California Gov. Jerry Brown has appointed Katherine Perez-Estolano to the California High-Speed Rail Authority's board.
Perez-Estolano co-founded Estolano LeSar Perez Advisors L.L.C., a land-use, economic development and transportation consulting firm two years ago with Cecilia Estolano, a former head of Los Angeles Community Redevelopment Agency and Jennifer LeSar of San Diego-based LeSar Development, the managing member of ELP Advisors.
She is the former executive director of the Los Angeles chapter of the Urban Land Institute, a non-profit land-use organization and an adjunct professor at University of California School of Policy, Planning and Development.
Perez-Estolano is considered an expert in transportation planning, land use policy and transit-oriented development issues, CHSRA Chairman Dan Richard said in a prepared statement.
"The appointment of Ms. Perez-Estolano will strengthen our efforts to ensure that high-speed rail is built with sensitivity to local issues and with a commitment to sustainable development in the communities we serve," Richard said.
The authority is charged with planning and building a high-speed passenger train system linking the Los Angeles and San Francisco regions, supported by a $10 billion state general obligation bond authorization approved by voters in 2008.