L.A. may – Los Angeles is at risk of losing $100 million in state transportation grant funding after a California Transportation Commission declined to hear the city’s appeal for an extension, jeopardizing projects in Boyle Heights, Skid Row and Wilmington that officials
In Los Angeles, deadlines can be unforgiving. And this time, the clock appears to have run out on $100 million in state grant funding for transportation projects meant for some of the city’s neediest neighborhoods.
The California Transportation Commission declined to consider Los Angeles’ appeal for an extension at its meeting this month. according to reporting earlier by LAist. City officials had argued they were unable to meet the grant deadlines because of budget and staffing cuts across the city’s engineering. transportation and other departments. The grants required work to be completed by set dates that officials said they couldn’t hit.
Mayor Karen Bass’ office said the problem stretches back to before her election in 2022. In a statement. the mayor’s office said. “This issue is emblematic of the failed and broken systems that Mayor Bass inherited and is fixing with comprehensive solutions like her Capital Infrastructure Program (CIP).” The office added: “Once fully implemented. Mayor Bass’ CIP will enable Los Angeles to properly plan. track. fund and deliver on multi-year projects like Active Transportation Projects with greater accountability. clarity. and purpose.”.
The $100 million at stake would have supported projects in Boyle Heights, the Skid Row area of downtown Los Angeles and Wilmington.
Former City Councilmember Kevin De Leon. who helped secure the funding while he was on the council. said losing it over missed deadlines and staffing shortages is a failure of governance. “Opportunities like this come once in a generation,” De Leon said. “To lose that funding because deadlines were missed and shortage of staffing is nothing short of political malpractice.”.
State Assemblymember Mark González (D-Los Angeles) said he has been working with the state and the city to restore the grant funding and expressed frustration after the extension was not approved. In a statement on Thursday. he said: “Over the last couple of months. I have spent countless hours coordinating with the city and the CTC. fighting to find ways to let the City keep the money.” González added: “I have heard that the extension was not approved. and that’s extremely frustrating. Without this extension. critical infrastructure will be even further delayed.” He said he would try and see “if there is a path forward for the CTC to restore these funds.”.
City Councilmember Ysabel Jurado. whose district includes the Boyle Heights and Skid Row projects. said her office is still trying to understand what the decision means for each effort and for the communities involved. “This decision is still new. and our office is taking the time to fully understand what it means for each project. the affected communities. and the options still available. ” Jurado said in a statement. She said Boyle Heights and Skid Row have waited too long for safer, more accessible streets. “Boyle Heights and Skid Row have waited far too long for safer. more accessible streets. and the residents who organized for these improvements deserve more than a setback and a closed door.”.
The Boyle Heights project would enhance bike lanes and pedestrian-level lighting and improve shading by planting more than 300 shade trees. In Skid Row. the funding would have supported a plan to connect existing bike and pedestrian pathways through downtown L.A. to schools, health facilities and job centers. The third project, in Wilmington near the Port of Los Angeles, would have fixed crumbling sidewalks and added high-visibility crosswalks.
Councilmember Tim McOsker, in a statement, said improving sidewalks and transportation infrastructure remains a priority. “We will continue exploring funding opportunities and other available options to advance as much of the project as possible,” McOsker said.
Streets for All founder and CEO Michael Schneider described the problem as bigger than any single application. He said staffing shortages at key departments—including the Bureau of Engineering. the Bureau of Street Services and the Department of Transportation—reached a point where the city could not deliver “many projects.” Those shortages followed budget cuts as the city tried to close a gap of a $1 billion budget shortfall while working to avoid mass layoffs. The program, Schneider said, is highly competitive, and Los Angeles has a good track record of winning the money.
Schneider also said the California Transportation Commission appears determined to ensure the work is completed. “The California Transportation Commission is fed up, and you know what, I don’t think I blame them,” he said. “They want the dollars to go to projects that will actually get built.”
For some groups that helped back the extension, the denial feels less like a procedural outcome and more like a missed chance they can’t afford to lose.
Estela Lopez, executive director for the L.A. Downtown Industrial District Business Improvement District. called the latest development “an embarrassment.” “What an embarrassment that we have to give money back. at a point where we don’t have enough resources. ” Lopez said. “We’re so broke that we can’t even keep the gift of money that we’re given.”.
Lopez said Skid Row is a community that needs more than others following years of neglect and lacks amenities found in other parts of Los Angeles. “This would not have fixed all of that. but it would at least have given some hope that we’re not as abandoned as a community as we feel we are. ” she said.
City officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the denial of the extension. which the city had sought to have reconsidered. The commission’s decision now leaves Los Angeles facing the possibility that funding intended for specific neighborhoods may slip away—turning a transportation promise into a bureaucratic loss.
Los Angeles transportation grants California Transportation Commission Mayor Karen Bass Capital Infrastructure Program Boyle Heights Skid Row Wilmington active transportation projects Streets for All budget shortfall staffing cuts
So they just lose $100M like that??
Did they even try tho? I keep hearing about LA “cuts” and “staffing,” but it’s like every city office is always understaffed. Meanwhile Skid Row and Boyle Heights are still there… sad.
Wait, this is because the commission wouldn’t even hear the appeal? That feels petty. Also $100 million is huge, like how is it possible they couldn’t meet deadlines? Sounds more like mismanagement than just budget stuff. But I guess the Mayor inherited it from 2022 so yeah blame is everywhere.
Karen Bass office saying it’s “failed systems” they inherited… ok but what’s the point if the money is gone anyway? LA always has these grant deadlines and then surprise, nothing gets done. Next it’ll be “we need more time” again, like that’s never been the plan. I don’t know, maybe Wilmington projects were too expensive from the start? People deserve the funding not excuses.