It is time to Reprioritize State’s Billion-Dollar Spending on the High-Speed Rail to Wildfire Victims and Central Valley Residents Following Budget Committee.
In Wednesday’s Assembly Budget Subcommittee 4, lawmakers acknowledged the failings of the High-Speed Rail – “over budget and behind schedule.” Central Valley’s Assemblywoman Alexandra M. Macedo calls on Governor Newsom to redirect the $1 billion of cap-and-trade funding from High Speed Rail to wildfire prevention and water infrastructure projects.
“The State is facing a budget deficit. It is time for Governor Newsom to prioritize wildfire victims and residents of rural communities over the mismanaged High-Speed Rail,” said Assemblywoman Macedo (R-Tulare) “Southern California residents continue to suffer from the aftermath of the wildfire including life-threatening flooding – while people in the Central Valley don’t have drinkable water.”
Given the waste in the High-Speed Rail, Assemblywoman Macedo introduced Assembly Bill 267. This legislation will reprioritize the $1 billion of cap-and-trade funding that goes to the High-Speed Rail Authority to pay for wildfire prevention and water infrastructure.
In the budget subcommittee hearing, the independent legislative analyst said there is an immediate $7 billion funding shortfall for completing the $35.2 billion Merced-to-Bakersfield segment. Despite this deficit, the High-Speed Rail Authority has not put forth a plan to bridge this funding gap.
This comes on the heels of the High-Speed Rail Office of the Inspector General’s report that details how the California High-Speed Rail Authority “has not completed a risk analysis that would allow it better to determine whether its plan for completing the M-B (the Merced-to-Bakersfield) segment is realistic and achievable.”
The High-Speed Rail Authority is currently under investigation by the U.S. Department of Transportation.
When voters approved the project in 2008, they were promised a fully funded San Francisco-to-Los Angeles system with matching contributions from the federal government and private sector, a $34 billion price tag, and completion by 2020. Today, the projected cost has skyrocketed to $128 billion, with no clear path to completion.
“Voters have been hoodwinked by the High-Speed Rail Authority’s smoke and mirrors. The truth is: after 17 years and $13.7 billion spent, not a single foot of track has been laid. It is time to put taxpayers’ monies to better use,” said Assemblywoman Macedo.
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Assemblywoman Alexandra Macedo represents the 33rd Assembly District, which encompasses Tulare, Kings, and Fresno Counties.