Congressman Robert Garcia Leads Los Angeles County Delegation in Support of Metro’s Southeast Gateway Line Project
Washington, D.C. – Today, Congressman Robert Garcia (CA-42) led a letter with 11 colleagues to ask Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Director of Office Management and Budget Shalanda Young to include funding for the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s (Metro) Southeast Gateway Line Project in the Fiscal Year 2026 President’s Budget Request. The Southeast Gateway Line will provide historically underserved communities across Southeast Los Angeles and the Gateway Cities with long-overdue access to high-quality public transit. The full letter can be found here.
“We need to ensure that underserved communities throughout Southeast Los Angeles and the Gateway Cities have access to the high-quality public transit they deserve,” said Congressman Robert Garcia. “Metro’s Board has made the Southeast Gateway Line Project its top priority and has lined up the necessary local funding to support it. Now, we need a federal funding commitment to keep this project moving forward. Our communities, which have often been overlooked, are counting on us to provide safe and reliable transportation for years to come.”
Metro’s Board of Directors has chosen the Southeast Gateway Line Project as their top priority and is using local funding from voter-approved sales taxes to support it. Thanks to teamwork with the FTA, the project is advancing in the Project Development phase. In April, the Metro Board approved a 14.5-mile light rail line from the Slauson A Line Station to Artesia and finalized the Environmental Impact Report. The FTA completed its review in August 2024.
The Southeast Gateway Line Project aims to improve transit access for disadvantaged communities in Southeast Los Angeles County and the Gateway Cities. The letter requests $100 million in the Fiscal Year 2026 budget to help with ongoing design, engineering, and other necessary work. Metro has also submitted required information to the FTA and expects a positive rating to move the project forward into the Engineering Phase.
The following are co-signers of the letter: Senator Alex Padilla, Senator Laphonza Butler, Congresswoman Nanette Barragán, Congresswoman Julia Brownley, Congresswoman Judy Chu, Congressman Jimmy Gomez, Congresswoman Sydney Kamlager-Dove, Congresswoman Grace Napolitano, Congresswoman Linda Sánchez, Congressman Adam Schiff, Congresswoman Maxine Waters.
Congressman Garcia has always fought to improve transportation infrastructure. In August, Congressman Garcia led a bipartisan letter to secure funding for Los Angeles and Long Beach to ensure a safe, clean, and effective transit system for the 2028 Olympics. In May, Congressman Garcia and Senator Elizabeth Warren introduced the BUILD GREEN Infrastructure and Jobs Act, which aims to provide $500 billion over ten years to update and electrify public transportation and rail systems across the country. In March, Congressman Garcia led 128 Representatives in a letter supporting full funding for transit Capital Investment Grants. Last year, he introduced the People Over Parking Act to eliminate minimum parking space requirements near transit hubs, encouraging more housing and walkable urban areas. As Mayor of Long Beach, his Measure A initiative started the largest infrastructure repair program in a generation, creating good jobs for union workers.
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