In 1992, Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard became the first Mexican-American woman elected to Congress. She has distinguished herself throughout her 30-year congressional career as a dedicated advocate for the dignity and well-being of all Americans. The congresswoman is the first Latina to serve on the Appropriations Committee in the House of Representatives as well as the first Latina to serve as one of the 12 “Cardinals,” or Chairs, of a House Appropriations Subcommittee. She is the first woman to chair the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and the first woman to chair the California Democratic congressional delegation. She is a founding co-chair of the Congressional Caucus on Maternity Care, founder of the Women’s Working Group on Immigration Reform and a co-founder of the Congressional Public Health Caucus.
As a native Angelena, I am well aware that the effective and efficient movement of people and goods is a never-ending challenge for our local communities. Cars, buses, and expanding light rail and subway lines have all played important roles in keeping LA on the move. However, we see every day that these traditional modes of transportation strain to meet our intense local demand. As a member of the House Appropriations Committee, I work not only to ensure new and innovative national transportation and safety programs are funded, but also to ensure our state and local communities receive their fair share of federal infrastructure resources.
I have worked closely with our local transportation stakeholders to grow our rail transit system, and I was proud to have shepherded the federal effort to build the Edward R. Roybal Metro Gold Line Eastside Extension. I am continuing to work with local partners to reduce congestion, increase mobility, protect our air quality, and improve the efficient movement of goods throughout our region. We hope to achieve these goals by further expanding our transit systems; rehabilitating our freeways; repairing and maintaining our aging infrastructure; and ensuring cleaner-burning trucks and ships at our ports.
As we address our future transportation needs, we must continue to think “outside the box” and look at alternative means of transportation. That is one reason why I have been an early and ardent supporter of efforts to restore the historic Red Car to downtown Los Angeles. I believe a Red Car circulator that connects both ends of downtown can provide efficient and effective downtown transportation to workers, residents, and tourists.
Pursuing alternative modes of transportation and alternative fuel sources is all the more pressing as the nation grapples with the reality of climate change and the uncertain future of fossil fuels. I will continue to work with congressional leaders to address our critical infrastructure needs in a fair and balanced manner.