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Kern COG executive director reports Valley Voice trip to Washington, high‑speed rail funding moves and strong project delivery
Summary
Kern COG’s executive director briefed the board on a Valley Voice trip to Washington, DC, legislative developments affecting high‑speed rail, outreach for the regional transportation plan, and delivery metrics that placed Kern near the top of California in percent of funds delivered.
At the Sept. 18 meeting, Kern Council of Governments’ executive director summarized recent advocacy, state and federal developments and the agency’s outreach and delivery performance.
The director and Mayor Ione reported on a recent Valley Voice trip to Washington, D.C., where Kern representatives met with U.S. Department of Transportation staff and members of Congress to advocate for regional transportation priorities, including the California City Boulevard safety project. The board said they left with prospective commitments and that the department discussed streamlining project delivery and permitting to reduce delays.
On high‑speed rail, the executive director said federal actions earlier in the year withdrew approximately $4 billion and an additional $150 million from a set of associated projects; he said those withdrawals did not affect projects in Kern County. The director also said two state bills mentioned in the meeting materials (AB 1207 and SB 840) were on the governor’s desk and, if signed, would provide recurring state funding for high‑speed rail; the director emphasized fiscal and programmatic details were evolving and the project’s overall long‑term funding needs remain substantial.
The executive director reported regional delivery performance for FY 2025: Kern’s program delivery as presented in the board folder was approximately 160% of its programming target (as of the fiscal-year end), ranking the region near the top in percentage delivery in California. He credited local agency staff for advancing projects and noted ongoing outreach for the 2025 regional transportation plan (RTP), including pop-up events at the Tehachapi Mountain Festival and the county fair. Board members were invited to participate in an October 3 meeting with the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG); three board members volunteered to attend.
The director also noted an emergency bridge‑barrier repair project is scheduled for late October or early November with temporary one‑lane controls and that staff are tracking grant applications such as a roughly $4 million grant request for the Cal City Boulevard safety project. Finally, the board presented a certificate of appreciation to Raquel Pacheco for 25 years of service to the agency.
