Despite a previously invalidated funding plan, the California High Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA) has proceeded to request seizure of a 2.5 acre parcel located in Fresno, California. The CHSRA contends that the parcel is a “critical” component of the rail’s infrastructure and plans to build an underground trench on the property. Today, the parcel houses…
Last week, a Sacramento County Superior Court judge rejected the California High-Speed Rail Authority’s funding plan for the controversial $68 billion bullet train. The CHSRA requested the judge to allow it to sell $8 billion of the Proposition 1A bonds, totaling $10 billion, but this request was denied as the presiding judge ruled that the…
In 2008, Solano County sued Michelle Valine to take roughly 10 acres of a Suisun Valley property her family has owned and farmed for decades. It did so to construct an expressway paralleling I-80 from Chadbourne Road to Business Center Drive. That expressway now bisects the 82-acre property where Ms. Valine lives, inviting cars and…
On November 15, 2013, Hon. Judge Meredith Jury denied CalPERS’ request to challenge San Bernardino’s eligibility for bankruptcy protection at the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals level. The judge held that such an appeal would be “duplicative” and essentially a waste of judicial resources. It has already been adjudged that San Bernardino is eligible to…
In August, we reported that Judge Michael Kenny ruled that the California High Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA) violated the voter- approved, 2008 Proposition 1A by advancing a funding plan that did not specifically identify sources of funds. Proponents of the high speed rail argue that since the plan was approved by the California Legislature, only…
Last week, we posted a blog about the importance of Stockton’s voters approving a sale-tax hike to stabilize the city’s finances. On November 5, 2013, 53 percent of voters approved the ballot measure that calls for a 9 percent sales tax (up from 8.25 percent). This tax increase is projected to generate approximately $28 million…
We previously posted a story about Stockton’s plan to exit bankruptcy. That plan hinges on Stockton residents’ approval of a tax measure that would increase Stockton’s sales tax to 9 percent from the current 8.25 percent. Reuters reports that residents will be hitting the polls Today, November 5, 2013– city officials are optimistic that the…
San Jose Mercury News reports that engineering for the first operable, 30-mile segment of “America’s first high-speed rail system” is underway in Fresno, California. In 2008, voters were promised a 800 mile route that boasted speeds of 200+ mph and allowed one to travel between San Francisco and Los Angeles in just under three hours….
On Wednesday, the House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved the Water Resources, Reform and Development Act by a vote of 417-3. The bill aims to shorten the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers review process, which critics say delays projects and increases costs to taxpayers. In addition, the bill authorizes a broad array of water-related infrastructure projects…
In their response to a judge’s ruling that the California Bullet Train Project has failed to comply with spending controls put in place by California voters, California High Speed Rail Authority (“CHSA”) officials are contending that the state may use federal funds to start construction of the first operational portion of the train system. In…
