On Board With… California State Assemblymember Laura Friedman (D-Glendale)
Laura Friedman was elected to the California State Assembly in November 2016 to represent the 43rd Assembly District, which encompasses the cities of Burbank, Glendale, and La Cañada Flintridge, as well as the communities of La Crescenta and Montrose, and the Los Angeles neighborhoods of Atwater Village, Beachwood Canyon, Los Feliz, East Hollywood, Franklin Hills, and Silver Lake. Her legislative work has focused on three primary areas: addressing the housing affordability and homelessness crisis, combating climate change, and protecting vulnerable communities. In her time in the Legislature, Assemblymember Friedman has served in several leadership roles, including as Chair of the Assembly Natural Resources Committee, Assistant Speaker pro Tempore for the Assembly, Chair of the Assembly Select Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, and Chair of the Joint Rules Subcommittee on Sexual Harassment Prevention and Response where she’s led a historic bicameral and bipartisan reform of the legislature’s response to sexual harassment that’s become a model for other states and local governments to follow.
Long recognized as a steadfast advocate for the environment, sustainable communities, and active transportation, in 2020 she was appointed to serve as the Chair for the Assembly Committee on Transportation. The Committee’s broad scope covers high-speed rail, California’s thousands of miles of roadways and transportation infrastructure, freight and regional transportation agencies, mobile sources of air pollution, fuels, mass transit, vehicles, aircraft, bicycles and pedestrian facilities, and vessels, as well as the California Department of Transportation and the Department of Motor Vehicles. As she steps into the role of Chair of the Assembly Transportation Committee, Assemblymember Friedman has signaled her support for investing in mass transit, bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure, and zero-emission vehicles; and, improving road safety and transportation sustainability.
Transit California:
You were once a film and television executive and producer and later owned a web-based small business. What prompted you to first enter politics as a member of the Glendale City Council?
Assemblymember Friedman:
My entry into politics happened very organically. Even when I was in the film and television industry, I was very interested in architecture and historic preservation. Over the years I had become increasingly involved in that area, advocating to preserve various historic sites within Glendale and Los Angeles through organizations such as the Glendale Historical Society and the Los Angeles Conservancy’s Modern Committee. This led me to being appointed to the Glendale Design Review Board, where I served for three terms.
When I first joined that Board, I had no plans to seek elected office. However, through that work I began to learn how historic preservation and planning were tied to nearly every other issue within the city. As I continued to learn about policy, including transportation, public safety, and economic development, I was inspired to run for Glendale City Council and won. I served on the Council as a Mayor and Councilmember for seven years, until I was elected to the State Assembly in 2016.
Transit California:
You have spent your time in the Legislature focused on addressing the housing affordability and homelessness crisis, combating climate change, and protecting vulnerable communities. What role do you see public transit playing in supporting and ultimately achieving those priorities and policies?
Assemblymember Friedman:
Public transportation plays a huge role in all of these issues - it’s inextricably linked to all of the other facets of our lives. We’re seeing a lot less progress in the transportation sector than we are in many other policy areas. Our transportation system continues to increase our net carbon emissions, interfere with the creation of affordable housing, and its extraordinarily unjust to vulnerable communities.
A key component of public transit is equity. We have to give people options so transportation is not just affordable, but also adds to resident’s quality of life. Doing the bare minimum keeps a lot of people back economically. Access to transportation can be the difference between someone working and not working. Waiting for the bus can be dangerous and unpleasant. Large transportation systems have divided communities from each other and from amenities, such as parks. It is often difficult for people in urban cores to reach recreational areas and green space. It’s incredibly important that we listen to the voices of vulnerable communities and address their needs. Road safety is also integral. In LA County, traffic accidents are the leading cause of death in children, and this is especially true in communities of color. We need to focus more on safety, and on how our transportation systems impact people’s everyday experiences with their communities.
LA was deemed the least affordable city in the United States, and the costs of maintaining and owning a car is a substantial part of that. Adequate public transit can reduce the cost of living for millions of Californians. It can also reduce time spent commuting. Reducing the space taken by parking will leave more room for housing and green spaces.
It’s impossible to disentangle our transportation challenges from our housing challenges. Existing residents often oppose new housing based on impacts to traffic and parking. Providing robust transit and alternative mobility options are the answer to that concern. Increased density reduces sprawl and allows for the presentation of open space. It also drastically reduced transit-related greenhouse gas emissions.
So, all of these issues are absolutely linked, and forward-thinking transportation policy should be thought of as part of our climate and environmental goals.
Transit California:
The success of transit service is highly dependent on factors outside of a transit agency’s control – e.g. local land-use decisions, pricing, and congestion. What types of changes to state law could we make to recognize that reality and to actually support transit’s success?
Assemblymember Friedman:
We have to start realizing that transit works best when we use land in a way that makes transit useful. We know that sprawl makes it hard to have good public transit options and is bad for the environment. If we have more density, it makes it easier for transportation to function and be a positive part of our lives. I think it is important for us to point out that people are already making big sacrifices in our current system. By limiting our mobility options we’re increasing gridlock on our streets and freeways, reducing our clean air, losing green space to roads and parking lots, and dealing with dramatically decreased road safety. So I think we need to draw these nexuses so people know what is at stake.
