Two months ago we wrote about the already-qualified 2006 initiative for funding development work for a LA - San Francisco bullet train. We weren’t enamored with the notion of spending public money to get to the Bay Area slower and at higher cost than we can using Southwest.

Now it looks like the idea may get swept away by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s infrastructure plan. According to SFGate.com:

While nations from Mexico to China are investing heavily in high-speed rail, California’s dream to shoot 220 mph bullet trains from San Francisco to Los Angeles is beginning to fade.

Detractors in the Legislature and outside it say it’s better for the state to attack existing congestion than gamble finite dollars on the possibility of whisking commuters from Northern to Southern California in less than three hours.

… both the Democratic leader of the Senate and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger felt the large rail bond might discourage voters from backing other more pressing public works bonds for highways, levees and prisons.

Although the rail bond is still on the November ballot, backers say it is likely to be removed as part of whatever compromise lawmakers strike with the Republican governor over his proposed 10-year, $222 billion public works spending plan.

Setting priorities for the use of finite resources — in Sacramento! Who woulda thunk?

Technorati Tags: 2006 Election, California, California initiatives, initiatives, Schwarzenegger, train

This entry was posted on Thursday, February 2nd, 2006 at 11:16 am by A Senior Administration Official and is filed under California Schemin'. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.