Streetsblog Los Angeles

Last August, the Reason Foundation released a report by Wendell Cox and Adrian Moore critiquing the privately funded XpressWest’s (Xpress) application for a federal loan needed to begin construction. At the time, Streetsblog was still so busy laughing at Reason’s attempts to discredit the Expo Line based on two dudes riding the car its first week of operation, we ignored the report. Besides, the Reason Foundation issuing a report that said that High Speed Rail ridership would be lower than expected or that operations would be costlier than expected isn’t news.

Information as hot off the presses now as it was then. Click to go to the full report.

As Angie Schmitt at Streetsblog.net noted earlier in the year, before the report came out, “The Reason Foundation’s “research” on high-speed rail is pretty predictable. We know what this oil industry-backed think tank is going to say before they’ve said it: Ridership will be lower than expected; costs will be higher.”

If constructed, Xpress will be 185 miles of High Speed Rail between Southern California and Las Vegas.  The line will run within or adjacent to the I-15 freeway and have no at-grade crossings with vehicle or pedestrian traffic.  The non-stop trip between Victorville and Las Vegas could take 80 minutes. Xpress is a private, for-profit venture. Locally it is supported on the California side by conservative County Supervisor Mike Antonovich. On the Nevada side, it is a favorite project of Senator Harry Reid.

Turns out, we made a strategic error. Apparently Republican leadership in the House and Senate don’t realize that a Reason Foundation report on rail is about as credible as tobacco company report on cigarette health or a Disney funded report on a giant talking mouse’s impact on childhood development. Last week, House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan and Sen. Jeff Sessions, the top Republican on the Senate Budget Committee, wrote a letter to Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood that Xpress is wasteful and too risky for taxpayers. They ask USDOT to deny a $5.5 billion loan for the project construction.

Ryan and Sessions based their letter on the Reason report from last August. However, since it’s not good enough to just laugh at them, especially since Ryan is still treated with reverence as a serious thinker by much of the political press. Streetsblog would like to note that attacking Reason’s report is not a blanket endorsement of Xpress, sometimes lampooned on Streetsblog L.A. as the “Gamblin’ Train to Vegas.” There are some concerns with the project planning, none of which were shored up when the CEO for Xpress defended the project to the press this week in the vaguest possible terms.

Now with the disclaimer over, let’s get to work. Read more…

Advocates for High Speed Rail, especially those that read the independent California High Speed Rail Blog, have long complained that the Los Angeles Times has it in for what the paper of record constantly refers to as “the Bullet Train.” Indeed, every time I hear KFI conservative shock jocks John and Ken act shocked that a “liberal” paper such as the Times wrote a negative article about CAHSR, I chuckle. Almost all their articles about CAHSR have a negative tilt to them.

And now, the “tsk tsk” ing has spread to the editorial cartoon section. Ted Rall has a quick wit and is a competent enough cartoonist to deliver a punch line that brings a smile and a chuckle. Click on the image for a quick laugh, quite possibly at your own expense.

“The Browndoggle.”

This image was supposed to signify that California High Speed Rail was going off the tracks. Instead, it's a symbol of how efforts to use High Speed Rail as a cudgel have led to ruin. Image:John and Ken Show

Opponents of Governor Jerry Brown and the California Democratic Party have been slamming the California High Speed Rail Authority for years. The political strategy seemed to be working. Four years after voters approved a tax increase to fund a segment of what was promised to be a high speed train connecting Sacramento to San Diego, the project had morphed and grown more expensive. Voters were angry. Or so the polls said.

Earlier this year, the legislature approved a plan to build 130 miles of high speed rail in the central valley despite near-unanimous Republican opposition. One of the questions this election was whether Republicans could capitalize on the opposition to make gains at the ballot box.

Backed by funding from the oil and coal industries, and the non-stop nattering on the popular John and Ken Show, Republicans thought High Speed Rail was a winning issue.

They were wrong.

Despite a handful of Senators moving from the State Senate to Congress, Republicans actually lost ground in the Senate and now the Democrats have a super-majority in both legislative chambers. In other words, if this election was about high speed rail, voters gave Brown and his Democratic allies the ability to do what they want even if every Republican legislator votes against them.

“High Speed Rail had a goodnight, if indirectly,” wrote Robert Cruickshank at the advocacy California High Speed Rail Blog.

This ad didn’t work.

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In addition to the mixed news on legislation impacting bicyclists, Governor Brown acted on many other pieces of legislation that will have a direct impact on transportation planning and public safety.

