L.A. struggling to get Olympics transit money from Sacramento – Los Angeles Times

L.A. struggling to get Olympics transit money from Sacramento  Los Angeles Times

Los Angeles officials have long complained that the Trump administration hasn't done enough to prioritize transportation funding for the 2028 Summer Olympics in the deep-blue metropolis, but Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom and the Democrat-dominated state Legislature are turning out to be just as tight with a buck. Sacramento has rejected the vast majority of transportation funding requests linked to the 2028 Olympics — a situation that leaves L.A. Metro, the giant transit agency, in an unexpected position: struggling as much with Sacramento as with the Republican-controlled White House and Congress when it comes to financial support to move athletes and visitors during an Olympics that is now just 22 months away.

L.A. Metro asked for $379 million for Olympics-related transportation projects in the just-completed legislative session. It got only $20 million. Among the requests for state money that lawmakers rejected: $138 million for a cloud-based computing system, traffic cameras and video connectivity to help expand and integrate transportation management systems controlled by Caltrans and the Los Angeles City Department of Transportation.$65 million for installing emergency tracks where light rail trains can be diverted when they break down, and some related expenses. The six extra “interlock” tracks — in Long Beach, Highland Park, Santa Monica, the Crenshaw district and two other locations — will be particularly critical during the Olympics, when