San Francisco Bay Area's Regional Initiative "Casa..." is another MTC Exec-Director Heminger Power Play, Ref SF Examiner 12-13-2018

Once again, ain my view, the out-of-control Napoleanic Bureacrat, SF's MTV Execuutive Director Steve Heminger is on the loose, unconstrained by any Democrat puppet in the Bay Area. We need to start some politics diversity to check this kind of, what I call, "bureacratic madman" of big regional government, devoid of the people's right to vote to protect their neighborhoods, cities, and quality of life.

Given the dependency of Democrat local officials on high-density developers campaign contributions,, "don't give a left=wing damn" government and construction labor unions, enviro-Socialists, and Lenin's "useful idiot" Democrat/Socialist/Progressive fools, such as one below, Casa will be difficult to stop, without political diversity.

The Casa project will only make our quality of life far worse and hurt people.Transit-Oriented Development doesn't work--it only makes livablity worse and pads the pockets of West-of I280 (low-density living) wealthy high-density developers who, in turn, pay off supportive largely Democrat politicians (and a few Republican political beggars). Think Palo Alto, Sa Jose, S.F. etc.

Heminger could not care less. Power is his thing. Heminger is behind "The Blob"-like growth of the MTC over individual cities and its residents preferences--and its growing usurpation of our quality of life, lack of highway lanes to deal with population growth, and punitive congestion pricing no-longer single occupant, now 2-person carpool charges per mile--irrespective of type of vehicle propulsion (ICE, EV, CNG, etc), and onerous Regional Measure 3.

Fortunately, Heminger, who is responsible for the MTC-endorsed poposal years back to move MTC headquaters from Oakland to the gridlocked SF and renovate a large building into a palace for $200Million in our extorted toll revenues that were/are desperately needed for road and transit improvements, is retiring in February 2019.

Heminger lives in SF and wanted to reduce HIS travel time, transit transfers (when used), and congestion that he refused to relieve! Heminger is, to me,an example of an out-of-control leftist, egotistical, power-mad, likely Socialist Democrat, bureaucrat supported by one party rule--Democrat thieves of our freedom and liberty, thus Casa..

My Comment in the ABC News (Fresno, L.A.) reporting (circa Feb. 1, 2018)  of Calif. State Senators' Patterson and Beall's successful request to the legislature to audit (again) the CHSRA boondoggle:

Actually, the mentioned $65-$68B cost is only the CHSRA (disinformation amount to confuse drive-by superficial news coverage) number used for HSR from Bakersfield to San Jose. The previous $98B used was to LA (Lancaster) before the exponential cost of going *through* the Tehachapi's, now up an unknown amount. Also, does not include SF Bay Area's Caltrain HSR "upgrade" nor the $2-3B *estimated* tunneling to SF downtown. The monies for this horrible boondoggle could be better used for Ca's safety net needs for children, seniors, disabled, mentally ill, and education K-12, UC and CSU tuition reduction, etc etc. 

For transportation, finishing electrified, grade separated BART around the SF Bay is better spent, moves more people, with more frequency, safer, quieter, and zero cross-traffic congestion.

Improving and expanding CA's *real* mass (moves tens of millions daily) road transportation system and safety (where possible) is also a better use than the limited number of riders and workers and destinations. 
Below are samples of such important road projects across California: 
:
SR152 (Pacheco Pass 13 mi to 4-Lane), 
SR41 (Various from SR145 to US101, 
SR46 (Various from SR99 to SR1) 
SR43 (Fresno to SR99 deadly!), 
SR85 (Widen 1 lane each way, as designed)
SR140 (East of Merced to I-5), 
SR145 (I-5, or SR((to SR41) 
SR180 Fresno area), 
SR198 (finish 4-lane from Lemoore to I-5), 
SR58 (I-5 to SR99: 
SR58 (SR99 to Kramer's Corner widen, where needed (Tehachapi's), 
SR58 (4-lane@US395 Kramer's Junction to I-15 Barstow)
US395 (SR58 Ridgecrest to Kramer's Corner, to I-15)
SR65 (Porterville to SR99),
SR91 (Orange County SR57 to I-215)
SR65/SR104/SR148 (Sactamento Beltway), 
SR14 (Palmdale SR138 to Castaic SR14/I-5/I-210 Junctions), 
SR15 (US395 to Las Vegas, not a taxpayer subsidized HSR)
SR130 (SJ to I-5 to relieve horrid I-680 &I-580 Corridor) 
SR138 (near US395 Victorville to SR18 to I-5 Gorman to 4-lane)
SR74 (I-15-I-5) SR76, SR78, (SR73 no tolls) 
I-205, SR120, SR166/33 emergency ingress/egress (widen where necessary)and, importantly 
I-5 (widen from Wheeler Ridge (Grapevine) to Sacramento in existing right of way)
etc, etc, etc,

Buyout existing Toll Roads and toll lanes to stop exorbitant per mile fees for SOVs and other users that can exceed by well 20 times the average less-than $.05/mile CA state motor vehicle fees and taxes that the average car, truck motorist pays on non-toll roads.


Just as California's basic highway and freeway system was built by requisite, exclusive use of gas tax funds, by the California Constitution, until the dreaded 1972 Prop.5 opened 20% for any wasteful, subsidized, mass transit esp. light rail's 90% financial subsidy-sinkhole redux, then a vote to re-lock gas tax monies for roads--including for road mass transit). Limited near-profitable, or profitable grade-separated, electrified heavy rail (BART, for example) would be financially efficient when funded by the General Fund, and, if continuing Cap-and-Trade (ugh, i.e. oil, gasoline derivatives).

