Good to see this happening in town and one hopes good things come from it.
March 07, 2008 08:52 PM Eastern Daylight Time
Government Officials, Practitioners and Academics Gathered Together at a Conference in Sacramento to Discuss California’s Infrastructure Crisis
Keston Institute Forum Highlights Broad Range Of Public And Private Solutions For Financing California’s Infrastructure Needs
SACRAMENTO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Leading academics and policy-makers gathered in Sacramento yesterday to discuss solutions to one of California’s most pressing and controversial problems: how to meet infrastructure investment needs. The event, titled “Paying for Tomorrow’s Infrastructure: Options and Strategies for Sustainable Financing,” was hosted by The Keston Institute for Public Finance and Infrastructure Policy, which is based at the University of Southern California.
The conference consisted of four major sessions, and attracted interest from a wide spectrum of institutions and individuals, many of whom have a critical role in meeting this challenge.
“That over 100 government officials, practitioners, and academics devoted a full day to discussing infrastructure finance issues underscores the critical importance this issue plays with the people of California,” said Richard G. Little, Director of the Keston Institute for Public Finance and Infrastructure Policy at the University of Southern California.
“There’s a serious shortage of high-quality infrastructure services. The investment we’re talking about is not necessarily about growth, this is about building the infrastructure we need now for the economy and population that we have today,” said David Crane, Special Advisor for Jobs and Growth to Governor Schwarzenegger, who opened the conference with the morning keynote address. Crane emphasized the urgency and enormity of the problem California faces. He also discussed the wide variety of options for solving problems, stressing the need to develop beneficial partnerships with the private sector and to get the most of our every dollar spent.
California State Treasurer Bill Lockyer offered a contrasting perspective during the lunchtime keynote, calling for political leadership and public sector action to increase investment.
“Let’s explore public/public partnerships as well. Let’s figure out if there are ways to accelerate investment in these infrastructure needs by forging partnerships between state and local entities,” said Lockyer, who also highlighted his current proposal to establish an accountable and flexible statewide transportation authority to work with local and regional agencies that would address the most critical needs. He also emphasized the potential of immediate and enormous savings that could be achieved by investing in improved energy efficient public buildings.
Other panelists included Martin Wachs, Director, Transportation, Space and Technology, RAND Corporation; David E. Dowall, Director, Institute of Urban and Regional Development, UC Berkeley; Ellen Hanak, Senior Fellow, Public Policy Institute of California; Eric J. Brunner, Department of Economic, Quinnipiac University; Asha Weinstein Agrawal, Mineta Transportation Institute, San Jose State University; Brian G. Thomas, Chief Finance Officer, Metropolitan Water District of Southern California; Steve Heminger, Executive Director, Metropolitan Transportation Commission; Peter Gordon, Professor of Policy, Planning, and Development, University of Southern California; Michael Deane, Office of Water, United States Environmental Protection Agency; Michael A. Pagano, Professor of Public Administration and Interim Dean, College of Urban Planning and Public Affairs, University of Illinois, Chicago.
A highlight of the day was Martin Wachs’ historical overview of transportation finance in California, “When the Gas Tax Runs Dry.” Wachs suggested that user fees for infrastructure are nothing new, but are absolutely critical to funding future needs. New technology for electronic tolling has made user fees easier to implement. Moreover, user fees could actually promote environmental goals and improve the efficiency of transportation systems overall, in that some commuters would likely seek alternatives to fees and thus be spurred on to car pool or take public transportation.
Another highlight was Asha Weinstein Agrawal’s informative presentation of recent survey results that suggested a major generation gap in attitudes toward financing innovation. According to the survey, young people are most likely to support private sector investment in new transportation infrastructure as well as support potential “green” fees that promote environmental goals.
Prof. David Dowall stressed the need for innovation and change in the approach to financing infrastructure, pointing out that California was no longer on the cutting edge. According to Dowall, in order to catch up and remain competitive, California should look to existing model programs and strategies implemented throughout the country and the world. As such, state and local leaders could benefit from lessons learned elsewhere and adopt approaches to financing that have already been tested and refined.
