President-elect Barack Obama said last week that his multibillion-dollar stimulus package would kick-start the economy by essentially creating a New New Deal.
"We will put Americans to work in new jobs that pay well and can't be outsourced -- jobs building solar panels and wind turbines; constructing fuel-efficient cars and buildings; and developing the new energy technologies that will lead to even more jobs, more savings, and a cleaner, safer planet in the bargain," he said.
That's great, as far as it goes. Problem is, it doesn't go far enough.
Obama's vision for public-works spending on a scale not seen since the Great Depression represents a unique opportunity to address fundamental inequities in American society and remedy problems that plague Southern California and other metropolitan areas.
Along with a focus on green technology, the billions in stimulus cash should have two key goals: a massive improvement of the nation's public-transportation infrastructure and a commitment to housing for workers who can't afford to be part of the communities they serve.
Darling Quijada, 33, a nurse at California Hospital Medical Center in downtown Los Angeles, wanted her own little piece of the American dream. She wanted a house big enough for a young family to grow into.
But when she and her husband, who also works as a nurse at the hospital, looked around L.A., they came up empty.
Sure, there were places within their price range, but they considered them all either too small or too far from high-ranking schools and other resources.
They ended up buying a 3,000-square-foot house in Palmdale for $380,000. "There was no way we could have afforded a home like that in L.A.," Quijada said.
The downside is that Quijada must leave for work each morning around 5 and typically doesn't return home until about 9:30 at night. The 60-mile commute takes roughly two hours each way.
"I would love to be closer to my job," Quijada said. "The drive is very long. But we decided we didn't want to sacrifice on our home."
Of course, $380,000 will go farther these days than it did when Quijada was house-hunting about four years ago. As of late November, Southern California's median home price had plunged nearly 35% from a year before, to $285,000 -- its first dip below $300,000 since 2003.