The above will take time and gas tax (and other?) monies, but is necessary to meet past (Jerry Brown's anti-freeway disability to 2017) average 3% CA road use growth and future inevitable growth, the monies would be better spent to serve citizens than  
for commerce, holiday, work/trade vehicles, buses, vans, passenger cars, heavy utility and cargo trucks, emergency vehicles, and all other of millions of unionized and non-union road users of all driving ages that would fund these; rather than the waste of well over $100B (some estimates of HSR from San Diego to Sacramento exceed $300B) that deprives so many safety net needy of critical, basic General Fund dollars that would pay the millions of dollars of just interest on HSR bonds, irrespective of the initial capital cost and operating cost, just because Jerry Brown says "I like trains" since he rode on one in his youth over 70 years ago. 

BART references are copied to my "BART around the Bay" blog.

Subscriber, member of American Highway Users Alliance and National Motorist Association Foundation, Silicon Valley Electric Vehicle Association, The Newspaper, Mass Transit magazines, etc.

The Democrat's push for the lie of so-called "Livable" and "Sustainable" communities with the pacifier of "affordable housing" (with less-than-adequate parking for the lower income tenants). are nothing more than high-density developers profit-making, west of I-280 special interest Democrat donors are really nothing more than developer-backed special interest programs that hurt our beautiful, truly livable suburban quality of life where all occupants enjoy a well-balanced community that is served by adequate infrastructure and services.

VTA's effort to sell off public land now used for park-and-ride lots that were bought originally by taxpayers for our roads including interchanges is to increase revenue at the expense of future generations, including another government hit to the prosperity and life enjoyment of Millenniums.

Read Mark Levin's recent book "Plunder and Deceit" to understand the larger picture, but here is one comment that I made in the August 2017 Santa Clara County VTA Connections newsletter about yet another Park-and-Ride lot selloff for high-density projects that will clog our unwidened roads even more so VTA's greed can be satisfied as well as wealthy high-density developers who generally live in low-density, expensive communities.

Here goes my comment:

A "Livable" community to make "moving around more easily" means, in theory of high-density developers only, moving by VTA's recently cutback transit-only method only, but with much more difficulty by personal motor vehicles, SUVs, cars, Pickups, etc whether by auto-mobile, delivery or service vehicles, more congestion, more pollution, more GHG. This is VTA government B.S. Not that it will make any difference to the deaf VTA leadership (GM, BOD), I hope neighbors will attend to express concerns and protect our true quality-of-life, not the VTA government's obtuse socialist, central-planning misstep.
As demonstrated by recent nearby congestion-causing "moving around--but with more difficulty--Transit Oriented Developments, Palmia (over the old golf course), Village Oaks Urban Ghetto (aka "Village"), Transit-oriented density only congests city streets more, increasing the likelihood of vehicle collisions, property damage, slower traffic, and bicycle and pedestrian accidents, let alone density-oriented crime increase with SJ's deficient police force that picks and chooses crimes it chooses to dispatch.

Note: the reason for conversion of VTA park-and-ride lots (formerly often planned expressway or adjacent freeway ingress/egress ramps) is the unrealistic performance metric put upon the VTA General Manager's pay by the VTA Board of Directors to increase VTA's operating deficit...so sell off "excess" land to raise revenue while increasing congestion and other dislocations against the nearby communities. If VTA really wanted to improve performance, they would pave over light rail snail-rail streetcar trackage to enable a real HOV lane that will move thousands more people daily, real mass transit by private and public bus, intercity and charter coaches, carpools, etc..

Omar

Comments about California's need for added Gas and EV VMT tax increase proposals 08-19-2015

California desperately needs the state gasoline tax increase tied to road, repeat, road, that is, rubber-tired transportation systems for the vast motorist-users.  A simple gas-tax VMT, not congestion-priced 'road user fee', for EVs, ULEVs, and LEVs with EPA mileage rating above 50 mpg @.05 cents/mile (equivalent and fixed to gas excise and sales taxes aggregate cost per cents/mile).  Annual or bi-annual in-lieu smog checks of EVs automobiles can read their mileage change and automatically send to DMV as smog data is sent currently.

Secondly, but very important is that any tax or VMT must negate tolls on our roads, eliminate government's abuse of Congestion-Pricing to influence citizen behavior, and formally deny any of these monies for the HSR rip-off, waste, and cap-and-trade tax diversion boondoggle  that is based on the illegal and unconstitutional HSR 2008 Prop 1A ballot measure (per 3rd CA Appellate Court decision, January 2011 C60441),  

We need to improve our roads, like I-5 Grapevine to Sacramento, SR84-Fremont to Vacaville, SR130, finish SR152 from 156 to US101, SR156 Prunedale to Catroville, SR138 build Freeway from I-5 to SR18 Victorville, I-15 Nevada line to I210/I10/SR60/SR91 then to I-215. and so many more roads that not only take cars off local roads, improve safety via capacity increase, while generating net revenue, rather than govt-run transit that requires more major tax subsidies for every new additional route and product.  Transit should be primarily General Fund supported as a social purposed facility, and/or privatize appropriate transit operations to save $.

It is important to note that all of the organizations cited in the article all support California's rip-off High Speed Rail--and are Democrats or Democrat-run "Public Policy" groups, for example, BAC, SVLG, Gov. Brown ("I Like Trains," 1/27/15 at HSR groundbreaking ceremony who has always opposed roads and freeways in favor or LRT and HSR).  The huge, as yet undefined funding source, for this Calif. HSR Democrat political waste and wrongly diverted partly motorist and student tuition, low-income, disabled, in-home services social programs' diverted-funds project must be stopped, or at least segregated from critical rubber-tired mobility projects that this is billed for:"roads".  Democrats too often get away with using the Trojan Horse of road and pothole repairs and projects to fund their nefarious, crony-capitalist (high density, urban-congesting "TOD" fraud land owning and developer campaign contributing projects (Think Irvine Land Company among others (for BRT, LRT, HSR) and crony socialist (too many labor unions) and enviro-socialist big government, degrowth pushers (per Mark Levine) and Native Big infrastructure Destructialists, (Sierra Club, Center for Bio-Diversity, NRDC, TransForm and too many other environmentalist facade socialist advocacy front groups in my view, all underpinning Democrat Party political activists and politicians).

