Cárdenas Invites LAUSD Bus Driver as Virtual Guest to State of the Union
Victor Garcia, a driver for one of LAUSD’s first-ever electric school buses, is excited to hear how the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law could help bring more zero-emission school buses to Los Angeles
SAN FERNANDO VALLEY — Today, Congressman Tony Cárdenas (CA-29) announced Victor Garcia, a bus driver for one of LAUSD’s first-ever electric school buses, as his virtual guest to President Joe Biden’s first State of the Union Address tonight. Garcia, a union worker and school bus driver at LAUSD for 25 years, is excited to hear how the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law could help bring more zero-emission school buses to Los Angeles.
The State of the Union Address will highlight the achievements under the leadership of President Biden and the Democratic Majority, especially the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the American Rescue Plan.
“As a product of LAUSD, I know firsthand that school bus drivers are the heroes who go above and beyond to make sure a quality education starts on the way to school,” said Congressman Cárdenas. “Thanks to LAUSD’s first-ever electric bus, Victor gets to make each ride to school even more special with a commute that’s safe and free of toxic air pollution. The work he does every single day is why I fought to make sure the Infrastructure Law sends money to school districts across the country to replace existing buses with clean, zero-emission school buses. These investments will create healthier and cleaner communities for our kids, our families and our neighborhoods. Drivers like Victor are the heroes on the ground who are reshaping the way our kids get to school, and it’s an honor to have him as my virtual guest to President Biden’s first State of the Union address.”
“As an electric school bus driver, I’m so thankful to President Biden and Congressman Cárdenas for working to deliver results for our schools and students,” said Victor Garcia. “I’m excited to hear the President talk about the investments going into making sure we can continue to electrify our buses while reducing our carbon footprint.”
On a typical day before the COVID-19 pandemic, nearly 25 million children were exposed to air pollution when they rode over 500,000 predominantly diesel buses to school in the U.S. each day. Nearly 95 percent of America’s school buses run on diesel, a fossil fuel that has been shown to cause numerous health problems, including asthma, bronchitis and cancer.
Congressman Cárdenas secured $5 billion in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to replace old diesel buses with new, cleaner and zero-emission electric school buses through a competitive grant process. These investments will also increase the domestic production of electric school buses, creating new, good-paying jobs. Manufacturing costs could also fall dramatically, making it more affordable for school districts to buy electric buses. Once those buses are operational, they’ll be cheaper to maintain than diesel buses. After the upfront cost, an electric school bus could save schools about $2,000 in fuel costs and $4,400 in maintenance annually.
Photos of Congressman Cárdenas and Victor Garcia can be found here.
###