REGION: Governor to sign amended rail bill

If passed, bond could open up some funding for local projects

By DAN SIMMONS - Staff Writer | Tuesday, August 26, 2008 6:13 PM PDT ∞

SACRAMENTO ---- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Tuesday lent unexpected support to a bill that could open a way for San Diego and Riverside counties to compete for some proceeds from the $9.9 billion high-speed rail bond on the November ballot.

Schwarzenegger decided to make an exception to his pledge that he would veto or avoid signing bills before lawmakers reach agreement on a state budget that is now two months overdue, said Aaron McLear, the governor's press secretary.

He was expected to sign a measure designed to strengthen the wording of the high-speed rail bond that is on the Nov. 4 ballot, McLear said.

The legislation would add some oversight requirements before the bond money could be spent on the first leg of the 700-mile rail system. When completed, the $45 billion project would link California's largest cities with trains running at top speeds of more than 200 mph.

But the legislation is not what it seems, said John Chalker, a San Diego member of the California Transportation Commission.

Chalker said the original bill introduced in February would have given San Diego and Riverside counties a shot at rail money, but a series of amendments throws that into question. As passed in its final form, the bill states that the money can be spent anywhere in the state ---- as long as it doesn't jeopardize the track between Los Angeles and San Francisco.

"That leaves it open to quite a bit of interpretation," Chalker said. "Our chances of seeing any of that $9.9 billion are very slim."

Mike Naggar, mayor of Temecula, agreed and expressed doubt that voters will approve the measure.

"As long as the only thing in there is crumbs for Southern California, I don't see it passing," he said.

The plan is to connect California's major urban regions with speedy trains traveling as fast as 200 mph. Between Los Angeles and San Diego, the tracks are proposed to run through Riverside, Murrieta and Escondido along Interstates 215 and 15.

However, as written, the proposition focuses spending on tracks between Los Angeles and San Francisco ---- a piece some have called the backbone of the eventual statewide system. That focus bothered politicians in communities south of Los Angeles and east of San Francisco.

With their support, Assemblywoman Cathleen Galgiani, D-Livingston, introduced Assembly Bill 3034 to spread the money around the state.

The bill gained quick passage by the Senate and Assembly. But it still focuses $9 billion of the $9.9 billion funding package on the central corridor between San Franscisco and Los Angeles. Municipalities can compete for the remaining $900 million for local rail projects.

Chalker said the money may give San Diego County a chance to improve intercity rail infrastructure, which he deemed "woefully inadequate."

Contact staff writer Dan Simmons at (760) 740-5426 or dsimmons@nctimes.com. The Associated Press contributed to this story.

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Fin wrote on Aug 26, 2008 7:16 PM:No money for SD....I shall vote NO

Vista Resident wrote on Aug 26, 2008 8:56 PM:The reason I like this train is that it will make it much easier to get up North. Planes are a pain and Amtrak takes all day. So, usually I just drive it.

It seems like a backbone between LA and SF should strengthen trade and give us a lift in San Diego because of that. Since tourism is a major part of our economy here, making it easier for people to get here should help us financially.

Once the backbone is prospering, surely we can get it extended down here and then we will get money when the extension is built.

Backbone Support wrote on Aug 26, 2008 10:33 PM:Local representatives should join the Gov. in support of building the LA-SF backbone and makes sure LA-SD is the second leg of the rail project.

Howiek wrote on Aug 27, 2008 3:17 AM:Anyone who thinks there will ever be a high-speed rail link between San Diego and Riverside need to have their heads examined—not gonna happen in our lifetimes, anybodies lifetime for that matter. Heck we cannot even get a decent airport—we are stuck with the teacup called Lindbergh Field, or more appropriately an accident waiting to happen.

John E wrote on Aug 27, 2008 5:30 AM:What would make sense is a Los Angeles to San Jose backbone. Local rail (AMTRAK, Metrolink, Coaster, CalTrain, BART, et al.) can handle the distribution at each end.

What I specifically do not want to see is high-speed rail on the current LOSSAN (Metrolink, Coaster, AMTRAK) route. The Coaster was born in 1984 out of the efforts of the United Citizens' Coastal Protective League, which fought against an earlier bullet train proposal partly because the route was so valuable as a potential commuter line. The success of the Coaster has proven this out.

Howiek wrote on Aug 27, 2008 6:10 AM:Don’t worry San Diego, we will never see high-speed rail here. It is a pipe dream at best and guess who will be paying for it, us the taxpayer. And all you people can do is complain, sorry but nobody is listening to you. We cannot even get a decent airport.

Dirk wrote on Aug 27, 2008 12:48 PM:Like everything else, this will spin round & round in court for 25 years and never be built. Great idea though!

Cowboy wrote on Aug 27, 2008 12:50 PM:Just wait until Gallegos and Eidam and the rest of the clowns at SANDAG get their hands on the money - it'll be wasted many times over, and will make the SPRINTER look like the officla train of MENSA. They are experts in finding innovative ways to blow transportation and planning dollars - and the little elves in their public information office can craft new and exciting lies on which the public can feast.

RW wrote on Aug 27, 2008 4:39 PM:The High Speed Rail Authority will be holding a public meeting in San Diego on September 3, 2008 at 10:00 am
San Diego Association of Governments
401 B Street, Suite 800
San Diego, CA 92101

I encourage people, specifically, commenters on this article that have questions, doubts, or want to show support for or against to show up.

Mike S. wrote on Aug 27, 2008 7:49 PM:I will vote for the bond measure regardless. We will always be in line behind the SF-LA link, so the sooner that gets going, the sooner other bond measures might fund extension of the system into San Diego County.

There are other indirect benefits to us down here. The reduction in crowding at LAX will directly affect anybody trying to fly to other destinations via LAX. Now that ExpressJet is going out of business, flying to Fresno, Monterey, and other CA locations will most likely be through LAX.

Decreased gasoline use will lower demand and lower prices. Less CO2 emissions will delay global warming. Ease of transportation between LAX and SF will stimulate the California economy as a whole, increasing tax revenue.

It is a shame that everyone assumes that nobody is looking more than a few years into the future, or looking beyond their local horizons.

To Dirk wrote on Aug 27, 2008 9:09 PM:If my memory serves me correctly, a similar proposal was tossed around 30-odd years ago. It was to be a magnetic levitation train from CA to Vegas. Each respective city argued why their city was the best suited for this project, and that process in itself took years. I think they finally settled on Fullerton. A trip to Vegas would be less than one hour. Then, when it started looking like it might actually happen, a popular airline of the day PSA torpedoed the project by lobbying all political parties and with endless litigation. It would have destroyed their business and they wouldn't hear of it. This is NOT a new idea, and we don't have anyone powerful enough in DC or Sacramento to make this happen. Mark-my-words, great idea but it will never (repeat never) happen.

Cowboy wrote on Aug 28, 2008 10:49 AM:Thanks Renee W. - I appreciate the info on the public hearing. I will certainly attend and let me voice be heard. Pay no attention to the man in the train conductor uniform! I too encourage others to attend, eat some free SANDAG grub, and point out the fiscal futility of Boondoggle 2 (aka - if you thought the Sprinter was a joke, wait'll get a load of this!)

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