Moment #24: Changemakers Podcast - Defining Transportation Equity in Los Angeles County
Transportation is indispensable to all of us. We need it to access all of our basic needs--housing, our jobs, health-care, schools, and food. Here at LISC we believe it is vital that low-income communities of color have access to multiple transportation options that are reliable and safe in order to have a good quality of life.
At the same time, we know that those essential public investments, whether they be in transit & mobility, green space, or street improvements, can change the face of neighborhoods and are often fraught with challenges and inequities.
With the passage of Measure M last year and the $10B of public funds that we will start to see being invested in the County as early as next year, there has been a lot of conversations about “transit equity” and “Just Growth” and what that means and looks like on the ground in our communities.
Join us this episode as we explore questions of equity and growth with our panel of experts.
Listen to the full episode HERE.
Speakers
Isela Gracian joined East LA Community Corporation (ELACC) in 2004, and previous to her role as president, was ELACC’s Vice President of Operations for nearly five years. ELACC's vision is simple: to help the members of a 95% Latino community create an environment that supports a productive, healthy, and fulfilling life. Isela has led the organization’s strategic and operational planning efforts since 2010, along with program oversight for all ELACC departments. The California Women's Foundation recognized Isela for her thought-leading work formulating solutions to community issues by appointing her a California Women's Policy Institute Fellow in 2006/2007.
Jessica Meaney is the Founder and Executive Director of Investing in Place, an organization that believes our families can’t get ahead in life if they can’t get around, which is why their core mission is to support transportation investments that strengthen communities. Jessica is a transportation advocate who has been living car free in Los Angeles for over 20 years, primarily relying on Metro buses to get around in the LA Region. This personal experience using transit led her to work in the field in transportation policy – ultimately to create Investing in Place to address what she saw as an unmet need for an organization that prioritized the needs and focused on improving the experience (safety, reliability) of mobility for those without access to a private vehicle.
Jackie Dupont-Walker is Executive Director of Ward Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) based in South LA and a Metro Board Director. WEDC is a California not-for-profit community development corporation whose mission includes neighborhood, housing, economic, and leadership development. As one of the first faith-based development corporations in Los Angeles, it has championed that cause across the nation and mentored similar groups from local congregations.