LOS ANGELES (Jan. 20, 2023) – The Los Angeles County Business Federation “BizFed” re-amplified its support of Phillip Washington’s nomination to head the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) after an agency outage delayed 11,000 flights, caused more than 1,300 flight cancellations and brought ongoing internal challenges into sharper focus.
BizFed sent a third endorsement letter Wednesday to the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, tripling down on the federation’s calls for Washington’s swift confirmation to serve as FAA Administrator. BizFed sent its first endorsement letter in August 2022 and mobilized its massive network of members to also contact senators on Washington’s behalf. He was nominated for the post in July 2022 by President Joe Biden but has yet to sit for a confirmation hearing.
“Phil Washington is the master collaborator and convener the FAA needs right now in a permanent Senate-confirmed administrator role. This shouldn’t be about politics. This is about safely and reliably getting Americans to their destinations,” said Tracy Hernandez, Founding CEO of BizFed.
BizFed members had the privilege of collaborating with Washington while he led the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority “Metro” from 2015 to 2021. He left for his current post as CEO of Denver International Airport. Washington’s long track record of transportation leadership in aviation and beyond includes partnering with Southern California business leaders to shape and shepherd long-term transit expansion plans.
✔️ Washington played an instrumental role in blasting through decision-making delays that cost Metro millions per month and stalled the construction of long-awaited projects at Los Angeles World Airports.
✔️ Under Washington’s leadership, Metro worked with Los Angeles International Airport to finalize planning and facilitate the completion of key construction milestones for a $2 billion “Automated People Mover” electric train system. It will operate 24/7 to serve approximately 30 million passengers annually, resulting in 117,000 fewer vehicle miles traveled per day.
✔️ Washington led Metro efforts to streamline construction of its 8.5-mile Crenshaw/LAX Transit Project, also known as the K Line, which connects the cities of Los Angeles, Inglewood and El Segundo. This $2 billion public transportation investment in South Los Angeles marks the first time rail transit has served the Crenshaw Corridor since 1955.
✔️ Washington partnered with BizFed to fine-tune advocacy messaging for Measure M, the largest transportation investment ballot measure in North America. Its passage in 2016 jumpstarted the creation of an estimated 700,000 jobs.
