Governor, Assembly Speaker visit Port of Oakland, call for transport fix

Spotlight is on special session of Legislature looking at infrastructure funding

Oakland, CA – August 19, 2015: Sacramento came to the Port of Oakland today seeking support to fix ailing transportation infrastructure. Without road and other transport improvements, Gov. Jerry Brown and Assembly Speaker Toni Atkins warned, California’s economy is at risk.

“It’s fundamental that California be able to move goods and people in a modern, efficient way,” the governor told an audience of 70 during a morning press conference at the Port of Oakland headquarters. “This is critical to California prosperity.”

The comments coincide with a special session of the state Legislature currently looking at how to fund transportation improvements. The fixes would target roads, highways and transport infrastructure. “We can’t have a thriving economy if we can’t keep people and goods moving,” Speaker Atkins said.

Funding for everything from congestion relief to pothole repair is under discussion in Sacramento, the governor said. The outcome will be particularly important for the Port of Oakland. The Port handles 99 percent of the containerized goods moving through Northern California. Much of that trade is carried by trucks on roads leading in and out of the Port.

“Our infrastructure is aging and in need of public and private investment to help ports and other parts of the supply chain remain competitive,” Board of Port Commissioners Vice President Michael Colbruno told the audience. “We’re hopeful that the Legislature is on a path that again prioritizes freight and transportation solutions in its special session.”