Don’t Let the State Senate Kill High Speed Rail
It’s organizing time. The legislature is taking up the governor’s request to release the voter-approved high speed rail bond money in order to match $3.3 billion in federal stimulus money and create jobs. HSR supporters need to let legislators know you expect them to do the right thing and release the funds. You can start at StandUpForTrains.org:
We are truly at a make it or break it moment for high-speed rail in California and in America. The California Legislature must decide by July 1st to release Proposition 1A high-speed rail bond funds to match $3.3 billion in federal grants.
If you live in California, it is critcal that you call your representative and senator to urge them to move forward without delay.
If you don’t live in California, please ask your California friends to make the call.
High-speed rail remains a top priority for a broad and diverse set of leaders and stakeholders all around California, including business, labor, transportation and livability advocates, who agree that we cannot delay getting started.
High-speed rail will help the economy and the state budget now because of massive job creation. Quality middle-class jobs will better the lives of thousands of families and improve the economy now and the tax revenues generated by new jobs will help bolster California’s finances.
Long-term, high-speed rail provides a foundation for ongoing economic prosperity because it provides a solution to our overtaxed transportation system and will free us from volatile fuel costs, helping businesses and individuals prosper.
California legislators need to know that there is broad support. It is critical that supporters call their representatives and senators urging them to move forward without delay.
Here’s what happens if they vote YES:
- Construction begins in the Central Valley on the nation’s first dedicated high-speed line.
- Caltrain, the San Jose – San Francisco commuter line, gets electrified by 2018.
- ACE commuter rail and Amtrak’s San Joaquin and Capitol Corridors get upgraded with new coordinated service.
- Metrolink’s Antelope Valley and San Bernardino lines get upgraded.
- The stage will be set to close the missing link between Bakersfield and Los Angeles.
Senator Alan Lowenthal is pushing ahead with his misleadingly-named “Plan B” for HSR, which involves his long-held dream of stealing all the bond money that was intended for bullet trains connecting SF to LA for other, slower, local rail service. The Obama Administration has made it absolutely clear that they will not allow the federal stimulus funds to be moved out of the Central Valley. Lowenthal’s proposal, then, means the death of the California HSR project and the loss of billions in desperately needed stimulus funds and the jobs they would produce.
Sure, Lowenthal and his allies might argue that the Obama Administration would flip-flop and agree to move the funds out of the Valley. But the White House stood firm when Tea Party governors in Wisconsin, Ohio and Florida wanted to move their HSR stimulus funds to other uses, refusing their requests and moving that money to other states, including California. They won’t give in to Tea Party Democrats like Lowenthal on this.
So make your voice heard. Send an email to your legislators, or better yet call their offices and let them know you want the California high speed rail to move forward as currently planned, without delay!

Is there a C-SPAN for the California legislature? Live audio? Anything?
Is there any archived video on HSR debate?
@ Spokker
You want to visist
http://www.calchannel.com
which has all the videos, both live and archived of the State Legislature.
Spokker Reply:
June 27th, 2012 at 2:48 am
Thanks for this. I had looked at the State of California’s page on the legislature. I assumed that if I didn’t immediately see a link for it there, that it probably didn’t exist. I should have looked harder.
I already emailed my state senator, Mark Leno, on Monday. I told him we have to look to our future competiveness as a state and that we needed to better tie together our state in voicing my support for disbursement of funds. I should’ve pointed out that naysayers are being shortsighted.
There are 25 State Senators who are Democrat and the vote needs 21. Does anyone know who the “no” votes are at the moment. It has to be more than Lowenthal.
Also, I don’t think “Tea Party Democrat” is a real thing. I belive the proper term is “blue dog” democrat (fiscal conservative, social liberal).
BruceMcF Reply:
June 27th, 2012 at 7:50 am
No, Blue Dogs are moderate or conservative on social issues. You may be thinking of Hedge Fund Democrats, like the President, the Clintons, etc.
