MTC Chairman Pedroza praises Pelosi's role in delivering dollars for transit

MTC Chairman and Napa County Supervisor Alfredo Pedroza wrote in an editorial in the San Francisco Chronicle of Speaker Nancy Pelosi's key role in getting needed federal dollars to transit to help systems rebound from the pandemic.

Pelosi, along with local congressional members, brought leadership on the issue by making sure federal emergency-relief bills included strong support for public transit.

"Federal funding has sustained lifeline connections to vital services for Bay Area residents and their employers and ensured reliable transportation to and from work for the legions of health care workers, warehouse and grocery employees, cooks, cleaning crews and other essential workers most responsible for keeping us all going the past year," Pedroza wrote.

Without the transit dollars in these bills, public bus, train and ferry systems around the Bay Area would have seen deep service cuts and employee layoffs. Critical projects to modernize and improve transportation networks also would have been delayed or even canceled, Pedroza noted.