I won't get into all the local pols posturing about the most recent federal budget bill. You can click through here for yourself (but I will point you to the last paragraph for a real laugh out loud Speier moment). The aspects that were most interesting were:
The bill allocates $100 million to address the drought in California and other western states, $761 million for major infrastructure projects including $150 million for the Bay Area Rapid Transit’s 10-mile extension connecting the popular commuter rail from Fremont to San Jose, and $8.2 million to develop a West Coast earthquake early warning system.
No word on what the hundred-mil for drought prevention will go for--it's a drop in the bucket for desalination. BART to San Jose the "other way" (i.e. NOT down the Caltrain right of way) is fine. Go for it and may be fix the computers while you are at it? Similarly, one has to wonder if 8.2 mil for an earthquake early warning system should have two more zeros behind it? Here is an old chestnut from 2011.
Does anyone know if there was even debate on additional funding for HSR and if not, when the Authority plans to ask Congress for more $$$$$$$?
Posted by: David | December 22, 2015 at 10:04 PM