Yes gas tax and EV VMT tax/fees for rubber-tired multi-vehicular mobility, eliminate all tolls and congestion-pricing for government-owned roads and paid-off bridges. 

How many more must die by Caltrain- Another (suicide) death on the sacrifical CA High Speed Rail--Caltrain shill trackway, 8-2015, 60-since 2011, 219-since 1995

How many more must die on Caltrain's HSR surrogate tracks?   What can we do?

What we can do is fight to pressure the respective Democrat-controlled city/town councils along the Peninsula Rail Corridor to bring far safer, grade-separated--by law! to replace this 1864 (US Civil War, once Rural) trackway with electrified, quieter, more frequent, high-farebox recovery BART down the Peninsula. I've been doing this for the past 4 years, ever since a grandfather of 5 that I used to see in the supermarket was killed by a Caltrain, similar to the latest one near blossom Hill. Since I've been begging the city councils (right after many deaths occur) to open talks to extend BART and close the BART Around The Bay loop for safety in 2011--60 have died.   Also, demand at tonight's (most Mondays) 6:pm Palo Alto Council meeting that Palo Alto join the Atherton lawsuit against Caltrain-HSR Electrification as they cited multiple similar safety issues that are built-in to the Caltrain-HSR surface trackway. Remember, Caltrain tracks are the designated HSR trackway since 1995--13 years before the deceptive, unconstitutional ballot 2008 vote for Prop 1A HSR. (KCBS "Indepth" interview with CHSRA Chair Dan Richard, January 11, 2015: Gov. Jerry Brown, "...working for 30 years to bring HSR to California." Face the Nation interview with Bob Schiefer, 2012 (Caltrain was started in with Gov Brown funding in 1982) ).
Worse yet, the election of Sacramento Democrat machine puppets Liz Kniss and Sen. Hill's coy Cory Wolback have created a pro-HSR majority on the all-Democrat PA CC, so only public pressure from locals, esp. Democrat citizens, *might* get them to buck Sacramento's powerful Democrat machine--Peninsula Lives Matter!!!.  These kids and the 218 who have died on Caltrain's tracks since the 1995 decision by Sacto's CHSRA to use these tracks (same size as HSR, unlike BART's different track width). If HSR is to be then, it ought to go up the East Bay, not the more densely, and increasingly dense, dead-end (no pun) Peninsula Corrdior.  BART's elevated, tunnel, or trench requirement will save lives. The sooner we start to get BART, now that all counties have voted for it, and PA and MV voters in 2008 both voted (Measure A) by over 2/3 to tax themselves for BART additional 1/8 cent, then the sooner these deaths, even suicides, will be reduced due to harder to access tracks--but the citizens and councils and all levels of govt (Dem) must form a consensus to work with VTA and SamTrans to collaborate with BART and get funding.  BART will have the newer cars then--and allow bicycles more as well 
The sooner we start this effort, the sooner the 15-20 year plan-fund-build work will replace Caltrain-HSR street-level tracks with BART grade separated tracks.  As I have repeatedly advised PA, MP, MV councils, that still means these higher speed, horizontal-guillotine violent  dismemberment or crushing deaths, especially by the higher speed (Baby) Bullet trains will amount to about 200 more dead on the tracks.  How many more must die before we work to stop this sad, horrorific situation in our midst?  We voters in the SF Peninsula area should have started in 2000 when SM and SC county voters overwhelmingly voted to support BART, 15 years ago, but late is better than never--especially for those who are toddlers today!

One can only wonder if others are dying in California along tracks secretly held frozen, without improvement for better, safer service, by Gov. Jerry Brown and other Rail Foamers in Southern California and Central California?

Latest deathcount on Democrats' CA HSR sacrificial Altar of Death: Caltrain of SF Bay Area

Palo Alto, Menlo Park, Mountain View, Burlingame voters must understand that Caltrain is and has been the placeholder for CHSRA High-Speed Rail placeholder from Sacramento-based Democrat Party and their local Democrat zombie puppets, Stepford Wives and Zombiers.  To them, it does not matter how many die, how violently since they decided in about 1995 to use Caltrain's tracks. 218 dead since 1995, 7 dead this year, and 59 dead since I started going to the PA aned MP City Councils in 2011 (to meetings after most deaths) to at least 10% each year 

This is the powerful state Democrat agenda, that unless Demcrats Hill, Speier, Eshoo, Honda, "oh so clever" Burt, are convinced to change their positions and support Atherton's Caltrain Electrification lawsuit--that lays out all the reasons for the recent and past track deaths, and fight Caltrain-HSR "improvements" rather than the far safer, same cost, electrified, no horns, more frequent service of BART, then the deaths will occur.  Despite MP's crocodile tears at recent meetings, and the unfunded underpass notion, the real solution is a consensus of Peninsula cities unified to fight the coming state Eminent Domain power of CHSRA and work to bring down BART to join with SJ/SC coming station. Unfortunately, another 200 will die during this planning-construction 20 year period. Too bad we didn't start planning and building BART southward from Millbrae back in 2000 when both counties voters approved BART to join the others around the Bay. 