Alon Levy Reply:
June 27th, 2012 at 11:18 am
I thought Blue Dogs were moderate Dems in general, not just on social issues.
adirondacker12800 Reply:
June 27th, 2012 at 11:29 am
From the Tea Party’s point of view they are radical socialists bent on forcing all to live under their communistic anti-colonial version of hippiedom.
Alon Levy Reply:
June 27th, 2012 at 7:48 pm
Isn’t the US supposed to be anti-colonial, or something?
adirondacker12800 Reply:
June 27th, 2012 at 7:55 pm
yes but since Newt rewrote that bit, Tea Party members think being anti-colonial is a bad thing. And Paul Revere was galloping to Lexington to warn the British. And ya better keep the Government’s dirty mitts off their Medicare.
Paul Druce Reply:
June 27th, 2012 at 8:59 pm
Bah. True conservatives are Jacobites.
adirondacker12800 Reply:
June 28th, 2012 at 3:45 pm
And true Scotsman wouldn’t entertain questions about birth certificates. Ya dance with who brung ya.
joe Reply:
June 27th, 2012 at 11:51 am
Blue Dogs can best be characterized by their House Leader, Heath Shuler. A man whose made an NFL career out of throwing the football to the other team.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heath_Shuler
During his years in Congress Shuler has made a name for himself by challenging the leadership of his party, which he believes has moved too far to the left. In 2010 he ran against Nancy Pelosi for the post of minority leader. He knew he would lose, but also knew he would gain prominence as a leader of conservative and moderate Democrats. He is now one of the leaders of the Blue Dog Democrats, whose numbers were severely diminished in the 2010 election, and has had a higher profile in the national media than he had previously enjoyed.
…
Shuler was a first-round selection in the 1994 NFL Draft, taken by the Washington Redskins with the third overall pick. ESPN rated him the 4th biggest NFL Draft bust of all time.
…
Shuler threw five interceptions in a game against the Arizona Cardinals. Shuler started 18 games in his first two years with the team and was benched in his third year, as Frerotte went to the Pro Bowl.
…
TD-INT 15-33
Tony D. Reply:
June 27th, 2012 at 6:14 pm
Heath Shuler! Lol! Now that’s funny!
BruceMcF Reply:
June 27th, 2012 at 12:04 pm
The Blue Dogs are normally corporatist on economic issues and fairly conservative on social issues. A lot of them represented Republican-lean districts, so a much larger proportion of them were wiped out in the 2010 Republican wave election in the House than the moderates or progressives.
John Nachtigall Reply:
June 27th, 2012 at 11:39 am
Funny…+1 on that
Neil Shea Reply:
June 27th, 2012 at 8:57 am
And we’ll get 0 republicans on this vote, correct?
John Nachtigall Reply:
June 27th, 2012 at 11:39 am
according to the latest articles…there are 0 republican supporters
VBobier Reply:
June 27th, 2012 at 11:51 am
That’s sad, several of My relatives support HSR and their Republican, I guess the ones in the legislature are holding a temper tantrum since they can’t block budget votes anymore, too bad, so sad, not…
John Nachtigall Reply:
June 27th, 2012 at 1:26 pm
Gee…I can’t imagine why they are not lining up to support HSR with such a sympathetic and reasonable argument of “Too bad, so sad, not…”
Perhaps spiking the ball on them while cutting them out of ever discussion does not lead to a very bilateral cooperative enviroment.
Neil Shea Reply:
June 27th, 2012 at 6:36 pm
I certainly dont see Republicans wanting to engage in any dialog or give-and-take on the national scene
VBobier Reply:
June 27th, 2012 at 6:59 pm
And the same can be said in California, so naturally why include the Party of Doctor NO…
Derek Reply:
June 27th, 2012 at 3:56 pm
Does it benefit Big Oil? No? Then no Republicans will support it.
DavidM Reply:
June 27th, 2012 at 9:57 am
DeSaulnier is saying “right now” my vote would be no, Simitian has said that he opposes beginning construction in the CV. Correa said he is also leaning against it. I don’t think it’s a question of the bonds going down, I think it is a matter of the conditions attached (Plan B). It may be possible to pass without those 4, but they are angling for some sort of deal.
