ORANGE COUNTY, CALIFORNIA — Today, Orange County Supervisor Katrina Foley, who serves as a Director of the Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA), received an update on the ongoing railroad track stabilization project for a portion of the LOSSAN Rail Corridor impacted by coastal erosion. This update was delivered ahead of Supervisor Foley’s testimony tomorrow on the California Senate Transportation Subcommittee hearing titled, “Tracks to Tomorrow: Maximizing the Potential and Safeguarding the Future of the LOSSAN Corridor.”
“We completed emergency work to stabilize the falling slope with tiebacks, but these costly fixes prove to be temporary,” said Supervisor Foley, who serves as a Director of OCTA. “The sliding railroad tracks impact our local Orange County way of life, as well as our statewide economy and national security. Tomorrow, I testify before the California Senate Transportation Subcommittee to highlight the importance of the LOSSAN Corridor and the urgency to take action.”
Tomorrow, Supervisor Foley will testify before the California Senate Transportation Subcommittee on LOSSAN Corridor Resiliency during a hearing titled, “Tracks to Tomorrow: Maximizing the Potential and Safeguarding the Future of the LOSSAN Corridor.” The hearing begins tomorrow Tuesday August 15, 2023, at 9:00 AM. For more information, visit the subcommittee’s website.
The Board also delivered funding for local water projects and transportation services at OCTA’s Board Meeting.
“At OCTA, we continue to bring Orange County together through investments in all different modes of transportation,” said Supervisor Foley. “The local projects we approved today address the wide range of community needs, from improving water quality to stabilizing our coastal rail corridor to creating safer streets for everyone to enjoy. The investments we make today go towards making our communities more accessible in the long-term.”
During today’s OCTA Board Meeting, Supervisor Foley voted to approve the following local projects in District 5:
- Tier 1 Environmental Cleanup Program funding for five projects in the Fifth District, securing more than $1.3 million in local funding to address transportation related pollution by supporting water quality improvement projects in the communities of Costa Mesa, Newport Beach, Rancho Mission Viejo, and San Clemente. For a full listing of the projects funded, please see here.
- OCTA’s call for projects interested in receiving funding for the Complete Streets Program. This program focuses on proposed projects that encourage walking and biking and create safe streets for cyclists, pedestrians, motorists, and residents. Applications for this program will be due Thursday, October 5, 2023.
- $1.6 million in funding to continue operations of SC Rides, a successful ride hailing service in the City of San Clemente. This service also showcased its successful adoption by residents during a ridership report at the meeting. For a full list of projects submitted to OCTA for Project V funding, please see here.
“Many of our cities seek micro-transit, ride-share, and trolley style transit opportunities to reduce traffic, provide better transit access, and importantly, reduce carbon emissions. I’ll keep advocating for these programs,” pledged Supervisor Foley.
The OCTA Board also received updates on the status of OC Street Car, the SR-55 Improvement Project, and the DBE Programming which was highlighted as a model for other agencies.
“Of the more than 900 business contracts, diverse vendors secured more than 30% of all OCTA contracts. Of the federally funded contracts, OCTA continues to meet the required 11% DBE state certified vendors to receive federal funds; this program provides access to our local diverse businesses, especially women owned,” said Supervisor Foley. “While our OCTA federal funding goal of 11% of our contracts is a great start, I’d like to see us set higher goals more consistent with the demographics of diverse owned businesses in our community. One contract with OCTA can change the trajectory of a local business and drive our local economy.”
You can listen here for updates and access the toolkit here.
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Orange County Supervisor Katrina Foley was elected to the Board of Supervisors in 2022 to represent the newly established District 5, which includes the cities of Aliso Viejo, Costa Mesa, Dana Point, a large portion of Irvine, Laguna Beach, Laguna Hills, Laguna Niguel, Laguna Woods, Newport Beach, San Clemente, San Juan Capistrano, as well as the unincorporated areas of Coto de Caza, Emerald Bay, Ladera Ranch, Las Flores, Rancho Mission Viejo, Stonecliffe and Wagon Wheel. This is her second term on the Board of Supervisors, where she previously served District 2.
Supervisor Foley’s Board appointments include the Orange County Fire Authority (OCFA), OCFA Legislation & Public Affairs Committee Chair, Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA), Transportation Corridor Agency (TCA), TCA Joint Environmental Committee, Coastal Greenbelt Authority, Newport Bay and South Orange County Watershed Executive Committees, Ocean Institute, San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS) Community Engagement Panel, Spent Fuel Solutions Coalition Co-Chair, Law Library Board of Trustees, Orange County Housing Finance Trust, Local Agency Formation Commission (alt), Orange County Juvenile Justice Coordinating Council, and OC Public Libraries Advisory Board.
