SOUTHEAST AREA : Job Diversity Sought for Alameda Project

The prospect of thousands of jobs has garnered widespread support for the Alameda Corridor rail project, but at least one group has expressed concern that Latinos and other minorities will be used solely as laborers and will be shut out of construction management.

“We are concerned that we handle not only the pick and shovel but that we are in on the procurement side of the project as well,” said Arturo Montez, urban affairs director for the state chapter of the League of United Latin American Citizens, at an April 23 meeting of elected officials and business leaders.

Montez is among a group of Latino leaders who say that, although they support the proposed 20-mile freight rail expressway that would link the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach with downtown Los Angeles, they are worried that women and minorities will be left out when construction contracts are awarded.

“Our concern is that we (should be) afforded professional jobs and contracts up front instead of waiting until construction begins,” said Edmundo Lopez, president of Alianza, a coalition of 16 business groups and a member of Latinos for Equity in Transit. “We want appointments and contracts.”

The $1.8-billion project, which would construct a 30-foot rail trench through the center of Alameda Street, could begin as soon as 1995 and is expected to create about 9,000 construction jobs.

Funding for the project must still be secured. Gilbert Hicks, general manager of the Alameda Corridor Transportation Authority (ACTA,) said the federal government has pledged about $57 million, while the state will contribute about $80 million. The remaining funds would likely come from the L.A. County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, the ports and revenue bonds to be repaid by transportation fees.

The project’s planners say the adoption of a minority procurement program that would establish guidelines to ensure that local, minority- and women-owned businesses receive contracts is a priority. ACTA is reviewing other minority procurement programs, such as the one used by the MTA, Hicks said.

ACTA’s subcommittee on minority business enterprise contracts is expected to make its recommendation for drafting a plan when ACTA’s executive board meets May 13 at the Carson Community Center.

The authority’s executive board includes representatives from the city and county of Los Angeles, South Gate, Huntington Park, Vernon, Compton, Lynwood and Carson, as well as the MTA and Caltrans, and two officials from each port.

Carson Mayor Michael I. Mitoma, who heads the six-member subcommittee, said he understands Montez’s concern, as do members of the board who represent the communities.

“I think we’re very concerned as local officials that this project have a rippling effect, so we can use local suppliers,” Mitoma said. “In my community 75% of residents are not Caucasian.”

The project will include widening Alameda Street, creating left-turn lanes, repaving parts of the street and installing new signals.