John Nachtigall Reply:
June 27th, 2012 at 11:42 am
I had heard the same 4 names…but you don’t need those 4 to pass it so why entertain plan B?
And where is Gov Brown on this…he is awefully quiet after being such a vocal supporter?
BruceMcF Reply:
June 27th, 2012 at 12:05 pm
It may well be that one or more of those will bring one or more others in their wake.
John Nachtigall Reply:
June 27th, 2012 at 1:28 pm
I have to say I am surprised by this. I thought Brown could easily line them up for this vote and he is already on record as a supporter (and taking all the heat that entails regarding spending the money).
If they can’t get this passed (with 3+ billion in fed matching) how are they going to fund the rest of it.
Very surprising to me he can’t get them to approve it.
J. Wong Reply:
June 27th, 2012 at 3:53 pm
? It hasn’t been voted on yet so saying “he can’t get them to approve it” is a bit premature.
My suspicion is that Brown is working behind the scenes and that it will pass.
Robert Cruickshank Reply:
June 27th, 2012 at 9:04 pm
More than just Brown, it’s Obama and Pelosi who are working behind the scenes to impress upon State Senate Democrats the importance of not being idiots, not handing Mitt Romney a big win, and voting to support their president on this.
joe Reply:
June 27th, 2012 at 9:34 pm
Apparently this attention emboldened them.
adirondacker12800 Reply:
June 27th, 2012 at 5:23 pm
Plan B, whatever it is that is not constructing in the Central Valley, will make the people of the Midwest, Northeast and perhaps Virginia and North Caroline very grateful.
It seems that a group that appears relatively well-funded has taken aim at revoking Prop 1A.
An email is starting to make the rounds inviting people to appear in Anaheim on Wednesday to kick off their petition drive:
“To kick off the start of the Activist Petition Drive, ReVoteRail.com joined forces with The Jon & Ken Show of KFI AM 640 radio for a radio remote launch on Wendesday, June 27 from 3pm to 6pm at the Ayers Hotel in Anaheim”
The man responsible is: Ron Robinson | http://procinct.net
Robert Cruickshank Reply:
June 27th, 2012 at 9:03 pm
Do they have actual funding? If so, they don’t need an “activist petition drive.” Plus it’s way too fucking late to gather signatures for the November 2012 ballot. The best they can do is November 2014, by which point steel will already be in the ground.
Senator Elaine Alquist – District SD13 – The Heart of Silicon Valley, San José
Map http://senate.ca.gov/sites/senate.ca.gov/files/MAP13_300.JPG
Contact
Capitol Office
State Capitol, Room 5080
Sacramento, CA 95814
Phone: (916) 651-4013
Fax: (916) 324-0283
San Jose Office
100 Paseo de San Antonio #209
San Jose, CA 95113
Phone: (408) 286-8318
Gilroy Office
7800 Arroyo Circle, Ste. A
Gilroy, CA 95020
Phone: (408) 847-6101
Fax: (408) 847-6096
We talk about jobs being our #1 priority, jump starting the CA economy, positioning CA for the 21st century and these fools want to vote NO! What am I missing?
Spokker Reply:
June 27th, 2012 at 8:34 pm
Creating jobs is never a reason to build an infrastructure project. Labor is a cost, not a benefit.
joe Reply:
June 27th, 2012 at 9:50 pm
“Labor is prior to, and independent of, capital. Capital is only the fruit of labor, and could never have existed if labor had not first existed. Labor is the superior of capital, and deserves much the higher consideration.”
Abraham Lincoln
Spokker Reply:
June 27th, 2012 at 9:57 pm
Fine quote, but I don’t know what it has to do with what I said.
Rather than dig up my old public finance textbook, this guy more or less says the same thing.
http://infrastructer.blogspot.com/2011/02/fallacy-of-counting-jobs-as-benefit.html
Double counting of benefits is also a fallacy. Supporters of large infrastructure transportation projects may count both the expected increase in the value of homes near the project and the time savings to commuters as benefits. But the time savings is already counted when the value of the home increases because of the improved access to quality transportation.
