Pork and the Fast Track
When Matthew Martinez (D., Calif.), an affable ex-Marine who
represents a swath of suburban Los Angeles, attended the White
House luncheon for Mexican President Ernesto Zedillo last
November, he had something that President Clinton wanted: a potential vote for
the fast-track trade bill. And Clinton had something Martinez wanted: power to
approve the $1.4 billion Long Beach freeway extension, blocked by
environmentalists and historic preservationists for two decades. When a Clinton
lobbyist approached him, Martinez was ready: "Why should I vote for fast track
when it's like pulling teeth to get anything from (the President)?" Martinez
recalls saying. Within days, Martinez got a late-night call from Clinton, and,
later, a call from Transportation Secretary Rodney Slater, telling him that
the project would move forward. Martinez claims "there was never a deal," but a
week after he came out in favor of the now dormant fast-track bill, the Federal
Highway Administration green-lighted the 4.5-mile project. At $311 million a
mile, the freeway would slice through historic areas of South Pasadena and the
largely Latino community of El Sereno, displacing 1,000 homes. Moreover, just
as the highway suddenly acquired Clinton's backing, the Administration was
pulling the plug on Los Angeles' subway funding.