Highlights need for bold child care, grid resiliency, and public transit investments

CALIFORNIA – This week, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) traveled across California to meet with constituents and highlight the need for bold, comprehensive infrastructure investments as he kicked off his Infrastructure Listening Tour. Padilla highlighted the need for big investments in child care, the importance of strengthening the power grid and infrastructure resiliency, and the urgency of ensuring we build accessible and sustainable infrastructure in transportation. 

In San Francisco, Padilla visited Mission Kids, where he joined local community leaders to highlight the vital funding in child care and family support available through the American Rescue Plan Act.  Padilla discussed the national child care shortage and the critical need to acknowledge child care as infrastructure, pointing to his co-sponsorship of the Universal Child Care and Early Learning Act. The legislation would ensure that every family has access to high-quality, affordable child care and early learning opportunities by investing $700 billion to establish a network of local child care options.

Padilla also visited the California ISO in Sacramento to discuss the urgent need to invest in our physical infrastructure and power grid. After facing one of the worst wildfire seasons in state history, climate change is continuing to increase the frequency and severity of extreme weather events and natural disasters in California. He discussed his introduction of the POWER ON Act, legislation that would bring federal funding to electricity providers and suppliers who need to harden their facilities against extreme weather events and natural disasters.

Padilla continued the tour with a visit to a Los Angeles Metro Excavation Site to talk about the importance of having an accessible and sustainable public transportation system with projects like the LA Metro Purple Line extension. Padilla also discussed key investments in cleaner transportation technology, and mentioned a bill he cosponsored — the BUILD GREEN Infrastructure and Jobs Act — which would invest $500 billion over the next ten years to accelerate our transition to an all-electric public transportation future.

Over the next couple of months, Senator Padilla will continue to travel across the state to hear directly from communities and highlight the need for bold, comprehensive infrastructure investments.

Key Coverage from Padilla’s California Visit:

FOX40: Sen. Padilla visits California ISO facility as part of statewide tour to strengthen electric grid, prevent shutoffs

• Sen. Padilla said he’s working with Congress to prevent power shutoffs from becoming the new normal. “Part of the biggest challenges today is our change in weather, the weather patterns, which are directly the result of climate change,” he explained.

• After touring the California ISO facility Tuesday, Sen. Padilla spoke about a bill he introduced in April called the POWER On Act. The bipartisan legislation would assist electricity providers and suppliers with federal funding to improve the electric grid against heat waves, high winds and wildfires. Padilla believes if passed, the bill would prevent the need for public safety power shutoffs.

• “Smarter investment in smarter technology will help achieve multiple goals and objectives in resiliency and reliability,” he said.

• But he does believe the federal government needs to do more to help businesses impacted by those shutoffs. “Just as there was resources made available for businesses to weather the COVID-19 pandemic, we should be partnering with business owners to weather the impacts of climate change,” Padilla said.

CBS Sacramento: Additional Capacity Added To California Electrical Grid In Hopes Of Reducing Power Shutoffs

• Senator Alex Padilla visited the California ISO in Folsom on Tuesday as part of his Infrastructure Listening Tour. There, he addressed the need to meet demand when it comes to the state’s power grid.

• Senator Padilla mentioned the POWER On Act, bipartisan legislation that would assist electricity providers with federal funds to improve the grid.

• “So, in the event that public safety power shutoffs are required, they can, over time, start turning off the lights, turning off the power in more targeted areas instead of more broad areas in the state,” said Padilla.

TV: NBC Sacramento package on Padilla at California ISO

• Gulstan Dart: Senator Alex Padilla was in Folsom today. The senator says that he was on what he is calling an Infrastructure Listening Tour. He stopped by the California Independent Systems Operator, Cal ISO, which oversees the state’s power grid. Senator Padilla says that investments need to be made in the power grid to keep up with demand.

• Padilla: We got to keep the power on, we got to keep the lights on, for businesses, for families, for communities and smarter investment in smarter technology will help us achieve multiple goals and objectives of resiliancy and reliability, but also the sustainability of our electrical grid.

• Gulstan Dart: Cal ISO receives 80% of the state’s power supply.

Univision (Video): Legisladores impulsan plan de infraestructura que daría prioridad a educación || Legislators promote infrastructure plan that would prioritize education

• Durante una visita a una escuela, el senador de California Alex Padilla aseguró que trabaja en un plan de infraestructura que da prioridad a la educación, apoyando a las familias trabajadoras. || During a visit to a school, California Senator Alex Padilla assured that he’s working in an infrastructure plan that gives priority to education, supporting working families.

Radio: KCBS (AM) San Francisco package on Padilla at Mission Kids site visit

• Kathy Novak: Mission Kids built this facility from the ground up, offering child care to families who might not otherwise be able to afford it.

• Kathy Novak: Helped with federal and local money, the kind of investment proposed in a 700 billion dollar plan for universal child care that Senator Alex Padilla co-sponsored. He says child care is critical not only to allow parents to go to work, but also for the children.

• Padilla: 60% of Californians live in what’s considered a child care desert, where parents struggle to find affordable, quality child care for their children. At the same time, we have many providers struggle to hire new workers.

• Kathy Novak: And he says the pandemic exacerbated and put a spotlight on national child care shortage.

TV: ABC Los Angeles package on Padilla visit to LA Metro excavation site

• Jovana Lara: Senator Alex Padilla was in Century City today, making the case for President Biden’s ambitious infrastructure and jobs plan. This was one of the stops on Padilla’s statewide infrastructure tour. the excavation site for a new transit station, that is part of LA Metro’s Purple Line extension project.

• Padilla: Transit in particular is so pivotal for an effective, high-performing economies. We need to talk about people movement, we got to talk about goods movement, and we need to recognize that the transportation sector is the sector is the biggest source of pollution.

• Jovana Lara: Once completed, the extension will connect LA’s Westside to Downtown.

Radio: KNX (AM) Los Angeles package on Padilla visit to LA Metro excavation site

• Margaret Carrero: The rail line expansion is considered a prime example of what a local and federal partnership can make possible. Padilla said he was here to highlight projects like this.

• Padilla: “…that will help us build a stronger and greener future.”

• Margaret Carrero: He noted that transit is pivotal for effective, high-performing economies.

• Padilla: We need to talk about people movement. We got to talk about goods movement.

• Margaret Carrero: Once completed the purple line extension is expected to be able to get riders from downtown LA to the Westside in less than 30 minutes.

###