Bottom line is that the Democrat power politics of CHSRA and its capitalist (profiteers) and socialist (leftist environmental, especially local Sierra Club and high-density (Smart Growth/Sustainable) central planning crony advocates will continue the deaths unabated, even if HSR comes through-no money for Grade Separations and its need for 20% operating funds from HSR-owned (Eminent Domain) retail and denser property values with 1/2 mile of stations--including Palo Alto. 

• Caltrain deaths are politically enabled as the Peninsula's placeholder, since 1995, for state and local Democrat's desire to impose inappropriate HSR into California. 
• (Listen to CHSRA Chair's interview on KCBS, 740 AM, January 11, 2015, and, Rod Diridon Sr's comments on KBAY 94.5, Sunday March 01, 2015 Sunday a.m. radio broadcast w/ Sam van Sant) 
• BART requires, by law, grade separation to zero-out such conflicrts with traffic and avoid many all-too-easy suicides, but it must complete the last 30 miles down the Peninsual from Millbrae to Santa Clara to loop the Bay for bi-directional doubling of capacity, not HSR

The voters of Peninsula voters have to stop being "Gruber-ized" by clever Democrat politicians and influence or elect those who are openly oppsed to Gov. Brown's "Moonbeam" HSR (not Democrat appeasers) and its devastating effects and higher taxes on adjacent communities, but more importantly on our lives.

Assembly Candidate George Yang, who ran for statewide office in 2014, and is likely to run in 2016 understands all this, supports BART around the Bay, including the Peninsula Caltrain replacement, and, if HSR cannot be stopped, then to run HSR up the East Bay to Oakland for riders to use BART from SJ or Oakland to get to SF, and, later, HSR will have a straight track to Sacramento by the demonstrably busy I-80 corridor--as Amtrak does now and with the Capitol Corridor trains..

[Similarly posted on Palo Alto Patch, 03-05-2015]

Two more Caltrain-HSR shill's sacrificial HSR Altar of Death-suicides in do-little Palo Alto Council's City

On October 15, 2014 a 19-year old, 1-year post-high school graduate committed suicide, according to Caltrain's administration, near the Charleston Road crossing,  by placing himself in front of an oncoming urban Caltrain street-level commuter rail placeholder (for High Speed Rail)...yet another of Governor Jerry Brown's and California Democrat Party political sacrifice...on his vanity(vanity per Kashkari) project HSR, and its altar of (easy access) death.

On November 4, 2014 another teenager, 16 years old from Palo Alto's Gunn High School, Caltrain suspects committed suicide around 1:00 am just south of Palo Alto's California Street station.   This is yet another of Governor Jerry Brown's and California Democrat Party political sacrifice...on his vanity("vanity project" per Neel Kashkari, former 2014 candidate for Governor) project HSR, and its altar of (easy access) death. '

I am concerned that these all-too-easy fatalities, whether by accident or suicide or whatever, amounting to 9 this year, 2014; 50 since 1/1/2011, 210th since 1/1/1995, are a continuing result of the one-party, e.g., Democrat, majority rule, monopoly, and obedience of the unified result of San Francisco Bay Area political bodies at local, county, regional, state, and federal levels who have united to support their insensitive, uncaring, ego-driven Democrat Governor and the cronies who support him, regardless of how many die on these outdated trackage, a deadly embarrassment to Silicon Valley's innovation, creative, and "creative destruction attitude that prevails up the SF Bay Peninsula--except for this long-time deadly street level HSR shill--Caltrain.  Even HSR is currently set to be at street level, thus terminating those people on its shared street tracks, but at 110 mph instead of Caltrain's up  to 75 mph speed (whether by accident or suicide).

It is past time to start work to replace Caltrain-HSR shill with a safer, electrified, street-separated, zero traffic congesting, bay area wide, integrated real mass transit system--BART.   Replacing the Caltrain-HSR shill will cost about the same as "upgrading" the outdated Caltrain-HSR train from SJ to SF by replace it with BART for the final 30 miles up the Peninsula, to seamlessly connect and close the Bay Area loop with Eastbay commuters to/from the Peninsula's Silicon Valley employers.  BART should save many more lives due to its legally required street separation.  Unfortunately, replacing Caltrain-HSR with BART will take about 15-20 years, thus another 200 deaths of friends, neighbors, and others on Caltrain-HSR tracks.  But, the effort will only start with public/voter pressure on local, regional, and state Democrat officeholder sufficient to overcome Governor Brown, the (anti-human) Sierra Club, Big Labor, and Democrat-led Silicon Valley Leadership Group and Bay Area Council go-along, get-along business members.

Here is a 2010 article response Comment about these unfortunate deaths and the Mineta Transportation Institute's so-called "Correction" about Caltrain deaths, for some background:

