Will African-American vendors work this latest Metro project

LACMTA is certainly making history with record number of billion dollar constructions projects, happening simultaneously, around LA County.  The Crenshaw/LAX rail, the LAX connector and today the Metro board announced $1.6 billion to extend the Purple Line.

African-American contractors have been crying foul, so have African-American owned newspapers, who are left out of the lucrative contracts.  The ‘trickle down’ theory has mysteriously bypassed African-American firms.  You rarely see advertisements in African-American owned newspapers, or blogs, that promote the projects.  With the African-American press not awarded contracts for marketing and outreach efforts, it is nearly impossible to get any information from regular construction meetings, since the African-American doesn’t attend.

Two of the three above projects are occurring in predominantly minority neighborhoods so why aren’t minority businesses getting work?

With upwards of $5 billion being doled out, who is ensuring hiring mandates are met as outlined by LACMTA?

Read more on the latest billion dollar contract by clicking here.