Speaker Pelosi Remarks at Bay Area Safe Streets and Roads Infrastructure Press Event  

Contact: Speaker's Press Office,

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San Francisco – Speaker Nancy Pelosi joined Congressman Mark DeSaulnier, Mayor London Breed and advocates to highlight the investments in the bipartisan Infrastructure Investments and Jobs Act to improve safety on Bay Area streets and roads. Below are the Speaker's remarks:

Speaker Pelosi. Good morning, everyone. Here we are. Some of you have been with us. This is our fifth ‘building the infrastructure of America' event for our, for our country. Democrats Delivered: today, safe streets and roads for all.

A few weeks ago, at the Joe Mazzola Training Center — where we saw apprenticeships in action, kids learning how to weld so that they could repair and build water systems, which were very much a part of the infrastructure legislation, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Framework. Following that, some of us were together at the Transbay Terminal where we all came together to salute what was happening in that legislation for transportation in the Bay Area: $5 billion to come right here for transit, whether it's electrification for transportation, Caltrain or other aspects. Next, we had our town hall, which was participated [in] by thousands of people from the Bay Area to talk about, with Jared Huffman, what was happening in the legislation to save our planet, as we improved the quality of life, created jobs, lowered costs in the legislation.

And today, we have our fifth event. This one is a matter of life and death. This one is so important to us. And this one takes place on the day where, across America, we'll probably add up to about 500 events, including the ones that I mentioned, to come to the community, thank people for their ideas, to share with them opportunities that will be there, as we Build Back Better.

This is an initiative that is the vision of President Joe Biden. President Biden has said, ‘I want to do everything I can in a bipartisan way to build the infrastructure of our country, but I will not confine my vision for the country to that.' And so, we're working on the BBB, the Build Back Better legislation, to be more transformative as we go forward to save the planet, to lower costs for health care, prescription drugs, lower costs for child care, lower cost in every way, lower taxes for the middle class, and, again, doing so paid for by making people who are wealthy and corporate America to pay their fair share. So, that is the context in which all of this is taking place today.

So, it's an honor to be in San Francisco. We'll be joined shortly by our Mayor, and I want to salute her for all of her initiatives. Oh, we are?

[Laughter]

Mayor Breed. Hey, Madam Speaker.

Speaker Pelosi. Thank you, Mayor, for honoring us with your presence – more importantly, for honoring our city with your service and leadership and for the priority you have placed on the safety of the people of San Francisco, which is a very major responsibility for us. Your Vision Zero, a bold plan to end traffic fatalities by 2024, as well as your leadership just last week with a proposal to invest $400 million in Muni reliability and street safety. I salute you for that.

And, I know you join me in saluting our Bay Area colleagues who are here, who are going to be making their presentations: Jodie Medeiros, Executive Director of Walk San Francisco; Janice Li, Advocate Director for San Francisco Bicycle Coalition; and we will be hearing [from] our, I know you will agree, our real – our VIP today is Julie Nicholson, who survived a terrible traffic injury on our streets here in San Francisco. And her extraordinary courage and resilience inspire us all. And she will be speaking and representing the voices of so many of those who are here: Families for Safe Streets. Thank you all for being here, for sharing your tragedies, but also giving us your courage to turn your pain into progress and help to prevent other families from suffering the agony that you have. And, we even have some other survivors of crashes as well, so we'll be hearing from them.

But, first, as I gave you quite a bit of context of what this is: a drumbeat across America to make sure this happened. I'll talk to you now, a little bit before I then have the privilege of yielding, not only yielding, but praising our Mayor once again.

Here's what this is about, Madam Mayor and all. The Bay Area has long seen more than its fair share of heartbreaking traffic deaths. You all are here as eloquent testimony to that. While COVID thinned traffic considerably – remember that? It was thin. We saw 462 traffic fatalities in 2020, just 30 fewer than 2019. Less traffic, just 30 fewer fatalities.

Nationally, last year marked the most traffic deaths since 2007, and fatalities have been sharply on the rise for a decade. These incidents are more than just statistics. As we know, they are families shattered by the tragedy, communities in mourning and a demand for urgent action. That is why our historic Bipartisan Infrastructure Law – Democrats are advancing the promise of safe streets and roads from all – for all.

We secured $14 billion nationally for roadway safety, which will help make California streets safer and friendlier. $262 million from the Highway Safety Improvement Program is headed to California this year to help reduce fatalities and injuries on our roads. This will help design ‘complete streets,' which provide safe and accessible transport options for people of all ages and abilities. With the new $5 billion Safe Streets For All Initiative, our city can compete for funding for Zero – Vision Zero, Madam Mayor, particularly for our High Injury Network: just 13 percent, just 13 percent of roads account for 75 percent of severe and fatal accidents. With new funding to modernize our data collection, we'll get a clearer picture of where and how our crashes occur. And, with $7.2 billion for transportation alternatives nationally, we'll improve safety of sidewalks, bike lanes – just got a tour of what it means for bike lanes and trails.

So, I just want to tell you that this is a very major – never-seen-before investment in many initiatives to create good-paying jobs for the Bay Area workers, rebuilding middle class as we rebuild communities. It will be transformative: Safe System Approach, so safety is built in from the start. And I know that's what's happening right here on Folsom and Second. With this historic achievement, Democrats are delivering For The People – in the Bay Area and beyond.

I was now, at this point, supposed to be introducing Julie Nicholson. But Julie, instead we are first going to hear from our distinguished Mayor. And we thank her for making safety a priority for the American – for the people of San Francisco. Whether it's safety on the streets, safety in terms of their health care, safety in terms of diminishing drug use – and more people have died of drug use than COVID, I hear. I mean, and the Mayor is taking the bull by the horns with that, as well as fighting crimes and all.