 Important footnote:  In 2010 the earmark, specially Democrat funded "Mineta Institute for Transportation" //(MIT) was headed and, from my own experience, an anti-automobile, pro-rail federal and state Democrat funded advocacy "institute" (hah!!!!) thus any such "Correction": as noted above that downplays the extreme danger of this outrageous, out-of-place, ought-to-be, and once was pre-urban, rural commuter train that runs through increasingly dense SF Bay Area Peninsula cities at street level (causing huge cross and parallel traffic delays must be viewed from MIT's  "rail foamer" bigotry.  The hidden agenda is the scandal that not only prevents electrified street-separated BART from replacing this deadly Caltrain (210 dead since 1995, 50 since 1/1/2011, and 9 so far this year on this historic (1864 US Civil War built) trackage, but that Caltrain is really the Peninsula placeholder for the CA and Bay Area Democrats' High-speed rail corridor--regardless of how many lives must be sacrificed by suicide or accident.  As Gov Jerry Brown and MIT's then-ExecDir, former CAHSRA now US HSR head, Rod Diridon Sr said, in separate media (CBS Face-the-Nation with Bob Schiefer), Kbay, Southbay Sunday with Sam van Zandt) interviews, verbatim that "I've been working for 30 years to bring high speed rail to California...." HSR was only approved in 2008, though the CAHSRA had been funded for over a decade by Sacramento Democrat legislators.  Additionally, I allege that the last two-lanes 13 miles of SR152 Pacheco Pass near Gilroy that kills and injures a number of people every year (4 dead this year alone) because it was determined by local Democrats to be extorted into an improved 4 lane congestion-priced toll road whose excess revenue (about $2Billion to 2040) could help fund the adjacent planned HSR.  That is the full story of the result of one-party Democrat monopoly control of all local, county, regional, state, and federal elected and appointed boards--and the two leading business leadership groups in cahoots.  By the way, another two suicides occurred on the Palo Alto Caltrain-HSR tracks in the past 3 weeks--but public officials (Democrat- controlled) will do nothing in sacrificial service to their crony-capitalist (or, perhaps, crony Socialist)HSR god.  If HSR is to be, then it should follow the existing Amtrak route to San Jose, then Oakland to points east, not the few riders heading to SF.

9/20/14-- 2 more deaths on Democrat politicians' California High Speed Rail extortion Sacrificial Altar of Death delayed transportation facilities

Another 2 deaths, Saturday 9/20/2014, on SF Bay Area's Democrat Party politicians' High Speed Rail (outdated) Sacrificial transportation facilities' Altar of Death:   on the remaining 2-lane farm-to-market deadly 13 miles that leads (shockingly) into of SR152 Pacheco Pass, that I contend (after over 30 years of Santa Clara County citizen and motorist transportation advocacy, including for the early 1990's widening and now SR85 freeway) is directly related to holding back on a search for funding to widen this stretch to far safer 4-lanes in order to extort/fool the public that a toll road is the only way to build this.  Not true though. The real reason these people die (~7 year, plus injuries, property damage and costly congestion and related delays on this highway stretch since about 2004 when CAHSR Chair and rail advocate Rod Diridon Sr (now head of the USHSR Association) announced this would be the route of the future HSR.  Making SR152 Pacheco Pass a toll road would, according to official Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (SCVTA) past and current plan, VTP 2040, generate via the deadly extortion of widening it to a 4-lane Congestion Priced Toll Road over $2 Billion more than needed to construct and maintain it.  The $2Billion would be used to help fund the HSR through the Pass. Until Los Banos rejected a SR152 through its town, the plan had been to makie SR152 from Gilroy to Maders a CP Toll Road. SCVTA has NOT searched for grants, earmarks, or ARRA funds (like the Prunedale bypass, SR46 from Paso Robles to Lost Hills, etc) deliberately to drive for a motorist -CP Tolled windfall to flow to the HSR windfall.  Worse yet, HSR is and has been without public knowledge until last year, the reason that the easy Suicide/Accident killer train Caltrain continues to exist, rather than planning to finally encircle the SF Bay with one high capacity, frequent, safer, electrified, street-separated ( (zero congestion on nearby roads) rail sysstem: BART Around the Bay, as originally planned. Caltrain's outdated (1864) trackage have seen 7 people killed this year on its 64 miles of track, 48 since 2011, and 208 since 1994. Jerry Brown (and Diridon) admitted in separate on-air 2012 media interviews that they have been working to bring HSR "to California for 30 years". Caltrain was started in 1982 with initial 3 year funding by the first Jerry Brtown admiinistration.

Christie's so-called GW Bridgegate is nothing compared to this deadly SR152 Pacheco Pass and Caltrain scandal. It is particularly outrageous and egregious that these two deadly transportation facilities continue to kill and congest and pollute (think GHG) without funding to deliberately feed future HSR.  This is only possible because of the Democrat monopoly of SF Bay Area transportation politics who march together like Stepford Wive Zombies for HSR, no matter the human cost.  Neel Kashkari has been advised of this scandal, but does not seem to realize that Jerry Browm's Achilles Heel is his anti-motorist, anti-road, costly pro-HSR actions, some of which contribute to these accidents, deaths, and GHG.

07/23/14 Comment in Fresno Bee July 14, 2014 article about the first (abandoned, bar) building demolition to make way for the California HSR.  

CA HSR must be stopped to protect jobs that will be lost due to stated decreased roadside businesses, casinos. highway-dependent business cost increases and deprivation of various tax and fee, for example, Airport revenues from diverted motorists (supposedly) and worse, takes still precious and too-few funds for Californians safety net needs ranging from IHSS, schools, University student fee reductions, Calworks, children and disabled assistance, state hospital and prison improvements, our still-underfunded Court system that is slowing our constitutional needs for swift justice.  Worse yet, the Central Valley needs (jobs) for major water projects not absurd, political-only multi-tax increases, road toll (starting with SR152 Pacheco Pass (to Los Banos from US101 Gilroy (Caltrain’s not coincidental starting point—standard track width as HSR) in SCC, was originally to Madera (Wow!, surprise, surprise, then other "high-priority" freight corridors--Gagliani is as disingenuous as politicians can be (much more here) to fund this. 

So, it will cost many more jobs than HSR will create, from Casino workers, to truckers, warehousemen, agriculture, other road-dependent users (much more here). HSR competes with at least 100 flights per day from SF Bay Area to LA Area's "Intense Competition" corridor (per Virgin America, which just dropped its unprofitable routes in the corridor), 5 intercity scheduled coach lines--all of whom pay taxes and fees to all levels of local, regional, state (and Fed) govt entities.  Shame on this project.

