Assembly Approves High-Speed Funding On Party Line Vote
Posted by Newsletter Reprint on July 7, 2012
This just came across the wire from the office of Assemblywoman Diane Harkey:
Assembly Approves High-Speed Funding On Party Line Vote
Today on a party line vote the Assembly Democrats in the Legislature approved $8 billion for high speed rail that transfers control of the funding and local transportation projects to the High Speed Rail Authority until 2018. The Legislature will get reports.
“How lucky are the people of California? The ‘Authority’ with a new Chairman chosen from the Parsons Brinckerhoff contractor pool is now in charge of your tax dollars and a multibillion dollar project. No ridership study, no cost analysis, no accurate reporting, no oversight and an open check book for 5 years. Let’s hope for a bit of Leadership in the Senate tomorrow, where many of the Democrats are at least reading the legislation and asking tough questions,” Assemblymember Harkey said.
Senate Bill 1029 passed in the State Assembly today in spite of numerous warnings from the Legislative Analyst, State Auditor, community leaders and voters in Northern, Central and Southern California that would pare back or repeal funding for the project. The current 4th revised plan was reviewed by Legislative Counsel who opined on June 8, 2012 that while the $6 billion designated for 130 miles of track in the Central Valley might qualify under the voter approved state bond criteria, funding for the book-ends in San Francisco-San Jose and LA-Anaheim corridors was not as likely.
To read the Legislative Counsel opinion click here: http://arc.asm.ca.gov/member/73/pdf/HighSpeedRailNumber1211030.pdf
To read Assemblymember Harkey’s analysis of the opinion click here: http://www.foxandhoundsdaily.com/2012/07/gathering-votes-for-high-speed-rail-you-cant-always-get-what-you-want/
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OC Political 
met00 said
$4.6 billion in state bond funds at historically LOW rates.
$3.3 billion in federal grants.
Now, in response to Don Wagner, the feds weren’t offering $3.3 billion in federal grants for education, if they were then I could see taking $4.6 billion in low interest debt to get $3.3 billion for no additional debt.
What is a major problem in CA? Jobs.
What kind of jobs would this boondoggle create? Working class construction jobs.
So, by taking a low interest bond we got almost matching funds at no cost to CA and we can use that money to create working class jobs in the state.
Tell me again what was bad about this program besides the fact that everyone would have preferred that it had been spent on things like repairing existing infrastructure, putting solar panels on every home in southern California or education? But we don’t always get what we want. And the $3.3 billion in federal grants was for high speed rail and high speed rail only.
Getting cheep money to create economic stimulus and middle class jobs is a good thing when you have employment stagnation. Sure, we all have places we would have rather seen the money go, but since the $3.3 billion in federal grants were tied to HSR there wasn’t a great deal of wiggle room there. The fact is that this will create working class jobs in California, and right now our state needs the economic stimulus that this spending will create.
Greg Diamond said
“No ridership study, no cost analysis, no accurate reporting, no oversight and an open check book for 5 years.”
Would someone please ask Asmb. Harkey to provide evidence for these five assertions? (Yes, this is a trap.)
Greg Diamond said
By the way: can you define the term “party line vote” as used here?
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Greg Diamond said
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