Spokker Reply:
June 27th, 2012 at 10:00 pm
In fact, including jobs as a benefit might be double counting benefits if we also boast about the boost to the economy from a particular project.
So we crow about jobs because, presumably, we put money in workers’ hands and they go out and spend it in the economy. But why, then, would we also count the boost to the economy at the same time? The boost to the economy includes the workers who go and spend their money at Banana Republic and stuff.
Reedman Reply:
June 27th, 2012 at 9:51 pm
Economist Milton Friedman was taken to see a government project in Asia. Thousands of workers using shovels were building a canal. Friedman was puzzled. Why weren’t there any excavators or any mechanized earth-moving equipment? A government official explained that using shovels created more jobs. Friedman’s response: “Then why not use spoons?”
I emailed them and called my reps office in sac. Canella.
Thanks for reminding me. I called mine too. Urged a “do not fund” vote.
I’ve already called, but I also today sent a letter to My Senator in Sacramento from the link above, of course She’s a Republican, It would be nice if Sen. Jean Fuller voted yes for HSR…
Myself an our neighborhood parks volunteer group all sent e-mails saying no to the project if it starts in the central valley. we want plan B. it should start in the bay area and LA, not the valley. We are all democrats but we cannot support a project that is going to make the democrat party look like the pork party. if you start it in LA or SF, ridership will be immense from the very beginning, further making the case that HSR is a worthy transportation project. if you start it in the valley it will become an icon to government waste of tax dollars. even if merced and bakersfield are cities, they are not travel destinations or hubs for tech jobs or industry. it wont be seen as the backbone of the system, but a black eye of the party and will only provide ammo to the GOP.
so start in the metro areas, not the boonies. you dont build a bridge by starting in the middle.
I’m within easy walking distance of Joe’s Santa Cruz office, so I popped in and let the staffer know that I felt it very important to fund the ICS pointing out that we’re going to lose the Fed funding if this doesn’t happen. My drop in has been converted into an email and sent to Joe by the staffer.
Neil Shea Reply:
June 27th, 2012 at 6:40 pm
I walked to Joe’s PA office early on this, got the impression that constituents are just ‘little people’ to him. But I called and wrote again this week. I’m not sure who he’s representing. Maybe proudPANimby is a personal friend of Joe’s, with a backyard patio next to the Caltrain corridor, or maybe Joe will surprise us with a special $100m ransom for his district that he’s negotiating…
joe Reply:
June 27th, 2012 at 10:01 pm
His office in Town & Country Shopping Centre?
I apparently bored the staffer in my Senator’s Gilroy office. Yawn. Okay.
They represent just under 1 M people each – Honda’s staff are better and he’s US Rep.
IMHO Joe’s termed out and fantasizing about an open House Seat. Lowenthal’s also got a shot this 2012.
Both seem to over-estimate their abilities and chances – If the Dems take the House, Freshamn Alan Lowenthall’s going to pay a price. Committee for DC Dog-catcher.
All my electeds are virulent anti-HSR Republicans. Nunes. Valadeo. Berryhill.
I’ve already received dismissive letters from them.
What’s left? Chanting? Praying? Medication?
adirondacker12800 Reply:
June 27th, 2012 at 3:42 pm
Participating in Democratic Party Get Out The Vote efforts the next time they are up for reelection. Or if they get termed out, the next office they run for.
fake irishman Reply:
June 27th, 2012 at 4:11 pm
Bingo.
Derek Reply:
June 27th, 2012 at 4:54 pm
Ask them who in their right mind would prefer to pay $158 billion when they could achieve the same goal for $68 billion.
My sources if their correct say the main bill and all 21 trailer bills were passed today by both the CA Assembly and the CA State Senate, their now off to be signed or vetoed by Governor Brown, I’ll know more later…
J. Wong Reply:
June 27th, 2012 at 5:13 pm
Hmm, I don’t think so yet: http://assembly.ca.gov/dailyfile
VBobier Reply:
June 27th, 2012 at 5:25 pm
Straight from CDCAN in an email no less, I’m on their mailing list, so far the latest posted there is 118 and not 125…
J. Wong Reply:
June 27th, 2012 at 6:10 pm
Ok, it looks like this doesn’t include the high-speed rail funds just the budget bills.