But worst of all, is that SF Bay Area's (Gilroy-to-SJ-SF) Caltrain,  Jerry Brown and Rod Diridon Sr's acknowledged placeholder for HSR that they stated on CBS' Face the Nation w/Bob Schiefer and KBAY 94.5 Sunday a.m. Community Show last year, respectively, that they "...have been working for 30 years to bring HSR to California".

Caltrain was started by Gov. JB's initial funding in 1982, unbeknownst, and unapproved by the public with a deceitful and illegal ballot, authored by no-Livinston-Merced State Senator Gagliani, (CA 3rd Appellate Court Case C060441, January 2011) in Nov. 2008 (Proposition 1A).

 

My research of news articles has 205 dead on Caltrain’s (1864, yes Civil War era!) surface trackway ROW, since 1995, already 4+ this year, the latest only days ago July 10, 2014 in its Atherton trackway.  But, Jerry Brown doesn't care. He wants to spend taxpayer billion$ on his Crazy, wasteful, unnecessary, train to run through miles of empty land or, in the SF Bay Area, densely populated, dangerous, narrow Peninsula corridor to share 2 tracks with freight trains, 2 different speed schedules of Caltrain, and its own 110 mph runs. Crazy, Deadly, and Dangerous.    

I contend that the victims died because of Jerry Brown's obsession with his HSR Altar rather than serving the public for their true infrastructure needs with precious state tax and bond dollars..

Want more?  Here's more:  SR152's last 13 miles has been held up since 2005 when fellow Democrat Rod Diridon Sr’s (Brown's former  local 1978 re-election chair, progeny, CAHSR Chair, and, until recently taxpayer-funded (40 yrs) rail zealot, now head of the US HSR Association) announced the SR152 Pacheco Pass alignment would be the HSR route 3 years before the ballot measure.  Diridon had one of his students at the SJSU Mineta Transportation Institute (Diridon was CEO of the “Institute) do a "study" and survey about the palpability of toll roads to fund transit and rail (following the 2004 AB2002, Dutra law that permitted such for nearby transit lines from nearby toll roads). 

Accordingly, a study to finish that last 13 miles was suddenly halted shorthly thereafter due to"no money". 

Hah!  Despite TARP, ARRA, and multiple Highway Bills since, nothing has happened to seek federal or state road monies (pending their Democrat plan for Congestion-Priced Tolling with HSR being built nearby in the future to suck up road monies.  This is the model used in Portland Oregon's I-84/LRT combination, CA SR85/87 with LRT), and apparently France's Paris-Lyon HSR+Toll road.  

SF Bay Area and Central Valley Democrats, especially Gagliani, are aligned.  

But Quentin Kopp and Lt. Gov Gavin Newsom get it--the waste.  They understand HSR funds would be better spent on regional projects--BART all the way around the SF Bay-one high capacity, safer, heavy rail system; Water infrastructure needs funds in the Central Valley; and SoCal major rail and transit projects (roads,too?) need funds to move residents efficiently. 

Because of the (primarily Democrat, plus Republican Swearingen's foolishness), HSR Altar of death is resulting in motorists being killed and injured regularly in Truck/Car and Car/Car collisions on that unimproved, delayed, SR152 2-lane highway's last 13 miles: most recently May 14, 2014 a ghastly beheading in a 1995 Hyundai-truck crash. Just on Monday July 21, another died with others injured in a truck-multi-car crash. Yet, Gov. JB cut Caltrans funding this fiscal year, 2015. Incredible!

All this on Jerry Brown's HSR Altar of Death for HIS ego, not to serve the citizens, taxpayers, residents, motorists, tourists, emergency services works, and farmworkers who use the SR152 essential Farm-to-Market route from Salinas Valley work to/from the Central Valley, etc.  HSR must be killed, not people. So, the Jerry Brown HSR Altar of Death kills.   Hah, and critics say that NJ Governor has a 4-day scandal of delays, no deaths, on the GW Bridge fiasco.

How about JB's 30 year HSR scandal, or let's say last two years of his first administration and 4 years of this administration, where these two outdated transportation facilities remain unimproved 19th Century street level  trackway  (Caltrain:  46 dead since 1/1/2011) and an early 20th Century 2-lane highway (30 dead  estimated) only waiting due to JB's ego-driven rail fetish derived from an insecure childhood and a search for fame and notoriety--that congests and kills Californians in the meanwhile.

The circulating ballot measures and/or lawsuits must be successful to resume real job growth, replenish funding-short public services, schools, court justice and improve water, transportation and other infrastructure facilities. with far greater value to Neel's two focii. The above is just one face, but some of the Fresno-specific "canary in the mine" precursors for the lrest of this modern-day reincarnated SST (remember the SuperSonic Transport that was supposed to revolutionize air travel and "all developed countries" were moving toward adopting. Hah, the EU's Concorde, Russia's TU-144, and US'' Boeing and Lockheed proposal are all gone into the political wasteland of politicians' ego-driven failures. 

Governor Jerry Brown's fetish for this Crazy Train is his downfall.  I've twitted Neel K that JB's Achilles Heel is Transportation including this Crazy Train.   No malice here, just fact, tragedy, and comment.

The above can be verified by searching the web using names and keywords.   

