City of Irvine Mayor Farrah N. Khan, along with other Orange County Mayors, united to celebrate the passing of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) and share the significant community impacts in Orange County Cities. Among the Mayors sharing how these funds will benefit their city were Buena Park Mayor Connor Traut, Laguna Niguel Mayor Fred Minagar, and Santa Ana Mayor Vicente Sarmiento.
President Biden signed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act into law Monday, November 15. The historic legislation will deliver for Orange County, as well as local governments across the country, the ability to repair roads and bridges, improve transportation options, build a network of EV chargers to accelerate the adoption of EVs, help connect every American to reliable high-speed internet, eliminate the nation’s lead service lines and pipes for clean drinking water, protect against extreme weather events and cyberattacks, and improve our nation’s airports.
Mayor Farrah N. Khan and fellow OC Mayors highlighted how the Bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act investments would help build more equitable, sustainable, and resilient communities. In addition, OC Mayors spoke to various infrastructure opportunities and projects planned for their respective cities as a part of this community impact investment.
“After nearly two years of the devastating effects of COVID-19, it is time to rebuild our community, City, and County,” said Mayor Farrah N. Khan. “I intend on making Irvine more resilient than ever by focusing on the repair and rebuild of our roads and bridges with a focus on climate change mitigation, specifically our City goal of carbon neutrality by 2030, and helping connect every resident to reliable high-speed internet.”
“The Bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act comes at a time when we recognize the future of infrastructure. That recognition now collides with action that will bring good paying jobs to the people of Orange County,” said Buena Park Mayor Connor Traut. “This is a moment bigger than any one project or any one city. Today marks a moment of progress for equitable investment into the infrastructure that keeps us all moving forward.”
“I am very pleased to be here this morning at this press conference to highlight how the Bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act will help Orange County cities and more specifically, my home city of Laguna Niguel,” Laguna Niguel Mayor Fred Minagar said. “As a civil engineer, I clearly understand that having a letter grade of C on California’s infrastructure report card is nothing to brag about. Any investment in the roadway infrastructure will inevitably help in creating more jobs, economic vitality, improving mobility, and repairing our local roadways and bridges.”
“I want to thank Mayor Khan for calling all of us together and hosting us because it is a historic moment,” Santa Ana Mayor Vicente Sarmiento said. “We know that all of our communities –– all 34 cities and the 3.5 million residents in the County –– are going to benefit from our individual city projects. However, they really are regional projects because the boundaries that divide us all are so invisible. We all share in this goal of making sure that the lives of people in Orange County are improved. I am excited that we can deliver a better way of life for all of our residents.”
“We are at a critical junction in American politics, said Mayor Farrah N. Khan. “The recently passed federal bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act is more than budget line items to support our economy; this is a once in a lifetime opportunity to impact the lives of Americans and improve the infrastructure of our cities. I, along with the Orange County delegation of Mayors, celebrate the passage of this landmark legislation.
To learn more about this historic legislation, please view the fact sheets prepared by the White House: Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
Photos of the news conference.
Video of the news conference.