VBobier Reply:
June 27th, 2012 at 6:12 pm
How many trailer bills are there then? Is it 21 or are there more?
VBobier Reply:
June 27th, 2012 at 6:14 pm
One of those trailer bills should be AB1497… At least I hope it is.
VBobier Reply:
June 27th, 2012 at 6:45 pm
Here’s the link that shows everything about AB1497, I hope this is one of the trailer bills, this would mean Construction is a GO in the CV most likely.
BruceMcF Reply:
June 27th, 2012 at 8:53 pm
No, it mentions that that is amended in the Senate, the amendments are strike-outs regarding the HSR.
peninsula Reply:
June 27th, 2012 at 9:32 pm
When I click on AB1497 link it looks like all the HSR stuff is crossed out. (Not surprised they were told in no uncertain terms on the day that the HSR departmnet was zero’d out of the main budget, that the HSR trailer bill had to be in a totally separated trailer bill.) But I didn’t see the 2.5 Billions in here anyway, just 660M for administrative. Is there now a separated trailer bill for HSR? Where’s that?
BruceMcF Reply:
June 28th, 2012 at 10:04 am
The strike-outs ~ and renumbering of each following section to reflect the strike-outs ~ those are the amendments to the trailer noted in VBobiers copy and paste of the email about the budget process below.
I also noted that the strike outs didn’t seem to add up to $2.7b.
However, not everything in the construction appropriation has a budget impact in the coming fiscal year, so it seems likely that there was only some individual bits and pieces that did which were accounted for in that trailer bill.
It seems likely that whether or not those strike-outs are passed later hinges on what happens to the construction bond appropriation.
VBobier Reply:
June 27th, 2012 at 6:40 pm
I first spotted High Speed Rail mentioned in this email… They usually concentrate on stuff for the disabled of course.
VBobier Reply:
June 27th, 2012 at 7:50 pm
There is a meeting in July on the 6th, My birthday of course, I’ll be 52 then.
http://senate.ca.gov/dailyfile
Committees: Transportation and Housing, Budget and Fiscal Review, Subcommittee No. 2 on Resources, Environmental Protection, Energy and Transportation
Show Details
VBobier Reply:
June 27th, 2012 at 9:57 pm
Ok the budget including AB1497 is out…
VBobier Reply:
June 27th, 2012 at 10:04 pm
Missed a link, Oopsie! :o
SB 1006 – GENERAL GOVERNMENT
LATEST ACTION 06/27/2012: PASSED Assembly by vote of 49 to 26. PASSED State Senate by vote of 25 to 14.
NEXT STEPS: Will be sent to Governor [Governor has 12 days to sign or veto bill from the date he receives it]
BILL COPY – 06/25/2012 AMENDED HTML VERSION: http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/pub/11-12/bill/sen/sb_1001-1050/sb_1006_bill_20120625_amended_asm_v98.html
BILL COPY – 06/25/2012 AMENDED PDF VERSION (96 Pages): http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/pub/11-12/bill/sen/sb_1001 1050/sb_1006_bill_20120625_amended_asm_v98.pdf
VBobier Reply:
June 27th, 2012 at 10:06 pm
This strange as this is the 2nd time and I know I didn’t miss the link that time…
BILL COPY – 06/25/2012 AMENDED PDF VERSION (96 Pages): http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/pub/11-12/bill/sen/sb_1001 1050/sb_1006_bill_20120625_amended_asm_v98.pdf
I think I know what went wrong, it’s a long link.
thatbruce Reply:
June 28th, 2012 at 10:06 am
@VBobier:
Something is introducing a line-break. Try this:
http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/pub/11-12/bill/sen/sb_1001-1050/sb_1006_bill_20120625_amended_asm_v98.pdf
FYI –
Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood will be at San Francisco Airport tomorrow (Thursday) for the kickoff of construction of the new $100 million control tower at SFO.
