Local Officials: Too Early to Tell How Much Pasadena and LA County Could Get From $1 Trillion Infrastructure Bill

Local officials cannot yet say how much Pasadena and Los Angeles County could be getting from the federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which seeks to provide $1 trillion worth of allocations to revamp America’s infrastructure.

On Tuesday, the U.S. Senate, voting 69-30, passed the bill, which prioritizes funding to enhance the country’s roads, bridges, highways as well as water and broadband infrastructure, among others.

The legislation still must be passed by the House of Representatives before it becomes law.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi earlier said the House of Representatives will not take up the bill until the Senate passes a separate $3.5 trillion bill that includes provisions to fight climate change and boost domestic spending on health care and child care.

According to California State Senator Anthony Portantino, the bill, once passed, “will significantly improve the infrastructure and economic growth in California.”

Portantino said under the bill, California is expected to be getting $9.45 billion for over five years to improve public transportation options across the state and $384 million for over five years to support the expansion of an EV charging network and the opportunity to apply for the $2.5 billion in grant funding dedicated to EV charging in the bill.

Portantino said the state will also receive a minimum allocation of $100 million to improve broadband coverage across the state; $84 million over five years to protect against wildfires and a $3.5 billion national investment in weatherization to reduce energy costs for families.

The state is also set to receive $3.5 billion for over five years to improve water infrastructure and  $1.5 billion for infrastructure development for airports for over five years, according to Portantino.

Portantino said in the coming months the state will learn more about how the infrastructure bill — which he described as “the largest long-term investment in our infrastructure in nearly a century”  —  will directly impact local communities.

“I look forward to working with the Governor and my colleagues in the Legislature to make our state infrastructure and economy more resilient and sustainable,” Portantino said.

Pasadena Assemblymember Chris Holden said the bill is the right legislation for the times.

“The bipartisan infrastructure bill is exactly what our country needs right now to create jobs and fix our transportation and water systems,” Holden said.

“The potential billions that may come to California would certainly help in our efforts to secure $540 million to extend the Gold Line to Montclair. The extension will connect two large counties and bring much-needed relief to one of the busiest commute corridors in the country, while helping to clean our air and curtail climate change effects. As negotiations continue in Sacramento, we will keep an eye on the infrastructure bill in Washington DC. ”

Michelle Vega, Assistant Chief Deputy Communications Director for LA County 5th District Supervisor Kathryn Barger said it is premature for local officials to make any assessment of how much money the county would get as a result of the final bill, saying there is a chance that there will be changes in the allocation.

Echoing Vega, Jason Maruca, Barger’s Assistant Field Deputy said: “We don’t know what that would be to LA county yet because the bill hasn’t passed through the House of Representatives.”

Pasadena City Finance Director Matt Hawkesworth said the bill does not identify money for specific projects.

“It sounds like the funding will be awarded on a competitive basis. This bill in its current form does not contain any earmarks, so there is no funding directly for Pasadena projects,” Hawkesworth said.

However, Hawkesworth also said “the bill is a positive thing from a transportation, clean water and power grid improvements side, in terms of things that may directly relate to Pasadena.”