California’s Infrastructure and Local Agencies’ Challenges
California's infrastructure is old and needs replacement with a massive capital program. For example, the California Water Project was constructed during the gubernatorial tenure of the first Edmund Brown and much of the freeway system and the federal interstate system was constructed during and shortly after Dwight Eisenhower’s presidency. We are living, working, educating, drinking and traveling on the legacy of long dead politicians.
Our local government entities are facing mounting pressure to build infrastructure and deliver improved services to taxpayers. Throughout California nearly 200 state and county courthouses need renovation or replacement. The Long Beach courthouse alone will cost 340 million dollars. City halls, police stations, fire houses, sewage treatment plants, water distribution facilities, airports, roads and highways will all need replacement or renovation during the next twenty years. The amount of money needed for this is staggering and beyond the debt capacity of state and local government combined. Only through the participation of private capital can there be sufficient resources to meet this challenge. The private sector can play an important role in delivering important public infrastructure such as hospitals, schools, roads and rail links.