SF Examiner Editorial: High-speed rail needs cash now
J. Wong Reply:
June 27th, 2012 at 5:17 pm
Surprising, given the right-wing slant of most SF Examiner editorials.
joe Reply:
June 27th, 2012 at 6:13 pm
Stunning actually. Do you think they recognize having several Billion dollars invested in HSR will help the economy, their advertisers and readers?
VBobier Reply:
June 27th, 2012 at 6:48 pm
Maybe or it’s another effort to sell more of a dying product: Newspapers…
adirondacker12800 Reply:
June 27th, 2012 at 6:59 pm
there will always be a demand for fish wrappers.
VBobier Reply:
June 27th, 2012 at 7:04 pm
I recently saw 7 big heavy spools of paper heading out of California in the last day or so on the 15 freeway on a semi truck flatbed, possibly going to Las Vegas NV.
joe Reply:
June 27th, 2012 at 7:10 pm
Newspapers used to carry ads and make money off the advertisement – the paper needs ads and that means reders need money – people used to read on the train before they decided to charge a buck and drive readers to cell/ipads.
VBobier Reply:
June 27th, 2012 at 7:19 pm
I used to deliver Newspapers on a custom converted by Me 5 speed bicycle before I turned 18, so You don’t need to tell Me and My Dad was a Route Manager for the Copley Chain…
Alon Levy Reply:
June 27th, 2012 at 7:47 pm
…and then came Craigslist.
KFI’s John & Ken in Anaheim to protest high-speed rail
joe Reply:
June 27th, 2012 at 6:09 pm
http://www.nhmc.org/johnandken
They wre so popular the Dems risk alienating the anti hispanic vote. Mayebe Lowenthal can go on their show.
Spokker Reply:
June 27th, 2012 at 8:58 pm
“For years John Kobylt and Ken Chiampou, hosts of “The John and Ken Show,” have terrorized and targeted Los Angeles communities, creating an atmosphere of hate, intolerance, discrimination and legitimizing hateful attitudes against members of these groups. John and Ken are known to habitually use unsubstantiated claims, divisive language, flawed argumentation and dehumanizing metaphors to shock and anger their audience.”
Translation: we can’t debate them, so we’ll act like victims and try to force them off the air.
Alon Levy Reply:
June 27th, 2012 at 9:18 pm
At least they’re not on the municipal payroll.
D. P. Lubic Reply:
June 27th, 2012 at 6:47 pm
I normally try to avoid judging people by appearances, but that Ken fellow looks–different, strange? I can’t put my finger on it, but it’s like he may not be entirely there.
I know! Somehow he reminds me of Chucky, the knife-wielding doll!
John just looks goofy–nothing new there, some of my relatives resemble that!
Spokker Reply:
June 27th, 2012 at 8:37 pm
Radio guys always look strange.
Robert Cruickshank Reply:
June 27th, 2012 at 9:02 pm
Their bark is worse than their bite. They’re talk radio hosts who haven’t yet demonstrated any actual ability to influence statewide ballot outcomes.
Spokker Reply:
June 27th, 2012 at 9:09 pm
No, Robert, they are so influential they *must* be taken off the air! They said mean things about Latinos! Terrorists!
Tom McNamara Reply:
June 27th, 2012 at 9:50 pm
John and Ken are most valuable as a circular firing squad for conservative Republicans. Their show is supposedly “entertainment”.
morris brown Reply:
June 27th, 2012 at 10:24 pm
You can listen to these excerpts of the KFI John and Ken show at:
Link: to interview with Wendell Cox (6-25-2012) (13 minutes)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JiXlfLzO2zE
Link: to interview with Joe Vranich (6-27-2012) (13 minutes)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5Q4zjzUkg4
Link: to inteview with Congressman Jeff Denham (6 minutes)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6eBHQaSNvY
VBobier Reply:
June 27th, 2012 at 10:26 pm
BARF!
Nice overview story from LA.StreetsBlog.org:
Battle Lines Drawn in High Speed Rail Vote