Business

Feds Pump $6 Billion into California High-Speed Rail Projects

The Biden administration has announced over $6 billion in funding for two separate high-speed rail projects that will whisk passengers from Southern to Northern California – and from Los Angeles County to Las Vegas – on electric trains traveling 200 mph or faster. The funding is part of a broader $8.2 billion national investment in high-speed rail across the country.

Published

2 years ago

December 15, 2023

Oakland Post

New high-speed rail project will link Los Angeles and Las Vegas. Courtesy of CBM.

By Lila Brown
California Black Media

The Biden administration has announced over $6 billion in funding for two separate high-speed rail projects that will whisk passengers from

Southern to Northern California – and from Los Angeles County to Las

Vegas – on electric trains traveling 200 mph or faster.

The funding is part of a broader $8.2 billion national investment in high-speed rail across the country.

The initiative, President Biden has called “the most ambitious rail project in the Western Hemisphere,” will bring the United States on par with similar rail investments in Asian and European countries.

“When I ran for president, I made a commitment to build a world-class, high-speed rail worthy of the United States of America. At long last, we’re building the first high-speed rail project in our nation’s history,” Pres. Biden said during a campaign stop in Las Vegas held on Dec. 9.

The federal government has authorized $3 billion in funding for the 218-mile project.

“Together, we’re finally going to make high-speed rail happen between Las Vegas and Los Angeles. Some of you know what it’s like to sit in traffic on interstates trying to make that drive back and forth from L.A. to Las Vegas,” the President continued, noting that the L.A. to Las Vegas train line, called the Brightline, will have a significant impact on tourism during the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.

The rail project reduces carbon emissions, the same as taking 3 million vehicles off the highway, he added.

On Dec. 5, U.S. House Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi announced that another project, The California High-Speed Rail (CHSR) project, is set to receive $3.1 billion in federal funding to support construction of a two-track electrified high-speed passenger bullet train connecting the cities of Merced, Fresno and Bakersfield.

“An electrified high-speed rail network will dramatically improve the quality of life in the Central Valley and up and down California,” Pelosi said.

This funding was awarded to California from a competitive national grant program under the historic Bipartisan Infrastructure and Appropriations laws passed by Congress in 2022.

When complete, that rail line will take travelers from Los Angeles, through the Central Valley, all the way to San Francisco, in less than three hours. Today, the journey can take eight hours by bus or car.

“Think of how this train will transform California’s Central Valley with new businesses, new residents, visitors, economic opportunities, or what it will mean to folks who live in inland towns and commute to work in Californian coastal cities,” Biden said of that project.

The CHSR project is the first of its kind in America and plays a key role in the modernization of passenger rail. Once CHSR is fully operational, the projected ridership for the San Francisco to Los Angeles corridor would make it the most traveled intercity passenger rail service in America with 31.3 million riders a year.

This project has already provided over 11,000 union jobs – most of which have been filled by Central Valley residents and residents from disadvantaged Bay Area communities. It has generated more than $12 billion in economic activity, engaging hundreds of small businesses, including those led by veterans and people with disabilities, according to Newsom’s office.

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Oakland Post: Week of February 25 – March 3, 2026

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of – February 25 – March 3, 2026

Published

1 week ago

March 1, 2026

Oakland Post

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Chase Oakland Community Center Hosts Alley-Oop Accelerator Building Community and Opportunity for Bay Area Entrepreneurs

Over the past three years, the Alley-Oop Accelerator has helped more than 20 Bay Area businesses grow, connect, and gain meaningful exposure. The program combines hands-on training, mentorship, and community-building to help participants navigate the legal, financial, and marketing challenges of small business ownership.

Published

2 weeks ago

February 21, 2026

Oakland Post

Bay Area entrepreneurs attend the Alley-Oop Accelerator, a small business incubation program at Chase Oakland Community Center. Photo by Carla Thomas.

By Carla Thomas

The Golden State Warriors and Chase bank hosted the third annual Alley-Oop Accelerator this month, an empowering eight-week program designed to help Bay Area entrepreneurs bring their visions for business to life.

The initiative kicked off on Feb. 12 at Chase’s Oakland Community Center on Broadway Street, welcoming 15 small business owners who joined a growing network of local innovators working to strengthen the region’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.

At its core, the accelerator is designed to create an ecosystem of collaboration, where local entrepreneurs can learn from one another while accessing the resources of a global financial institution.

“This is our third year in a row working with the Golden State Warriors on the Alley-Oop Accelerator,” said Jaime Garcia, executive director of Chase’s Coaching for Impact team for the West Division. “We’ve already had 20-plus businesses graduate from the program, and we have 15 enrolled this year. The biggest thing about the program is really the community that’s built amongst the business owners — plus the exposure they’re able to get through Chase and the Golden State Warriors.”

According to Garcia, several graduates have gone on to receive vendor contracts with the Warriors and have gained broader recognition through collaborations with JPMorgan Chase.

“A lot of what Chase is trying to do,” Garcia added, “is bring businesses together because what they’ve asked for is an ecosystem, a network where they can connect, grow, and thrive organically.”

This year’s Alley-Oop Accelerator reflects that vision through its comprehensive curriculum and emphasis on practical learning. Participants explore the full spectrum of business essentials including financial management, marketing strategy, and legal compliance, while also preparing for real-world experiences such as pop-up market events.

Each entrepreneur benefits from one-on-one mentoring sessions through Chase’s Coaching for Impact program, which provides complimentary, personalized business consulting.

Garcia described the impact this hands-on approach has had on local small business owners. He recalled one candlemaker, who, after participating in the program, was invited to provide candles as gifts at Chase events.

“We were able to help give that business exposure,” he explained. “But then our team also worked with them on how to access capital to buy inventory and manage operations once those orders started coming in. It’s about preparation. When a hiccup happens, are you ready to handle it?”

The Coaching for Impact initiative, which launched in 2020 in just four cities, has since expanded to 46 nationwide.

“Every business is different,” Garcia said. “That’s why personal coaching matters so much. It’s life-changing.”

Participants in the 2026 program will each receive a $2,500 stipend, funding that Garcia said can make an outsized difference. “It’s amazing what some people can do with just $2,500,” he noted. “It sounds small, but it goes a long way when you have a plan for how to use it.”

For Chase and the Warriors, the Alley-Oop Accelerator represents more than an educational initiative, it’s a pathway to empowerment and economic inclusion. The program continues to foster lasting relationships among the entrepreneurs who, as Garcia put it, “build each other up” through shared growth and opportunity.

“Starting a business is never easy, but with the right support, it becomes possible, and even exhilarating,” said Oscar Lopez, the senior business consultant for Chase in Oakland.