Governor Signs Law Allowing Undocumented Immigrants to Obtain Drivers Licenses

The governor's office released mock-ups of what the licenses for undocumented immigrants would look like. Image via CBS Sacramento.

Perhaps the most controversial action the Governor took last week will allow many undocumented immigrants to earn drivers licenses. AB 2189, introduced by Asm. Gil Cedillo (D-Los Angeles), allows immigrants who qualify for a new federal work permit program and reside in California to apply for drivers licenses. A new federal protocol allows illegal immigrants who came to the United States before they were 16, and who are now 30 or younger, to obtain work permits.

Cedillo, who has introduced legislation that would allow all undocumented workers to earn licenses, points to safety as a major reason why all Californians should support licensing all interested potential drivers.

“This is important first step to making sure our highways are safe for all Californians,” Cedillo writes in an official statement. “I am proud that the governor chose public safety over politics. I look forward to continuing to work with his office to make sure that all motorists in this state are licensed, tested and insured and that California will once again enjoy the safest highways in America that they deserve.”

“Encouraging” High Speed Rail Authority to Shop for Rail Cars in California

As you might have heard, the California High Speed Rail project is somewhat controversial in the state. In an effort to boost job creation and improve the project’s popularity, Brown signed AB 16, authored by Henry Perea (D-Fresno), which “encourages” the Authority to purchase cars for the project that are manufactured in California. One option to meet this “suggestion” would be  Sacramento-based Siemens Rail Systems.

“Siemens has seen first-hand the benefits of high speed rail for communities around the globe and is pleased that California is taking the lead in the United States,” Siemens spokesman wrote to Sacramento Business Journal. “We stand ready to provide the best trains in the world for California once the project enters into the rolling stock procurement phase. Siemens will also work to assist the project with its offerings on infrastructure (signaling, electrification, building technologies, etc.) as the different phases of development deem appropriate.”

Despite the legislation, the authority needs to tread carefully. Federal law prohibits selecting contractors based on the location of their factory if the project receives any federal funding. California High Speed rail is reliant on federal funding for most of the construction cost.

New Rules for “Buy Here Pay Here” Dealerships, Brown Passes on Strongest Law Read more…

(High Speed Rail is a hot topic on the Streetsblogs.  For more check out CA Senate Approves Funds for High-Speed Rail, Commuter Rail Upgrades at Streetsblog San Francisco, A Victory for CA High Speed Rail but Still a Long Fight Ahead by  ”Streetsblog.net” director Angie Schmitt)

Last week, the State Senate and Assembly passed legislation that approved the sale of $4.7 billion in state bonds to begin construction of the California High Speed Rail project that will one day provide high speed travel between San Francisco and Los Angeles.  The $4.7 billion will fund 130 miles of high speed rail service between Bakersfield and Merced in the Central Valley and “local improvements” surrounding Los Angeles and San Francisco.

The "blended route" calls for full High Speed Rail route through Palmdale all the way to Los Angeles. While the funding for that gets worked out, there will be full high speed rail between Bakersfiled and Merced, with the L.A. area seeing modest, but needed improvements between Palmdale, Union Station and Anaheim. Double tracking for Amtrak and Union Pacific rail lines are also in the works.

Most press accounts of California’s High Speed Rail victory last week spends a paragraph, maybe two, saying something along the lines of, “The bill provides $2.1 billion to upgrade the Metrolink and Amtrak systems in Southern California and electrify Caltrain in Northern California.”

While it’s nice to hear that Metrolink’s aging infrastructure is going to receive a boost, at this point the $950 million isn’t yet dedicated to specific projects.  For example, we know that the project will provide for upgrades to Palmdale Station, which could potentially be a HUB for Metrolink trains, Amtrak, and both the California High Speed Rail project and Desert XPress.  Pending how Metrolink grows, it could also provide rail access to both the Palmdale and Burbank airports.  At this point, it would be very difficult to make an acurate prediction on how the $950 million would be spent.

To create a specific plan for those funds, a team of staff for many Southland transportation agencies (page 2-7) signed a Memorandum of Understanding and agreed to create a project list that will be completed by 2020, the same year that High Speed Rail in the Central Valley will come online.  The agencies on the task force are the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG), Southern California Regional Rail Authority (aka Metrolink), Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (aka Metro), San Diego Association of Governments, Riverside County Transportation Commission, San Bernardino Association of Governments (SANBAG) and the California High-Speed Rail Authority.

