State Infrastructure Adviser Outlines Ways to Speed Projects

By
CalChamber
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Antonio Villaraigosa
State Infrastructure Adviser Antonio Villaraigosa, former mayor of Los Angeles and Assembly speaker, explains to the CalChamber Board of Directors on December 9 what he is suggesting the state do to speed construction of essential infrastructure projects. Strategies that worked when he was mayor and with potential to work well at the state level, he says, include cutting through red tape to streamline permitting, forming “strike teams” so state agencies work together and don’t operate in silos, persuading federal officials to allow state and U.S. environmental review processes to take place concurrently, making use of alternative delivery methods and public-private partnerships, and gaining access to the low-cost federal loans available.