In the past we’ve put housing in one silo, transportation in another, and climate policy in another. We really need to start drawing the connections and thinking of these issues holistically.
Transit California:
When the global pandemic mitigation restrictions took effect in California in March of 2020, public transit ridership plummeted. Today, agencies continue to struggle to survive with ridership losses of up to 90 percent in some locations. While the federal relief has been a lifeline, it is not enough to combat the dramatic shift in ridership and funding tied to local economies. What, if any, emergency funding relief do you foresee coming from the state? As well, transit advocates worked with the legislature and the Governor’s Administration in 2020 to secure short-term, statutory relief for certain costs transit agencies would otherwise bear, as well as flexibility in spending some transit funding sources to better target maintenance of vital services; do you anticipate a willingness to continue those measures into the upcoming fiscal year?
Assemblymember Friedman:
Unfortunately, most of the revenue lost is from local sources and allocated by local utilization and need, via the sales tax. So with a decline in the sales tax base and transportation shortfalls, there is very little state revenue available. SB 1 provides about $364 million, which is a small amount for most transit agencies that deal with budgets in the billions. With the latest federal COVID relief package, we’re on track to receive $2 billion, but that money is only going to last a few months.
Because the state isn’t the largest provider of transit funding, and we are constitutionally required to balance the budget, we don’t have many ways we can come up with more money. It’s primarily a local and federal funding issue.
The best thing we can do is work with our federal delegation on a third stimulus package. However, I think there is a lot of willingness to extend statutory relief, and that is a conversation we are having.
Transit California:
You have stated that you believe California needs to move away from car dependency and address traffic congestion in a more meaningful way. In your opinion, what changes to public transit are necessary to really make this transition possible? And perhaps more importantly, how might our readers inspire federal, state, and local policymakers to support transit more fully?
Assemblymember Friedman:
The lack of support for public transit in our state comes from decades of designing our cities to be completely car dependent. We need to prove to Californians that public transit can work for them. We need to put forward working examples of public transit that they can conveniently use in their daily lives that provide a better alternative - an experience that is convenient, pleasant, safe, reliable and fast. If we don't do that, our transit systems will fail.
Over the last few years, I’ve been proposing that we shift a portion of the high-speed rail funding from the Central Valley in order to fund rail projects in the LA Metro and Bay areas, so that we can get a faster and more reliable rail system in our state’s major population and job centers. The goal of this proposal is to show to Californians that rail works. Once we increase ridership in our population centers, I believe the population will support completing the high-speed rail system as originally proposed.
Transit California:
Increasing mobility options, and enhancing pedestrian and cyclist safety are all part of your focus to address California’s antiquated street engineering and its prioritization of cars. Last month you introduced AB 43, which was informed through the findings of the Zero Traffic Fatalities Task Force, to change the way California sets speed limits. How did the Zero Traffic Fatalities Task Force come to its conclusions, and to what ends do you see AB 43 furthering your quest to ensure a safer transportation system?
Assemblymember Friedman:
My bill, AB 43, is part of a larger policy agenda that is Vision Zero. It is by no means a silver bullet, but we have to figure out how to reduce speeds and make our cities safe environments for pedestrians and active transportation users. Right now, our streets are too dangerous for those who want to make active transportation a part of their lives. Over the years we have let cars go faster and faster, without considering the safety of pedestrians, cyclists, and others that use those same roadways. So while it won’t solve the problem, reducing speeds and developing safer infrastructure is going to reduce a serious barrier that has hampered our progress in this crucial realm of transit policy.
Transit California:
In the post-pandemic era, what types of operational improvements would you like public transit agencies to make to better serve customers and attract new riders?
Assemblymember Friedman:
It’s important our communities invest in infrastructure, such as dedicated bus lanes and rail, to increase transit ridership and make it more efficient and faster. We need to make transit a better option for people by investing in safety, comfort, convenience, and reliability. If people have better options, they’ll take them.
Transit California:
What other policy goals will you be pursuing as the new Chair of the Assembly Transportation Committee, that we didn’t already cover?
Assemblymember Friedman:
My goal is to make California’s transportation policies as progressive and aspirational as our climate policies, and to link those policies together more clearly in the minds of the public and policy makers. I believe we can push the envelope and make our state a world leader in transportation, like we have done in so many other sectors. I want to focus our work on road safety for all users of the road, particularly pedestrians and cyclists, on increasing mass and active transportation options, on the integration of transportation with housing and job center density, and addressing all of this through the lens of equity and justice.
We need to listen to our diverse communities to better understand what they need from our public transportation, what they need out of street safety, and we need to involve them in every aspect of the mobility conversation.
As Chair, my ultimate goal is to broaden the conversation and bring all communities, experiences, and interests to the table so that we have a system that uplifts, invests, and meets the needs of all Californians.
Transit California:
The California Transit Association staff and members appreciate the support that you have demonstrated and look forward to working with you in your new transportation leadership role. Transit California readers can learn more about California State Assemblymember Laura Friedman at her website.