This isn’t to say that the Senators and Assembly Members that voted last week had no idea what the project list for the region would include.  SCAG announced details of the MOU earlier this year, which was a key point in gaining the support of politicians and leaders in the San Gabriel Valley.  The plan included major upgrades to Palmdale and Anaheim’s Metrolink/Amtrak stations to handle high speed trains in the distant future and increased local service in the near-term.  On the rails, money could be used to “double track” Union Pacific Rail Lines in Industry, West Covina, Irwindale and Alhambra.

For Metrolink rail, a series of crossings will be grade-separated, better safety features will be put in place, and the oldest of the current tracks will be modernized.  At this point, there is no discussion of electrifying the Metrolink rail tracks in local plans, so for the forseeable future, passengers on the official High Speed Rail train would be transferring at Palmdale to signifigantly improved local service to Los Angeles and Anaheim or faster Amtrak service to San Diego. Read more…

Later this week, the plan to build a High Speed Rail line connecting Los Angeles and San Francisco faces a crucial vote in the California legislature.  Governor Jerry Brown asked lawmakers to release $2.7 billion of the $6 billion in bonds passed by California voters in 2008 for High Speed Rail.  Combined with $3.3 billion in federal funds, the allocation would build 130 miles of High Speed Rail in the Central Valley.

Currently there are three competing visions for High Speed Rail in the Golden State.  For simplicity’s sake, we’ll refer to the three as: The Governor’s Plan, Plan B, and No Rail.  The Governor’s Plan refers only to his request to spend $6 billion in the Central Valley, not the entire route.  To help you keep track of who is saying what over the next several days, Streetsblog presents your High Speed Rail scorecard.

Image via High Speed Rail Authority

The Governor’s Plan:

The Plan: The Governor’s Plan would create a high speed rail network connecting Los Angeles and San Francisco.  The plan would also pay for the electrification of existing Caltrain and Metrolink rail so these tracks could be used for high speed rail, but would also speed up local service for thousands of commuters.  The new long-term plan would spend $68 billion, create over 500 miles of High Speed Rail and 100,000 “job years.”  The first leg of the plan, or the Governor’s Plan as we’re calling it, begins with 130 miles in the Central Valley.

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When people hear the phrase, “California High Speed Rail,” they often think of the controversial project to connect Sacramento to San Diego, or the shorter route to connect San Diego to San Francisco. The proposed rail line seems to constantly attract negative media attention and has become a punching bag for California Republicans eager to paint the line as a boondoggle.

A new spur is planned that will connect the black and blue lines in Palmdale. Image:Wikipedia

But that’s not the only high speed rail project proposed for California. XpressWest, formerly Desert Xpress, is a public-private partnership that would connect Vicorville and Las Vegas Nevada. A Memorandum of Understanding signed last week would add another leg to the project, connecting the Victorville stop to Palmdale in L.A. County. While there is opposition to both projects, Xpress has received a fraction of the ire thrown at CAHSR.

Opposition to California High Speed Rail Route to Connect San Francisco to Los Angeles

Last week, the Los Angeles Times and USC released a poll showing that a clear majority of California voters have turned on the project with only a third of residents saying it would be their preferred route between Los Angeles and San Francisco.

Things are so bad that even environmental groups are joining the pile on. The National Resources Defense Council and Sierra Club are publicly opposing a plan by Governor Jerry Brown that would expedite legal challenges to the rail project under the state’s environmental review laws.

While efforts by Republican state legislators to put high speed rail funding back on the ballot have failed for 2012, it hasn’t stopped the House of Representatives in Washington, D.C. to step in and try to limit or strip high speed rail funding from the federal government.

Meanwhile, a popular (and syndciated) columnist with the Contra Costa Times argues that Governor Brown’s support of High Speed Rail undermines his message of frugality and could cost him support for other tax ballot measures. The Los Angeles Daily News, a paper that has supported progressive transportation and development in editorials in recent years, jokes that CAHSR supporters have crossed the line between visionary and delusional.

And it’s not just the halls of power, the elite media and special interest groups that are fighting high speed rail, smaller communities are throwing up road blocks as well. In a special meeting in Santa Clarita, the Santa Clarita Voice reports that the biggest applause line of the night was for a City Councilman calling CAHSR a boondoggle and urging the city to oppose it. Meanwhile, the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District is worried about the air quality impacts of construction, instead of celebrating the amount of car trips that would vanish under the plan.

