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Board Votes to Include $4.5 Billion for High-Speed Train Projects In California's Federal Stimulus Funding Application

Sacramento – The California High-Speed Rail Authority on Wednesday unanimously approved an application for more than $4.5 billion in federal stimulus funding for engineering, design and construction on the state's high-speed train system – generating an investment of $9.1 billion when state matching funds are added.

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is expected to formally submit California's bid by the federal government's Oct. 2 deadline for states to seek a share of $8 billion set aside for high-speed train development under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

"California is a leading contender for this federal funding because our true high-speed rail system is further along than any other project in the country," said Authority Board Chairman Curt Pringle. "Plus, we can double the value of the federal government’s dollars by matching them with state bond funds approved by California voters last year, we can break ground before the federal government's deadline, and we can show that our early projects can stand alone as important improvements in their own right."

The Board approved a detailed package of dozens of engineering, environmental review, design-build, train control and electrification projects among every section of the 800-mile system.

The state's application includes:

• $1.28 billion for San Jose to San Francisco, including station improvements, grade separations, electrification and safety state-of-the-art "positive train control" in an upgraded, shared alignment with Caltrain.

• $466 million for Fresno to Merced, including right-of-way acquisition, grade-separations, utility relocation, environmental mitigation, earthwork, guideway structures and track.

 • $819.5 million for Bakersfield to Fresno, including right-of-way acquisition, grade-separations, utility relocation, environmental mitigation, earthwork, guideway structures, track relocation and new track.

• $2 billion for Los Angeles to Anaheim, including high-speed train facilities at Los Angeles Union Station (LAUS), Norwalk Station, and the Anaheim Regional Transportation Intermodal Center (ARTIC); right-of-way acquisition, grade-separations, utility relocation, environmental mitigation, earthwork, guideway structures, tunneling, and track work.

• Community, business and government leaders from around the state packed the hearing room in support of California's application. The mayors of San Jose, Fresno and Fullerton were among those who called on the Authority Board to approve the application package.

Assemblywoman Cathleen Galgiani, author of the legislation that placed Proposition 1A, the successful high-speed train bond act on the ballot last November, told the board she wholeheartedly supports the Authority's recommendation.

"Our application is very competitive – the only true high-speed system in the country capable of travel up to 220-miles an hour," said Galgiani, who represents a Central Valley district. "It will bring badly needed jobs and economic activity to the state immediately."

The Authority Board also received dozens of letters of support for the application from local governments and agencies, business groups and other organizations around the state.

The full staff recommendation for stimulus funding is available at:

http://www.cahighspeedrail....

English teacher Peggy McCabe is armed and prepared for combat when she takes her dogs for their morning walk.

"Every time I step out the door I'm in warrior mode. You have to be," she said. "I love animals but after what happened to me, I have to be willing to kill or injure a dog to protect myself and my dogs."

Last year, McCabe was walking her dog when a neighbor's rottweiler attacked. The 49-year-old bravely stepped between her pet and the rottweiler.

Although she was not bitten, McCabe was knocked to the pavement by the powerful attacker and suffered serious injuries to her knee, elbow, wrist and thumb. No more will she be able to ride a bicycle or bound up a flight of stairs, she said.

Now when she leaves the house for her morning walk, McCabe carries an 18-inch long, 800,000-volt stun baton capable of temporarily disabling an aggressive animal in a matter of seconds.

More than 4.5 million Americans are bitten by dogs each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Thousands are mauled so badly they require reconstructive surgery.

And closer to home, more than 2,400 dog bites have been documented by animal control services in Bakersfield and areas of unincorporated Kern County since January 2007. Many bites are simply not reported, officials say.

By a wide margin, the breed that bites most often is the pit bull, according to records compiled by county animal control.

Since 2007, pit bulls have bitten 389 victims in Kern. Mixed-breed dogs hold a distant second place with 254 bites, and German shepherds are third with 140 bites reported.

According to DogsBite.org, pit bull type dogs killed 52 Americans and accounted for 59% of all fatal attacks fron 2006 through 2008. Combined, pit bulls and rottweilers accounted for 73% of these deaths.

OK, idea people. What do we do about this epidemic of dog bites? Some cities have tried to ban specific breeds. Is that an option? What about mandatory spay and neuter laws? Helpful?

Hefty fines for people who let their dogs run wild? Other thoughts?

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As a structural engineer, longtime Bakersfield resident Ed Creswell is thrilled that America's first bullet trains will fly right through his city's downtown district.

"It's a great project," he said. "And I'm excited for our community."

But for Ed, his wife Judy and some of their neighbors there's also a downside: The 220-mph electric rail line is being routed right through his Rosedale-area neighborhood on an elevated track 30- to 40-feet off the ground. And that will affect property values and the quality of life in their horse-friendly tract.

"A lot of families have been out there 35 to 40 years or more," Creswell said. "They're not really anxious to move."

The Creswells were among dozens who showed up at the Red Lion Hotel in Bakersfield on Tuesday to attend a scoping meeting held by the California High-Speed Rail Authority.

With a $40 billion estimated price tag on the one hand, and clean 200 mph transportation on the other -- what do you think about California's plans to build a high-speed rail system?

When word started circulating that President Barack Obama would deliver a national address directly to the nation's students on Tuesday, it didn't take long for the decision to become politicized.

Some conservative bloggers and reportedly one local talk radio host have already called for parents to keep their kids home from schools that air the president's address, in which he will challenge students to work hard, set education goals and take responsibility for their learning.

That may not sound like an agenda to transform the children of conservatives into lifelong liberals, but some suggest Obama has Pied Piper-like powers.

"The fascist in chief is taking his special brand of brainwashing to the classroom. Keep your kids home," one blogger begged.

Which brings us to the question of the week: Does anyone take this seriously? Would you keep little johnny home from school to protect him from presidential brainwashing?