White House Advisor Celebrates Infrastructure Improvements in San Diego

Tom Perez, senior advisor and assistant to the President and director of the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs, met with SANDAG, Caltrans, the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority and other officials recently to highlight the Biden-Harris Administration’s investments in major infrastructure projects in the San Diego region.

“I commend the leadership of SANDAG, the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority, and Caltrans for the great work they are doing on the construction of the new Terminal 1 and the LOSSAN rail corridor,” said Perez. “They are modeling how to provide good union jobs and transformational economic opportunity. I am also proud of the collaboration between the city and county under the leadership of County Chairwoman Nora Vargas and Mayor Todd Gloria to maximize the investments made possible by President Biden’s Investing in America agenda.”

Perez visited some of the project sites benefiting from the historic federal funding provided by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the American Rescue Plan and other recent initiatives.

“I’m thrilled to welcome Director Perez in San Diego,” said SANDAG and San Diego County Supervisor Chairwoman Nora Vargas. “His visit is a testament to the regional cooperation and innovation that defines our county. Through the vision and infrastructure investments of the Biden-Harris Administration, we have received unprecedented federal funding to upgrade and modernize our transportation infrastructure here in San Diego. These vital investments, made possible by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, will bolster various transportation enhancements throughout our region, including our projects on the nation’s second-busiest passenger rail corridor, the LOSSAN rail corridor.”

SANDAG recently received funding for a planning study through FRA’s Rail Crossing Elimination program, which was funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. This award will support a planning study to examine eleven rail crossings for separating rail traffic from the street network along the Los-Angeles-San Diego-San Luis Obispo (LOSSAN) Rail Corridor.

“The San Diego region has received more than $1 billion in IIJA funding to date,” said Caltrans District Director Gustavo Dallarda. “From our international border to our critical LOSSAN rail line, we will continue to work with our federal, state and local partners on infrastructure investments for the San Diego Region that improve quality of life for all Californians and the nation.”