ORANGE COUNTY, CALIFORNIA — Orange County Supervisor and OCTA Director Katrina Foley released a statement following her remarks to the California Senate Transportation Subcommittee on LOSSAN Rail Corridor Resiliency held today in the City of San Clemente.
“The LOSSAN Rail Corridor is critical infrastructure for our nation, sitting squarely on the crossroads of sea level rise and climate change,” said Supervisor Foley. “The Orange County Transportation Authority has invested more than $2 billion in securing this rail corridor through Fullerton, while the County of Orange invests millions in shoring up our beaches that protect the rail line from the ocean. Overall, the recommendations advocated for increased state leadership and restructuring of the corridor governance structure to allow for better coordination, efficiencies, and access. As a county, we’re committed to stabilizing this rail line while awaiting the State’s necessary leadership for this corridor’s long-term reimagining.”
The Subcommittee received updates on the following topics.
Senate Bill 677 (Blakespear, Statutes of 2023) Implementation and LOSSAN Corridor Planning from Chad Edison, Chief Deputy Secretary for Rail and Transit California State Transportation Agency and Jason Jewell, Managing Director, LOSSAN Rail Corridor Agency.
Reimagining Rail – A Shared Vision for Southern California from Ted Link-Oberstar, Transportation & Housing Consultant, Senate Office of Research; Sarah L. Catz, Researcher, Institute of Transportation Studies, UC Irvine; Genevieve Giuliano, Distinguished Professor of Public Policy at the Sol Price School of Public Policy, University of Southern California; and Amy Peake, Director of Policy and Advocacy, Rebuild SoCal Partnership.
Following the hearing, Supervisor Foley joined Senate Subcommittee members on the rail line from San Clemente to San Diego.
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Orange County Supervisor Katrina Foley was elected to the Board of Supervisors in 2022 to represent the newly established District 5, which includes the cities of Aliso Viejo, Costa Mesa, Dana Point, a large portion of Irvine, Laguna Beach, Laguna Hills, Laguna Niguel, Laguna Woods, Newport Beach, San Clemente, San Juan Capistrano, as well as the unincorporated areas of Coto de Caza, Emerald Bay, Ladera Ranch, Las Flores, Rancho Mission Viejo, Stonecliffe and Wagon Wheel. This is her second term on the Board of Supervisors, where she previously served District 2.
Supervisor Foley’s Board appointments include the Orange County Fire Authority (OCFA), OCFA Legislation & Public Affairs Committee Chair, Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA), Transportation Corridor Agency (TCA), TCA Joint Environmental Committee, Coastal Greenbelt Authority, Newport Bay and South Orange County Watershed Executive Committees, Ocean Institute, San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS) Community Engagement Panel, Spent Fuel Solutions Coalition Co-Chair, Law Library Board of Trustees, Orange County Housing Finance Trust Chair, Local Agency Formation Commission (alt), Orange County Juvenile Justice Coordinating Council, and OC Public Libraries Advisory Board.
