Senator Steven Bradford Discussion with Governor Brown on Transportation Diversity

Senator Steven Bradford (D- Gardena) held a roundtable discussion on diversity of transportation infrastructure contracts and employment at California State University- Dominguez Hills.

Following the roundtable discussion with Governor Brown, Secretary Brian Kelly from the Transportation Agency and Malcolm Dougherty, the Director of the Department of Transportation, led a discussion and question-and-answer session for interested individuals and enterprises to learn more about how and when there may be opportunities to compete for state and federally funded transportation infrastructure contracts.

In April 2017 Governor Brown signed Senate Bill 1, authored by State Senator Jim Beall, into law. SB 1 authorized $52 billion over the next 10 years to repair California’s roads, highways, and bridges.

Governor Brown committed to Senator Bradford that these funds would allow diverse enterprises and individuals to compete and potentially win construction and service contracts and receive employment opportunities.

In the upcoming weeks Governor Brown will be signing legislation giving Caltrans specific direction to address diversity in construction and service contracts, employment opportunities, and use of diverse media. It also provides reporting requirements to ensure Legislative oversight on progress in meeting goals.

Senator Bradford and Governor Brown are dedicated to collaborating with each other in order to identify and outreach to diverse companies looking to procure contracts through the state.

“This discussion will hopefully spark a trend that motivates other industries to take a deep look at their own workforce diversity and implement hiring goals and strategies that align with the inclusionary principles of California.”