Assemblymember Richard Bloom (D-Santa Monica) has announced that Speaker John Perez has appointed him to the Assembly Transportation Committee – one of the key committees in the State Legislature with jurisdiction over sustainable development and greenhouse gas emissions reduction policies.
“During my 13years as a Santa Monica City Councilmember and Mayor I have made traffic congestion solutions for the Los Angeles region one of my top priorities,” said Bloom. “I look forward to this opportunity to increase access to public transportation, promote transit oriented development and develop alternate modes of transportation for our region and the state.”
In his first year in the Legislature, Assemblymember Bloom quickly emerged as a leader on transportation issues.
He authored AB 1002 to provide grants to communities for bicycle and pedestrian connections to transit, discounted transit passes for seniors and the disabled, and assist with creating safe routes to schools for children.
He also authored AB 1222 which saved $3.5 billion in federal funding for the Los Angeles region to fund the Downtown Regional Connector and Purple Subway Line Extension projects as well as other related local transit improvements.
In additional to his legislation, Bloom also recently convened a first-of-its-kind regional bike share stakeholder meeting in an effort to create a compatible, inter-city bike share program for the Los Angeles region.
The new committee assignment will compliment his current assignment as Chair of the Assembly Budget Subcommittee on Resources and Transportation which oversees the various state transportation and environmental protection agencies and funds.
Bloom replaces former Assemblymember Bob Blumenfield, also the former Chair of the Assembly Budget Committee, who was elected to the Los Angeles City Council in March. The appointment is effective immediately.
Bloom chairs the Assembly Budget Subcommittee on Natural Resources and Transportation. He represents California’s 50th Assembly District, which comprises the communities of Agoura Hills, Bel Air, Beverly Hills, Brentwood, Hollywood, Malibu, Pacific Palisades, Santa Monica, Topanga, West Hollywood, and West Los Angeles.
