Ground was broken yesterday on the $69.2 million project to bring new 4.4 miles in each direction of bus and carpool lanes to the Golden State (I-5) Freeway in Burbank between the Hollywood Freeway (SR-170) and the Buena Vista Street interchange. more ›

At a L.A. City Council committee meeting last Friday, city budget officials announced that Los Angeles has received around $591 million from 84 grants in the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act. That's out of 150 applications put forth so far, asking for a total of $1.5 billion in the three-year federal program. And applications aren't over yet. A low-income weatherization grant was submitted by LADWP last week and two more are expected to be turned in this week. Those two are both tech-related. One program would allow people without computer and internet access to checkout laptops for a couple weeks at a time and another would upgrade the city's website to become a customer service powerhouse and social network. more ›

Another round of American Recovery and Investment Act of grants awards were announced today with a handful of Southern California cities on the list, the White House announced this morning. Included is $69,776 for the Metro Blue Line traction power substation, $500,000 for the Orange County Transportation Authority to purchase three alternative fuel buses as replacements for the City of Laguna Beach and a whopping $4.7 million to Metrolink to fund track rehabilitation, Positive Train Control, some facilities and insurance. more ›

Los Angeles has earned $586 million dollars from the American Recovery Investment Act (you know, the Stimulus Package?), according to city officials speaking at a city council committee meeting last Friday. more ›

Obama's Secretary of Commerce, Gary Locke, is in town today to help announce a $7.5 million Recovery act investment to increase broadband access in the city. "The investment will help bridge the technological divide and improve access to job and computer training and educational opportunities," an advisory explained. Details of how the money will be used should be announced later today. U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer, Congresswoman Maxine Waters and Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa will all be present at the press conference, which is taking place this afternoon at the South Los Angeles WorkSource Center. more ›

Last month, 23 Members of Congress voiced their support in a letter to the Department of Transportation for a high speed rail project in California to be funded through the federal Recovery Act. Today, U.S. Senators Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein (both D-CA) and California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger (R-CA) wrote to President Barack Obama to echo their support of this request, according to a press release from Senator Boxer. more ›

With the feds yearning to give away $8 billion in Recovery Act money to states for high-speed train development, California officials today prepared to submit an application asking for more than half of that. more ›

While Schwarzenegger slashed 100% of funding for domestic violence in California, the Department of Justice today announced that Recovery Act money is heading to a handful of grants to domestic violence shelters in California, including two in Southern California. House of Ruth, Inc in Los Angeles County received $500,000 and $520,755 was awarded to the Southern California Alcohol and Drug Program headquartered in Downey. more ›