers the role transit agencies are playing in creating a more equitable California?

 

I would encourage transit agencies to lean in heavily on community outreach and input for public transit developments and improvements. As I mentioned earlier, so many aspects of people’s lives are influenced by transportation. Public transit is not only critical to many working families — it can actually help people escape poverty and get out of homelessness when they have a reliable form of public transportation to get to work. It can create more access to the outdoors for families that do not have cars to go on a weekend trip to the park. Public transit can make it easier for people to engage in “active transportation”. People are more likely to live healthier, more active lives if they have a feasible option to walk or bike to work with the help of busses or trains that can take them part of the way. Because transit is sometimes the only option available to people, it is critical to make sure it is a good option: safe, reliable and convenient. Transit agencies must take into consideration all of these factors and be in close communication with local communities to help address equity issues. If good transportation exists where people need it most, disadvantaged communities will have greater agency in accessing important resources during times of crisis and there would be less need to invest in temporary solutions to help them access these resources, such as vaccination sites through the COVID-19 pandemic. Community engagement also helps agencies prioritize investments based on what public transit riders truly want and need the most.

 

As the new Senate Transportation Chair, what other policy goals will you be pursuing to improve California’s transportation system? 

 

The ports and goods movement that drives our economy relies on the use of heavy-duty trucks to transport goods all across the state and in fact the nation. With such high volumes of freight traffic on California’s freeways, it is important to implement bold emission reductions policies to improve air quality along those routes. Many people live, work, play or go to school in areas near freeways and now we have the technology to avoid using fossil fuels that contribute heavily to air contamination. We can and we must move in the direction of using greener technology that is available for freight transportation. In addition to emission reductions policies, I also look forward to pursuing legislation such as SB 671 and SB 726. 

 

California freight needs to take swift action to reduce inequitable pollution from freight corridors, and calls to adopt zero emission and alternative-fueled vehicles are moving the State in the right direction. However, in order for these steps to be effective, it is critical to develop strategic, holistic infrastructure planning to support these advancements. SB 671 will address this need and lead to the development of cleaner, better freight across the State by requiring the California Transportation Commission (CTC) and the Air and Resources Board (ARB) to jointly create a Clean Freight Corridor Program. The program will develop clean freight guidelines that can be applied to the five largest freight corridors in California. These assessments will consider alternative fueling infrastructure, road safety and congestion for onboarding cleaner emission freight vehicles, and best practices such as local hiring, among many other factors.

 

SB 726, as mentioned, will revitalize the Clean Transportation Program by prioritizing equity and aligning the program with the state’s current environmental targets. 

 

Transit California:

The California Transit Association staff and members look forward to working with you in your new transportation leadership role. 

 

Transit California readers, learn more about California Senator Lena A. Gonzalez by visiting her website.