To top it all off, CAHSR’s team is experiencing a baptism of fire. In May, CAHSR appointed a new Board Chair and new CEO. It also released a new business plan with revised cost estimates and increased investemnt in local rail. Instead of being praised for a revised business plan that focuses on improving the entire rail system of California and new leadership, the reorganization has been widely panned in the press. Welcome to the fray CAHSR Chair Dan Richards and CEO Jeff Morales.

Advocates High on High Speed Rail’s Newest Business Plan

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In a somewhat rainy day in Southern California, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and United States Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood spread a little sunshine on California’s embattled High Speed Rail project with an upbeat press conference at Los Angeles’ Union Station.   There was no mention of the Federal Transit Administration’s Civil Rights Review of the transit agency currently headed by Villaraigosa. The growing opposition against the $100 billion High Speed Rail Project, which includes Republican politicians in California’s legislature and the leadership of the Congressional House of Representatives, was dismissed as a small group of malcontents.

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and Secretary Ray LaHood exchange a handshake during yesterday's press event at Los Angeles Union Station. Photo: LA Streetsblog/Flickr

Delivering a “message from President Obama,” LaHood set the tone for a defense of the president’s vision for High Speeed Rail. “”High speed rail is coming to California,” Lahood began. “We will not be dissuaded by the naysayers or those that think that high speed rail is not the next generation of transportation.”

Later, noting that the President’s vision was larger than just a rail plan for California, LaHood talked of the California project as a model for the nation.  ”We believe the high speed rail corridor in California will be the role model for high speed rail in the country.”  Other rail projects won’t capture the country’s imagination as the California project.  For example, the proposed rail project in Illinois would increase rail speed from seventy to one hundred ten miles per hour.  California High Speed Rail will run at speeds up to 200 miles per hour.

Responding to complaints from Steve Gregory, a reporter from the conservative news talk radio station KFI, about the costs and ridership projections, Villaraigosa took the microphone to offer his own defense.  After noting that projections for Los Angeles’ subway and Bus Rapid Transit systems are both well above projections, he pointed both to local benefits of a statewide transit network and to the investments America has historically made in transportation over the decades.

“High Speed Rail in California is the natural extension of the 21st Century transportation system we’re building here.  For me, this is an easy one.  We need to get on this train.  We need to stand for the proposition that California needs to lead the way,” Villaraigosa opened.  ”Imagine if they had asked President Eisenhower to cost out the federal highway system in 2012 dollars.” Read more…

The New York Times yesterday published a series of six opinion pieces debating the merits of the $90 billion High-Speed Rail plan that would connect Los Angeles to San Francisco. Attacks have intensified on the “bullet train” rail project in recent weeks, focused mainly on the projects gigantic $90 billion budget and a recent audit that called funding for the project “shaky.”  Meanwhile, Governor Jerry Brown has stood firm with his support for the project, there is some momentum to provide voters with a chance to repeal the bonding plan to support the project passed on a statewide ballot initiative in 2008.

Against this backdrop, it’s no surprise that four of the six writers at the Times’ website are questioning the value of the project. Streetsblog provides a summary of the six pieces after the jump, but for the full pieces visit “Room for Debate: Does California Need High Speed Rail.”

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Next Thursday the California High Speed Rail Authority is holding its monthly meeting in the Board Room at the Metro Headquarters Building adjacent to Union Station beginning at 10 a.m. The agenda is now posted online.

March of last year is when the Authority last met in Los Angeles. In the interim there has been a lot of strum and drang by critics yet the project continues plowing forward, most recently releasing a revised/more realistic 2012 draft Business Plan for comment.

Meeting items include “the outcome of the conceptual study of the Grapevine alternative” (#4) and an “update [to] the Board on Station Area Planning Funding Agreements and coordination activities with cities along the Central Valley initial construction segment and future initial operating segment” (#6). Those should result in some interesting Board discussions.

A useful overview of the status of the project was presented at this month’s meeting of the Board of the San Bernardino Associated Governments (item #17, pp.199-219). This includes analysis of the new Business Plan draft prepared by the Legislative Analyst’s Office and state Senate staff.

BTW, since I publicly worried who would succeed Alex Clifford as Metro’s high speed rail point person I’ll take this opportunity to note late March of last year Don Sepulveda was hired as Metro’s Executive Officer for Regional Rail. I’ve been impressed by his grasp of the issues on his plate as exemplified by the presentation he made in November to the annual meeting of the Train Riders’ Association of California.