Safety is the first responsibility of government – it's the oath we take to ‘protect and defend,' whether it's the Constitution or the people. Our Mayor has been a champion and living up to that important priority for the community, For The People, For The Children.

Our Mayor, London Breed.

***

Thank you so much. Thank you so much. That – I mean it says so much when we talk about what Julie described. The eloquence of your statement and speaking for Families for Safe Streets. The tragedy that they underwent – one of them said to me, ‘This isn't about an accident. Some of this is a decision on the part of somebody to run a red light and speed, and the rest of that.' So we have to be prepared in every possible way. And yes, sometimes it's an accident, but not always.

And a person who knows that very well is Jeffrey Tumlin, who is the Director of San Francisco Municipal Transportation. Thank you so much. Where is Jeffrey? Thank you, Jeffrey. Let's hear it for Jeffrey for keeping San Francisco moving and in a way that is safe for bicyclists, pedestrians, people in cars and the rest. And during the Q&A, he'll take all the hard questions, because he tells us a beautiful story that was happening on Second and Folsom.

But now it's my honor to introduce Representative DeSaulnier, who is a Member of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee of the Congress of the United States. He brought to that Committee his experience as a local official, as a member of the State Legislature. This is, this is – if so, in any case, Mark DeSaulnier, Mark DeSaulnier.

***

And we always say on these infrastructure and transportations issues, they are health issues: clean air for our children. They are safety issues, in terms of what we're talking about here today. They are jobs issues – and the jobs that are created to do all of this. They are, again, they are a quality of life issue, by getting more cars off the roads and more people safely making their own choices about walking or bicycling and the rest. So much is served by all of this.

And here to talk about Walk San Francisco is Executive Director, Jodie Medeiros. I referenced her in my remarks. I want to salute her leadership and all that she works – all with whom she works in San Francisco. Jodie Medeiros.

***

Now, we'll hear from Janice Li, Advocacy Director of San Francisco Bicycle Coalition. Thank you for being with us, Janice.

***

Thank you, Janice, very much. Thank you for acknowledging Mr. Tumlin. Thank you for being with us. I didn't even recognize you with the mask.

[Crosstalk]

Thank you for being with us.

One of the points, one of the many fine points that were made was about highways coming through areas and the rest. Roads coming through areas, dividing communities.

I think it's really important to salute President Biden for making equity, fairness, justice in construction so much a part of what he is doing – not to divide neighborhoods but to unite them, to undo some past, to undo past injustice of dividing neighborhoods and the rest. So, this justice piece of it, like a 40 percent justice initiative, within the – all of his initiatives about Build Back Better.

In fact, any questions you might have – might start on this subject. On this subject?

Q: On Build Back Better, yes. How is there any hope at this time, Madam Speaker, now that – getting this through the Senate now that Senate Manchin is a no vote?

Speaker Pelosi. Well, we never give up. I wrote a letter to my colleagues yesterday, saying, first and foremost, we will we will continue to fight to pass the legislation. The Democratic Leader of the Senate, Chuck Schumer, wrote a similar letter to his colleagues yesterday.

This is – this will happen. It must happen. And we will do it as soon as we can. There are conversations that are ongoing, but we cannot walk away from this commitment. The Build Back Better is about transforming our society.

Build Back Better with women in the workplace. Build Back Better with workforce development for young people. Newer people are reaching into our communities, with all the diversity that is there. We will not let this opportunity pass. And we will make that case. And I have confidence that Senator Manchin cares about our country and that, at some point very soon, we can take up the legislation. I'm not deterred at all.

Anybody want to add to that?

[Laughter]

Mr. DeSaulnier?

Congressman DeSaulnier. Amen.

[Laughter]

Speaker Pelosi. But back to here, I think it would be very interesting just to hear Jeffrey just tell us what – just what you told us on the tour, because he made one point that was very interesting. I never thought of – Mr. DeSaulnier endorsed, which is when we're building these kinds of changes for safety in neighborhoods, it's much more worker centric than big machinery centric.

Jeffrey Tumlin. Thank you, Speaker. Jeffrey Tumlin, Director of the SFMTA. As the Speaker said, when we do work for safe streets, like building protected bikeways and upgrading traffic signals and other Vision Zero projects at work, the ‘creation of jobs' factor is so much greater than big highway expansion projects where you're mostly buying big machinery and lots of concrete and steel.

Every single dollar spent on Vision Zero projects like this goes to creating skilled labor jobs, something that we're very proud of and that we have hundreds of here at the SFMTA. A lot of this work we can do in-house, and a lot more of it we can – we could spend on local contractors and disadvantaged business enterprises to really have the money spent in a way that develops community and creates more skilled jobs.

Speaker Pelosi. Thank you for that enlightenment, but also for your leadership. Any other questions on this subject of what we're doing here today? Any other questions?

Well, thank you all very much for coming. Let me, once again, salute the Mayor for being a leader on this, because the model, the initiatives that are here in San Francisco serve as a model to the nation. How – the Mayor talked about listening to the community as to what they thought would work very well. So, your voices, the Mayor's intercession, the initiatives that are here turn into public policy at the national level – benefit not just San Francisco but the entire country.

So, I thank all of you for being here. To Kyle's mom and Paul's dad and all of you who suffered from any of this, thank you for your generosity of spirit to share your stories so eloquently so that other people will not have to suffer.

With that, congratulations, Mayor, on your successes here. Thank you all very much for coming. Let's get to work now to Build Back Better For The People.

Thank you all very much.

[Applause]

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