Town Hall Meeting Convenes after Press Conference
What: Press Conference and Town Hall Meeting on California High Speed Rail Project
When: Friday, March 18, 2011, 12:30 p.m.
Where: California Science Center, 700 Exposition Park Drive, LA 90037
Who: Senator Curren Price, Chair, Legislative Black Caucus
Assembly Member Cathleen Galgiani, Chair, Assembly Select Committee on High Speed Rail
Members of California Legislative Black Caucus,
California Latino Caucus, the California Asian-Pacific Islander Legislative Caucus
Thomas Hart, VP Government Affairs & General Counsel U.S. High Speed Rail Association
Roelof van Ark, Chief Executive Officer, California High Speed Rail Authority,
Olivia Fonseca, Deputy Director of Business and Economic Opportunity, California Department of Transportation
Tashai Smith, Director of Economic Opportunity, L.A. County Metropolitan Transportation Authority
State Senator Curren D. Price, Jr., Chair of the Legislative Black Caucus, announces the convening of a Town Hall Meeting sponsored by the California Legislative Black Caucus, the California Latino Legislative Caucus, the California Asian-Pacific Islander Legislative Caucus, and co-sponsored by Assembly Member Cathleen Galgiani, Chair of the Assembly Select Committee on High Speed Rail on Friday, March 18th, 2011 at 1 p.m. at the California Science Center in Los Angeles.
Senator Price has introduced a legislative package aimed at guaranteeing participation for California businesses in all stages of building the California High Speed Rail. The bills, SB 733, SB 734, and SB 735, will, among other things, set standards for small business involvement in High Speed Rail contracting, require the California High Speed Rail Authority to outline efforts pertaining to small business in its business plan and specify the role that local employees will play in segments of the project.
This Town Hall meeting will bring together elected officials, business leaders and stakeholders to explore the issues surrounding implementation of the California High Speed Rail Project.
The meeting will explore the disparities that may exist in the California High Speed Rail Authority’s current contracting practices, opportunities to further bolster the role that businesses play in the project and the types of opportunities for the thousands of small businesses throughout our state.
This meeting will also serve as an opportunity to hear directly from the California High Speed Rail Authority about its efforts to outreach to local, small and minority-based firms.