CA HSR needs a state tax to support the present bonds and the future borrowing that will be necessary to finish the train. More federal support would be nice too, but honestly, it would be foolish to count on that any time soon given the political dynamics in Congress today.

We shouldn’t be able to borrow money at the state level without committing to a realistic plan to pay that money back. Unfortunately 1978’s Prop 13 and 2010’s Prop 26, make raising taxes and fees in the state a herculean task, while borrowing can proceed on a majority vote.

HSR advocates should get to work supporting a train with a real revenue stream. Even people who are sympathetic to the concept of HSR will start to balk if cost estimates keep rising and the only way to pay for the train is borrowed money that has to be paid back by displacing other state spending on schools, aid to the poor, and even municipal transit.