When the 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake showed the need to replace the eastern span of the San Franciso-Oakland Bay Bridge, then-Gov. Pete Wilson's administration proposed a functional bare-bones concrete viaduct to replace the Depression-era steel cantelievered truss design between Oakland and Yerba Buena Island. The projected cost was a modest $1.4 billion.

After Oakland and East Bay politicians objected to the initial design, the single tower cable-stayed suspension design was selected as the winner. The cost eventually skyrocketed to $6.4 billion (and will probably go higher due to ongoing repairs.)

Perhaps this model should be offered to the citizens of Palo Alto: Caltrain & VTA will fund a conventional grade-level or viaduct railroad from Mountain View to Menlo Park, with full separation of rail and motor vehicles at the 4 existing grade level crossings at Alma, Churchill, E Meadow and Charleston.

If the residents of Palo Alto want any other design, such as a trench, then Palo Altans can pay the incremental costs by any and all means available to them: sales tax, property tax, parcel tax, utility tax, employee tax, raffle tickets, bake sales, etc.

It's always fun to spend other people's money. Not so much when it comes from your own pocket.