There are few places in the country that understand recovery like the city of Inglewood. When I became mayor in 2011, this minority-majority city was on the brink of municipal bankruptcy, six months into its payroll.
Now its fiscal health has stabilized, and we’ve created thousands of prevailing wage jobs — the kind of jobs that are a gateway to homeownership and upward mobility. We’ve brought the NFL back to Southern California: the Rams and Chargers play at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, where Taylor Swift packed the stadium on her Eras tour, and where LA28 will host the opening and closing ceremonies of the Los Angeles Olympics four years from now.
The city's recovery required tough negotiations with partners. We worked with private investors and developers to build SoFi and the surrounding Hollywood Park mixed-use housing, office and entertainment complex. Private and city investment brought us the renovated Kia Forum, once again one of the country's premier concert venues, and the new Intuit Dome is home to the Clippers and will host Usher in September and Bruno Mars in August.
Next year, the three venues combined will host 400 events, attract more than 5 million attendees and continue to provide Inglewood with a strong and stable tax base.
But the recovery isn't over yet. The same places that bring a multitude of benefits to Inglewood also bring with them a multitude of transportation challenges.
Parking fees for sporting events and concerts at the new stadiums can cost between $50 and $100. On event days, parts of the city are virtually closed to residents, who must take alternate routes to run basic errands or get to and from work. Local businesses lose sales to regular customers who won't have to deal with event-related traffic.
It should come as no surprise that people flock to these events by car. Historically, Inglewood has been woefully lacking in transportation alternatives. Being adjacent to two freeways (and under the LAX airport flight path), the city has also been disproportionately affected by vehicle traffic, noise, and air pollution.
Our first subway line, the K line, finally became fully operational last year. The K line station downtown, in Florence near Market, is the closest subway line to the new venues, but it's still nearly two miles away—a 30- to 40-minute walk. Shuttle buses are used for some events, but they also get stuck in traffic. The “first-mile-last-mile gap” tends to discourage Inglewood visitors and residents from using the transit system.
Inglewood and Los Angeles deserve better, and once again, partnerships will make it possible. After extensive planning and coordination within the community, with the venue operators, and with LA Metro, we agreed that the best solution was to add a connector to the K Line – three new stations that will take people directly to and from Florence Station and the new sports, entertainment and retail district.
The Inglewood Transit Connector’s ridership projections, cost effectiveness, and proposed elevated route through the city have been reviewed by the South Bay Council of Governments, the California State Transportation Agency, and the Federal Transit Administration. Thanks to the Biden/Harris Administration and the support of Sen. Alex Padilla (D-CA) and Gov. Gavin Newsom, we are on track to secure nearly $2 billion in federal, state, and local funding to move forward with the connector—an unprecedented accomplishment for a city of roughly nine square miles and 107,000 residents.
The Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation estimates the project will create 17,000 jobs and pay a total of $868 million in wages. A signed workforce agreement calls for the project to hire local workers, employ unionized workers and provide apprenticeship programs for entrants. The Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation will encourage the development of transit-oriented housing, reduce congestion, improve air quality and help the city do its part to address climate change. It will not displace any residents; affected businesses will receive relocation funds and other assistance.
At long last, Inglewood is on the cusp of achieving transit equity and environmental justice, but not everyone sees this vision positively. U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Los Angeles), whose district includes Inglewood, last week teamed up with the Republican majority to secure a portion of the connector’s federal funding from a House appropriations bill. The final budget, however, requires reconciliation with the U.S. Senate, and Padilla worked together to move forward with funding for the project, an indicator of its continued viability. I hope the Congresswoman will ultimately support this historic federal investment in Inglewood.
Los Angeles must build a transportation system that gets people where they want and need to go, safely, affordably and efficiently. The connector will benefit Inglewood residents, all Angelenos and visitors for generations to come.
It should be built now.
James T. Butts is a four-term mayor of Inglewood and a member of the Metro Board of Directors.