Another NorCal death on the HSR Altars of Death: SR152, [and Caltrain--3 to date]

This latest death (05/14/14} on Pacheco Pass's last 13-mile 2-lane segment is so sad in that it was so unnecessary, except for mostly Democrat Party politicians regimented support for the HSR fraud along this route. Funding for conversion of the last 13 miles of SR152 Pacheco Pass, a southern and eastern Farm-to-Market 2-lane vital gateway to Monterey tourism, Silicon Valley, SF Bay Area and Central Valley jobs, residences, and innovation has deliberately stalled since 2006 in order to position this highway's fix for $ hostage taking to fund High Speed Rail by forcing SR152 to fund its adjacent rail, via Congested Priced Tolling.
SC VTA and its Democrat Board of Directors is hell-bent to hold up a non-toll funding search for this highway's safety upgrades to conventional or freeway standards, despite clear evidence that TARP, ARRA, and other funding, even earmarks could've and can been used as done in Prunedale and SR46 East of Paso Robles to Lost Hills. Despite Los Banos rejection, SC VTA wants to toll from US101 to I-5 Gustine--no matter how many people die. Additionally, and worse yet, the Democrat politicians in the SF Bay Area and Gov. Jerry Brown specifically, have been fighting to keep the deadly Caltrain (Suicide-Killtrain) from Gilroy to S.F. (the long-planned standard-track HSR route) as an HSR placeholder, no matter to Dems how many die on its long-outdated 1864 (Civil War, Covered Wagon era!) street=level tracks each month....204 dead since 1995, 45 since 1/2011, 15 since 1/2013 to block BART completing is full, safe, electrified, street-separated loop around SF Bay. Gov Brown announced last year that he has been "working for 30 years to bring HSR to California" (since his first term started Caltrain with $$$).
 Like a Third-World Dictator or ancient Emperor, that hundreds have died is irrelevant, collateral damage amongst the peasants, thus, to The Leader (Gov. JB) big iconic (wasteful, Unnecessary, subsidized) dreams for his legacy. Hah, and the media thinks NJ Gov Chris Christie had an issue with the 4-day G.Washington Bridge fiasco! This HSR-gate pales. Where are P.I. attorneys when we need them? Neel, Tim, this could be a worthwhile issue for the Governor's race. Feel free to contact me for more depth and information on this and Caltrain trackway's terrible, deadly, politically-inspired High-Speed Rail transportation corridor's managed obsolescence.  Human life has little value on the HSR altars of death on SR152 and Caltrain.

Metro buys out South County news sources/papers critical to Caltrain/HSR shill cover

On news today that Metro Newspapers bought out the critical newspapers of Gilroy Dispatch, Morgan Hill Times, Hollister Freelance and Santa Cruz paper, I wrote the following Reply with respect to these communities and their newspapers key informative role in the Governor Brown's Northern California Trackway Scandal that far outpaces anything New Jersey Governor Christie is alleged by his opponents to have done.   Here, in Calfornia, Governor Brown's longstanding rail fetish, dating back to his first term where he used, manipulated state road right of way lands to effect the return of taxpayer-funded mostly inefficient, congesting, money-losing streetcars (now labeled with the generic term of "light rail") that failed due to their inflexibility in contrast to auto-mobiles and buses and coaches.

But despite 204 deaths to date from 1/1/1995 to today, at a current rate of more than 1 death per month, including too-easy suicides. Already 3 track deaths this year, 2014, including a Pleasanton-homed Good Samaritan high-tech worker (Nividia) death in Santa Clara, just two days after the SC VTA held a "celebration" of Caltrain, the HSR's 30-year SF Bay Area Peninsula rail placeholder\.  Incredible, to think this aged train set is allowed to exist, and no Democrat in any local, regional, state, and federal position, except truly progressive Gavin Newsom are willing to fight to redirect HSR funds to local/regional needs, such as closing the final one-seat rail gap from SJ to SF with safer, electrified, non-congesting, frequent two-way BART in the Caltrain/HSR right-of -way:  Here's my Reply note in Metro's San Jose Insider comment on Metro's takeover of the South Santa Clara County's critical news sources"

"I hope Metro maintains the independent integrity that Metro & Insider demonstrated on the Shirakawa and other scandals....  Gilroy and MH are the crux of SoCounty/SCC VTA HSR fraud enablement--and Democrat-backed VTA Board's plan for the final 13 mile SR152 (joint with SR156) Pacheco Pass toll road to US101 to help fund it (as allowed for nearby transit facilities, per AB2032, Dutra, 2004).  Sorry to read of Gilroy Editor Mark Derry's departure.
Christie's Washington Bridgegate issues are nothing compared to Caltrain, the now, out-of-the-closet, placeholder/shill admitted Jerry Brown and Rod Diridon Sr clear rail fetish put on taxpayers, with its 150 year old street-level suicide, accident deathtrap and increasingly dense congestion (GHG) generator. The Caltrain shill, with same track size as HSR, blocking finally extending BART around the whole Bay, as BART was originally planned, and that all Bay Area counties have approved taxes to support BART, indeed, SCC by 2/3 vote in 2008!
BART would be super-efficient with dual direction high-frequency, safer, electrified, quieter, one-seat rail transit (like the 2 freeway loops around the Bay), separated from street-level traffic (required by law).
Both Gov. Brown and Diridon had on-air interviews (CBS Face the Nation w/ Bob Schiefer, and KBAY Sunday a.m with Sam Van Sant(?) in mid-2012) where they admitted to their up-to-now secret agenda. They both said they've been "...working to bring High Speed Rail to California for the past 30 years."  This is when the first Gov. Brown gave the initial 3-year funding for Caltrain (1982).
The scandal is that hundreds have died in Caltrain's 150-year old street level trackway.  Based on B.A.N.G. reporting, 204 dead since 1/1/1995, 45 dead since 2010, three this year (2014) continues the average of just more than  12 dead per month. Far fewer die on BART by any measure, including suicides.  New BART trains, more bicycle friendly focus, and huge efficiencies result by our politicians and business leaders planning BART to close the last 21 mile gap from Santa Clara (Univ) to Millbrae with minimal neighborhood and environmental or land needs would be possible by replacing deadly Caltrain by ending HSR and redirecting NoCal $ to bring BART to SJ, SCU, then up to Millbrae.  This save Billions that would be needed to update, separate, electrify, the incompatible Caltrain with BART's united efficient, ultimate Bay Area Loop.
Gilroy and MH would be better served with a Santa Cruz VTA coach-like service north to SJ multi-modal train/bus station than infrequent, rigid Caltrain, thus, the importance of Gilroy and MH, Hollister and commuters'points south--and completing SR152 without any tolls (we already pay for roads with our auto taxes and exorbitant auto fees).
 This deadly, congestion-causing Caltrain placeholder for HSR ought to be investigated and exposed, at least since Santa Clara and SM Counties' voters voted to support BART, as other Bay Area counties did previously.  Note that BART took over the ROW of at least 3 other formerly street-level trackways. Christie's 4-day Bridgegate is nothing compared to Brown's HSR/Caltrain Trackgate!

