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LaMalfa Introduces Bill to Send CA HSR Back to Ballot
Author: Jon
Date: 01-31-2012 - 17:07
State Senator Doug LaMalfa News Release
LaMalfa Introduces Bill to Send High Speed Rail Back to Ballot
Challenges rail supporters to Identify $180 Million in Budget cuts to fund “Unusable” section of track
Senator Doug LaMalfa (R-Richvale) today introduced SB 985 that asks the voters if they want to proceed with California’s proposed $98.5 billion high speed rail project. The measure already has earned 31 co-sponsors.
“Voters have been misled about the true costs of High Speed Rail from the start, said Senator LaMalfa. The costs have tripled since 2008 and every objective observer has said this project it too expensive and is unlikely to be completed. “
In the past year the California Supreme Court ruled that Proposition 1A’s ballot language was misleading, the High Speed Rail Authority admitted to using government funds to lobby Congress and the State Legislature, Congress has withdrawn future funds from the project, the Legislative Analyst Office has called into question the legality of the financing for the proposed first leg of construction, and the High Speed Rail Peer Review recommended not building the project.
“Moving forward with just the first $2.7 billion in bonds to fund the ‘train to nowhere’ section of rail will cost California taxpayers $180 million a year just to service that debt. That is less than 3% of the total cost to build the project,” continued LaMalfa. “Are the supporters of this project willing to layoff teachers, cops and firefighters to pay for an unusable section of track?”
“It is time the voters got a do over. If the legislature acts quickly this measure can be on the November ballot and voters can have their say- real costs in hand.”
Senator Doug LaMalfa is a lifelong farmer representing the fourth Senate District including Shasta, Tehama, Butte, Colusa, Glenn, Siskiyou, Sutter, Del Norte, Placer, Trinity, Yuba and Nevada counties.
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LaMalfa Introduces Bill to Send High Speed Rail Back to Ballot
Challenges rail supporters to Identify $180 Million in Budget cuts to fund “Unusable” section of track
Senator Doug LaMalfa (R-Richvale) today introduced SB 985 that asks the voters if they want to proceed with California’s proposed $98.5 billion high speed rail project. The measure already has earned 31 co-sponsors.
“Voters have been misled about the true costs of High Speed Rail from the start, said Senator LaMalfa. The costs have tripled since 2008 and every objective observer has said this project it too expensive and is unlikely to be completed. “
In the past year the California Supreme Court ruled that Proposition 1A’s ballot language was misleading, the High Speed Rail Authority admitted to using government funds to lobby Congress and the State Legislature, Congress has withdrawn future funds from the project, the Legislative Analyst Office has called into question the legality of the financing for the proposed first leg of construction, and the High Speed Rail Peer Review recommended not building the project.
“Moving forward with just the first $2.7 billion in bonds to fund the ‘train to nowhere’ section of rail will cost California taxpayers $180 million a year just to service that debt. That is less than 3% of the total cost to build the project,” continued LaMalfa. “Are the supporters of this project willing to layoff teachers, cops and firefighters to pay for an unusable section of track?”
“It is time the voters got a do over. If the legislature acts quickly this measure can be on the November ballot and voters can have their say- real costs in hand.”
Senator Doug LaMalfa is a lifelong farmer representing the fourth Senate District including Shasta, Tehama, Butte, Colusa, Glenn, Siskiyou, Sutter, Del Norte, Placer, Trinity, Yuba and Nevada counties.
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LaMalfa Introduces Bill to Send CA HSR Back to Ballot