The other day one of our Friends asked Shawn Nelson for his impressions on the much-discussed High Speed Rail project. Our Friend has helpfully forwarded Nelson’s reply:
I have been struck lately by the supporters of the high speed rail and their seeming lack of common sense when it comes to problem solving; my observations have led me to believe that the current leadership of the program has become more focused on getting a pot of government gold to spend (the more the merrier) and enriching the myriad players involved in the process. By ignoring existing opportunities to run the rail project on the already existing lines of the Metrolink and Amtrak the current design for the high speed rail (HSR) to run from Anaheim to Los Angeles provides a windfall to those in the consulting industry by requiring countless hours of public outreach and environmental impact study.
Read the rest of “A Little Common Sense Could Go a Long Way”
You’re right, there are a lot of (what seem to be) common-sense points in this Shawn Nelson response. He’s pretty far from your “Just say no” position though, Tony.
There needs to be a common-sense movement in the middle that says “Let’s do this smart, and cut out the crooks.” It sounds like Shawn, and Art Leahy, could be leaders in that.
Diane Harkey’s AB2121 would hit the kill switch on funding this boondoggle, and the bill will be heard April 21 by the Transportation Committee. If and when the HSR people pull it together and come up with a plan to do this right, they can bring it back to the voters, but for now I do not trust this crowd to do it right. Please contact the transportation committee members directly to support AB2121.
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Committee Members
Committee Members District Phone E-mail
Bonnie Lowenthal – Chair Dem-54 (916) 319-2054 Assemblymember.Lowenthal@assembly.ca.gov
Kevin Jeffries – Vice Chair Rep-66 (916) 319-2066 Assemblymember.Jeffries@assembly.ca.gov
Bill Berryhill Rep-26 (916) 319-2026 Assemblymember.Bill.Berryhill@assembly.ca.gov
Bob Blumenfield Dem-40 (916) 319-2040 Assemblymember.Blumenfield@assembly.ca.gov
Joan Buchanan Dem-15 (916) 319-2015 Assemblymember.Buchanan@assembly.ca.gov
Mike Eng Dem-49 (916) 319-2049 Assemblymember.Eng@assembly.ca.gov
Warren T. Furutani Dem-55 (916) 319-2055 Assemblymember.Furutani@assembly.ca.gov
Cathleen Galgiani Dem-17 (916) 319-2017 Assemblymember.Galgiani@assembly.ca.gov
Mary Hayashi Dem-18 (916) 319-2018 Assemblymember.Hayashi@assembly.ca.gov
Jeff Miller Rep-71 (916) 319-2071 Assemblymember.Miller@assembly.ca.gov
Roger Niello Rep-5 (916) 319-2005 Assemblymember.niello@assembly.ca.gov
Chris Norby Rep-72 (916) 319-2072 Assemblymember.Norby@assembly.ca.gov
Anthony J. Portantino Dem-44 (916) 319-2044 Assemblymember.Portantino@assembly.ca.gov
Jose Solorio Dem-69 (916) 319-2069 Assemblymember.Solorio@assembly.ca.gov