Antonio Ray Harvey
$96 Million Allocated So Far to Black-Owned Firms as High-Speed Rail Project Expands Jobs, Boost Local Economies
Sen. Lola Smallwood-Cuevas (D-Los Angeles), a member of the California Legislative Black Caucus (CLBC) and Chair of the Senate Committee on Labor, Public Employment and Retirement, says the rail project “is exactly the kind of investment” California needs.
By Antonio Ray Harvey, California Black Media
As of May 31, the most recent data from the California High-Speed Rail Authority shows that 47 African American-owned firms are participating in the project as Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (DBEs).
A total of 936 Certified Small businesses are working on the high-speed rail program statewide, representatives of the high-speed rail project say.
The number of Black-owned DBE firms (5.2%) accounts for $96 million of the $1.136 billion allocated to minority firms thus far.
Sen. Lola Smallwood-Cuevas (D-Los Angeles), a member of the California Legislative Black Caucus (CLBC) and Chair of the Senate Committee on Labor, Public Employment and Retirement, says the rail project “is exactly the kind of investment” California needs.
Smallwood-Cuevas, speaking in Aug. 25 at the State Capitol Swing Space Annex — along with a coalition of Democratic state legislators and union leaders — provided an update on the California High-Speed Rail project and its efforts to employ people from the Black community and businesses.
“It builds a cleaner, more connected California while creating thousands of union jobs,” said Smallwood-Cuevas. “And we must ensure workforce equity, with pathways that open doors for workers who too often have been left out of good-paying careers.”
The remaining DBE minority-owned firms received the following amounts:
- Asian Subcontinent: 24 firms received approximately $65 million
- Asian-Pacific Islander: 52 firms received approximately $86 million
- Native American: 6 firms received approximately $39 million
- Hispanic/Latino: an unspecified number of DBE businesses received approximately $848 million
There are currently 328 certified DBEs participating in the project, according to the California High Speed Authority. The multi-billion-dollar project is billed to be committed to small, disabled, disadvantaged, and diverse businesses playing a major role in building the statewide high-speed rail project.
“As a Central Valley native, I know firsthand how transformative high-speed rail will be for our communities,” stated Assemblymember Lori D. Wilson (D-Suisun City) a member of the CLBC and Chair of the Assembly Transportation Committee.
“Stable and sustained funding is essential to delivering this project and fulfilling the promise made to voters.”
The news conference was hosted by Senate Transportation Chair, Sen. Dave Cortese (D-San Jose), who was promoting Senate Bill (SB) 545. He and the California High-Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA) urged the Legislature to commit to a steady, annual investment from a cap-and-trade program to fund the high-speed rail project.
Dr. Melanie Okoro, the Principal and Chief Executive Officer of Eco-Alpha, attended the briefing. Eco-Alpha is a Sacramento-headquartered small, women-owned, minority-certified firm.
The company, not classified as a DBE, earned its status as a certified small business and a certified women-minority small business through the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) and the Department of General Services (DGS). The certification allowed Eco-Alpha to be featured by CHSRA as a small business working on the project.
The Black-owned firm provides engineering and environmental services to the California High-Speed Rail project, primarily focused on facilities operation and Maintenance.
Okoro said laborers are not the only workers benefiting from the project. Professionals of color in engineering, with specialized knowledge and problem-solving skills to design, build, and maintain a wide array of structures, systems, and products, are looking forward to these “great opportunities.”
