Oppose cuts to public transit and high-speed rail!
Please call the Governor and your state legislators!
As of Friday's Assembly version of the budget, the California HSRA is still funded at the unacceptably low level of $15.5 million (not enough for the Authority to do its work and keep the project on track). Also, the overall transit budget was cut by $1 Billion!!!
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September 26, 2007 - 1:00pm
Oppose cuts to public transit and high-speed rail!
Please call the Governor and your state legislators!
As of Friday's Assembly version of the budget, the California HSRA is still funded at the unacceptably low level of $15.5 million (not enough for the Authority to do its work and keep the project on track). Also, the overall transit budget was cut by $1 Billion!!!
Oppose cuts to public transit and high-speed rail!
Please call the Governor and your state legislators!
As of Friday's Assembly version of the budget, the California HSRA is still funded at the unacceptably low level of $15.5 million (not enough for the Authority to do its work and keep the project on track). Also, the overall transit budget was cut by $1 Billion!!!
Why High-Speed Rail ?
Without high-speed rail , nearly twice as much money will be needed to expand freeways and airport runways to meet the same level of travel demand. And expanding auto and air travel to that extent would cause untold environmental harm.
HSR keeps California moving and powers the economy.
Clean, electric HSR trains, by replacing polluting automobiles and airplanes, pave the way for huge greenhouse gas emission reductions.
If the CAHSRA is not funded at its request of $55 million, necessary preliminary work will not occur and delays and future costs for the project will increase.
Why oppose the transit funding cuts?
The governor's budget engages in sleight of hand, reclassifying other expenses (for example, school busing, always considered an Education expense in the past) as transit, but actually massively cutting funds for real and important transit projects.
Transit cuts are a false economy: not only does defunding these projects cause environmental damage, but it also hurts the state's economy. Land values and quality of life suffer in the absence of well-designed transit networks, and as congestion gets worse, more time in the day is wasted commuting (an economic black hole). Transit projects also create jobs and stimulate local economies.
Step 1
Call Governor Schwarzenegger at 916-445-4341 is the number for the Legislative Unit, ask for Chris Kahn or Dan Dunmoyer or David Crane
Talking points: I'm asking Governor Schwarzenegger to fully fund high-speed rail and get the environmental and engineering studies completed so that it can be built, and to also fully fund public transit. [Tell him why you care about HSR and public transit -- such as to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, provide mobility, create jobs or another reason. more talking points]
**Please note, a number of callers have reported that the Governor's office is telling callers that the Governor's proposal would give transit more money than ever. The Governor is actually counting the transit funds that would be redirected to General Fund programs as transit and calling it more funding!
Some potential responses are:
--Paying for previous General Fund programs with legally dedicated transit funds does not count as more funding for public transit.
--Replacing dedicated transit funds with voter-approved bond dollars goes against the will of the voters and won't create needed new transit options.
Step 2
Call Senator Don Perata at 510-286-1333 or 916-651-4009.
Talking points: I'm asking Senator Perata support full funding for high-speed rail and public transit. [Tell them why you care about HSR and public transit in your own words.] NOTE: The Senator's staffer may tell you that you should call the Governor. You can say that you already did, but that you want to be sure that Senator Perata strongly supports full funding for high-speed rail and public transit.
NOTE:
The staffer may tell you that you should call the Governor. You can say that you already did, but that you want to be sure that Senator Perata supports full funding for high-speed rail, for public transit and a long-term solution for funding public transit in the final budget deal.
Step 3
Please also get your friends and family in the Los Angeles/Orange County area to contact:
Find out about California's plans to build a high-speed "bullet" train to LA and San Diego and what you can to support them
Time/date:
Thursday, June 21, 2007 6:30PM - 8:00PM
Come to the upcoming BayRail Alliance meeting to find out about California's plans to build a high-speed "bullet" train to LA and San Diego and what you can do to support this project.
Location:
Poor House Bistro - 91 S. Autumn Street, San Jose (just two blocks from San Jose Diridon station) San Jose
Join us in Sacramento to testify at key hearing for HSR
Time/date:
Thursday, May 10, 2007 10 AM or when previous hearing finishes
While Gov. Schwarzenegger has been touting his "green" credentials, it appears that his administration is trying to kill high-speed rail. And with a tight budget situation in Sacramento this year many legislators are not yet committed to supporting funding for HSR.
But if the High Speed Rail Authority doesn't get significant funding this year the project may be dead. Because the environmental work done to date has a limited shelf life, being unable to complete the work this year could kill the project and waste the $47 million investment made by the state so far.
On Thursday, May 10, there will be a key committee hearing in Sacramento that will largely determine whether or not HSR is funded. Please fax letters to the committee members or join us for the hearing in Sacramento to express your support for HSR.
Senate Budget Subcommittee 4 hearing
Thursday, May 10
@ 10 AM or upon adjournment of the previous session,
Room 112, State Capitol
item 2665, the High Speed Rail Authority's budget
The Governor's staff will be watching this hearing. If we fail to demonstrate strong support, it will discourages legislators who support us and encourage the Governor to kill HSR.
For more information, please see the letter that BayRail Alliance has sent in support of the project.
Please reply to this e-mail if you can attend the hearing in Sacramento. If enough of us attend we can get discounted Capitol Corridor tickets. Please also encourage friends who live in the members' districts below to contact their senator with letters of support. The time to do this is now!
- - -
Members of Senate Budget Sub 4 Committee
1) Senator Michael Machado (Chair)
Senate District 5 - Tracy, Manteca and Stockton in San Joaquin County; Suisun City, Fairfield, Dixon and Vacaville in Solano County; Davis, West Sacramento, Winters and Woodland in Yolo County; as well as Walnut Grove and a portion of Elk Grove in Sacramento County.
Phone: (916) 651-4005
Fax: (916) 323-2304
State Capitol, Room 5066
Sacramento, CA 95814
2) Senator Robert Dutton (Republican)
Senate District 31 - southwestern portion of San Bernardino County and the northwestern portion of Riverside County: all of Big Bear, Grand Terrace, Highland, Loma Linda, Rancho Cucamonga, Redlands, Upland, Yucaipa, Yucca Valley, Crestline, Lake Arrowhead, Mentone, Running Springs, An Antonio Heights and portions of San Bernardino and Colton; all of Riverside, Glen Avon, Highgrove, Mira Loma, Pedley, Rubidoux, Sunnyslope and all but a small portion of Woodcrest.
State Capitol, Room 5094
Sacramento, CA 95814
Phone: (916) 651-4031
Fax: (916) 327-2272
3) Senator Christine Kehoe – Democrat from San Diego
Phone: (916) 651-4039
Fax: (916) 327-2188 State Capitol, Room 4038 Sacramento, CA 95814
Location:
State Capitol building, room 112, Sacramento
June 2006 — BayRail Alliance helps generate calls in support of California high-speed rail to Governor Schwarzenegger, who was threatening to use a line-item veto to cut all funding for work on HSR. Perhaps as a result, the $13 million for the High Speed Rail Authority is preserved in the 2006-07 budget.
