California officials proposed a list of $100 billion in infrastructure projects for possible federal funding thanks to President Donald Trump's pledge of $1 trillion for infrastructure.
"In the short-term, these projects will benefit businesses up and down the state and put thousands to work — many in communities with the highest rates of unemployment. Long-term, this investment will have lasting, expansive economic benefits by moving goods and people faster, protecting vulnerable communities from flooding, bolstering emergency response capabilities, saving and storing more water and improving energy reliability," the California governor's executive secretary, Nancy McFadden, wrote in a letter to the National Governors Association, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Federal money would be in addition to funds that California plans to raise to repair its roads and bridges. The Times notes Gov. Jerry Brown's office agreed on an April 6 deadline for transportation funding.
"To prepare for the future — and complement federal investments — California is doing its part by working on legislation to ensure a permanent and sustainable funding stream is in place to further support road, highway, and other critical infrastructure construction and improvements — part of a 10-year transportation investment plan," McFadden wrote.
Democrats in the state have engaged in dustups with Trump's administration over immigration. On Sunday, Trump said California could lose federal funding if it became a "sanctuary state" that protected illegal immigrants.
However, Brown expressed optimism about Trump's calls to improve infrastructure around the U.S. In his State of the State address, Brown welcomed Trump's inauguration speech announcement that he would focus on infrastructure.
"Amen to that, man. Amen to that, brother.' We're there with you," the governor said, according to the Times.
State Transportation Secretary Bryan Kelly said that disagreements with Trump's administration would not hamper efforts, saying that California had a "very functional and good relationship" with the federal government.
California's priority list included adding 16 miles of express lanes in two counties, modernizing the Los Angeles Metro rail fleet, replacing a Long Beach bridge, and building an early-warning earthquake system, the Times reported.
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