In San Diego, a region facing significant growth on a congested transportation system, the two mayoral candidates signaled their commitment to expanding transportation options throughout the region in the years to come — but shrinking transportation funding will test that commitment.

Yesterday, the leaders of California’s population centers issued a call to the incoming Congress to update the nation’s transportation program to address their citizens’ 21st-century needs, from upkeep of roads and bridges to a cleaner, more efficient transit network. As a new Congress prepares to take up a multi-year infrastructure bill, 65 California mayors, supervisors and other elected officials joined together to send a united message, releasing a signed letter sent to Senator Boxer.

The chorus of organizations calling for a bold new vision for transportation continues to grow rapidly, with more than 350 signing on with Transportation for America as of August 1. The diversity and breadth of the coalition also are expanding, with recent signatories including business groups such as CEOs for Cities and the Silicon Valley Leadership Group; mayors like Shirley Franklin of Atlanta and R.T. Rybak of Minneapolis; large and influential membership organizations such as AARP; and groups representing both rural and urban areas, including the Center for Rural Strategies and the Metropolitan Planning Council of Illinois.

Read the letter from the mayors, send it to your mayor and tell them to sign on. MAYORS’ LETTER (.doc) More about our partners When we launched our campaign platform in late February, we were fortunate to have Mayor John Robert Smith of Meridian, Mississippi here in Washington, D.C. to deliver the keynote address. Perhaps [...]