Politics & Government

Berman Tour Highlights His Work for 405 Expansion Project

On the second leg of his "Accomplishment Tour," Congressman Howard Berman stopped at the Sherman Oaks Galleria to speak about the 405 expansion project.

Before Congressman Howard Berman began his speech during his “Accomplishment Tour” Tuesday morning, he pointed from the roof of the Sherman Oaks Galleria parking lot toward the free-flowing northbound side of the 405 freeway.

“I’m responsible for the northbound side of it,” Berman said, drawing laughter from those on hand, who could also see the slow-moving, congested traffic in the freeway's southbound lanes.

The Sherman Oaks Galleria rooftop parking lot, which gives a clear view of the 405 freeway approaching the 101 freeway, was the second stop of Berman’s “Accomplishment Tour,” of the San Fernando Valley, in which he visited locations that demonstrated his “unmatched effectiveness in the race to fill California’s newly-drawn 30th Congressional seat,” said his press liaison Zack Tupper.

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He first visited Berman Trail at Franklin Canyon Park in Beverly Hills in the tour's first stop, and then moved on to the NBC Universal lot in Universal City. See the other stories on Studio City Patch and North Hollywood-Toluca Lake Patch:

Atop the Galleria parking structure, Berman was joined by Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and Sherman Oaks Homeowners Association President Richard Close to highlight the congressman's role in the ongoing 405 freeway expansion project.

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Also on hand was California Assemblymember Bob Blumenfield, who began his career under Berman.

“If this were truly an accomplishment tour, we wouldn’t be able to do it all today,” Blumenfield said. “Congressman Berman does it in a very modest way, but he always gets the job done.

“He’s different in that he’s effective,” Blumenfield added. “He doesn’t just write a letter in support of a project and hope it happens. He works diligently behind the scenes. The 405 project is a perfect example of that.”

Mayor Villaraigosa spoke about his long-standing relationship with Berman, as well as the role that Berman has played in the 405 project.

“I don’t know anybody quite like Howard Berman across the country, or anyone that has the reputation that Howard Berman has,” Villaraigosa said. “When you call on him time after time, he always answers the call.”

The 405 expansion project, which is on pace to be completed by the end of 2013, is set to add a 10-mile High Occupancy Vehicle lane to the northbound side of the 405 freeway between the 10 and 101 freeways.

“The 405 project is a great example of the passion, power and skill Howard Berman has on this issue and many issues over the years,” Villaraigosa said. “Howard Berman was the key player in getting money for the 405 expansion project.”

There has been a dispute between Berman and his opponent in the 30th District Congressional race, Democratic Rep. Brad Sherman, concerning which Congressman is responsible for moving the project forward.

On Tuesday Berman commented that, during a lunch meeting with Close, the homeowners association president advised him to focus on alleviating traffic congestion on the 405.

“There are lots of myths about who is responsible for getting the funds to support the 405 expansion project,” Close said. “It was Howard Berman.”

According to Berman’s campaign, Berman secured $130 million in federal funding to jumpstart the expansion project and pressured Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to commit to the project.

Sherman’s campaign claims that Sherman was able to help secure a larger chunk of state funds from California Transportation Committee bonds and have them allocated to the 405 project.

Berman maintains that, before those CTC bond funds were attained, the project was already secured.

“Brad is looking for a role, and I understand that and appreciate that, but the fact is, before that commission hearing ever took place, this was a done deal,” Berman said.

“A lot of people got involved and got behind this project, but it started with Congressman Berman,” Villaraigosa said. “It started with the federal money and Howard Berman was the driving force in Congress.”

In concluding his speech, Berman commented that although the 405 expansion project would be vital to alleviating traffic in the San Fernando Valley, it was not the ultimate fix.

“We need to provide an imaginative alternative to single passenger vehicles,” Berman said. “This is a useful and important step, but not the answer. We still need to work towards a final solution.”


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