The Bay Area needs the Josh and Dan duo to investigate and expose this deadly, ongoing Caltrain/HSR sham and scandal that pollutes and endangers Peninsula residents instead of BART."

Note: This blog is also posted on my other Blog: BART Around The Bay

Freemotorist 

• 15 minutes ago

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What's the big deal with Christie's 4-day Bridge-gate when Calif Gov Jerry Brown admitted in 2012 on CBS' Face the Nation with Bob Schiefer that he "has been working for 30 years to bring High Speed Rail (HSR) to California." Indeed. Thirty years ago, nearing the end of the first term of California Governor, JB's (a rail "foamer" to be ssure) in 1982, Jerry Brown's administration gave SF Bay Area the initial 3 year funding for the deadly ~60 mile "Caltrain" from San Jose (and later Gilroy) to SF--the same rail as HSR is to take in this Democrat-one party, monopolized SF Bay region. Since his 2010 election, Brown has come out of the closet to support the Caltrain-HSR dangerous and deadly boondoggle even more up the SJ-SF Peninsula--with budget cuts elsewhere to support HSR's huge costs over those of the needy poor and disabled, e.g., Calworks, InHome Services, MediCal cutbacks, and more. 

Despite all negative State Audit, Legislative Analyst and Transportation Expert Peer reviews, court decisions (HJTA vs HSR C060441 in 2011-- ergo, the 2008 ballot language was unconstitutional and illegal (a sales pitch, not objective), and the judgment now against it that halts funding (Judge McKenney) for compliance, JB's rail fetish overwhelms his sense of duty to the people of California. 

Ever since a granddaddy neighbor was killed crossing the Caltrain tracks near my home, I've tracked Caltrain fatality reports (via San Jose Mercury News) back to 1/1/1995. SInce 1995, 203 deaths on this 1864 (yes, Civil War, post Promotory Point, pre-auto, pre-urban, re-electricity, light bulb etc) Caltrain trackway. JB supports/protects this killer track, though BART makes more sense to close the loop around the Bay, Caltrain is the SF area HSR placeholder because it has the same standard rail width as HSR. About 12/deaths/yr occur by suicide or accident on the street level tracks by the dangerous 50-70 mph Caltrain Express trains that hurdle through each Peninsula cities heart, only inches from pedestrians, cyclists, and automobiles. Two died (violently dismembered when hit) already this year, 2014. 

Prior JB's Caltrain-HSRaltar deaths were indiscriminate and range widely across our demographic: a visiting Indiana Obama-supporter, former Stanford professor, teenagers, despondent lovers, good samaritans (trying to save others on the tracks), kids, public employee union members, and more. Gov JB's (RailBeam?) 2012 admission, on air, to Schiefer, my ignored Tweets to Gov JB about this killer train trackway's danger, yet he funds $250M in this years Calif budget and now $29 million interim during the Court's HSR halt. 

This only shows JB's true callous disregard, if not collusion, and open admission of his Caltrain-as-a a-placeholde while the at-grade Caltrain kills, maims, and congests/pollutes over 36 million vehicles/year (100k per day, per 1985 study), year after year, month after month, week after week, by this on his (and Democrats') Caltrain-HSR Altar of Death. 

President Obama is coming to Fresno this Friday, ground zero for not only the Calif Drought, but also HSR's starting point....presumably to deliver his Valentine wishes about both. But, even Democrat support is waning with Lt Gov. Gavin Newsom telling Joint Venture Silicon Valley's Russell Hancock, that his support for HSR is "softening" now (aired on KLIV, 1590 last week) due to the financial and other issues. 
So, what is with Christie's supposed 4 day issue, eh? Gimme a break. JB's Caltrain-HSR has millions congested/yr and hundreds die. The dead are dead. GW Bridge Delays were temporary delays--no deaths, and not for 20-30 years, while BART (street separated by law) waits finishing the planning for the last 21 miles to complete its long-envisioned, safe, loop around the bay (think like the efficiency of the complete Chicago Loop)

Calif Democrats cry again about Road fund deficiencies (they cause by diversion) to fund HSR, post Court Decision!

Can you believe this "new" Democrat Politician, this new Senator Jim Beall and comrades, Assemblyman Rich Gordon, Senator Jerry Hill et al effort to suck even more monies fraudulently out of us motorists to fund their urban density transit, especially High Speed Rail, and deadly, motorist road congesting, deadly, outdated Caltrain, while continuing to actually leave our roads in bad shape--for another dip in motorist-funded financial troughs later?  Democrats cannot, nor will not, "solve" our road deficiencies, lest they dry up their funding sources for their wasteful, unnecessary, ever-larger, special-interest (read: campaign-contributor cronies) merry-go round.

Motorist-voters need to get back to dedicating motorist-derived monies (Taxes, Fees, Fines, charges,j surcharges, penalties) back only to the road users who generated them and therefore should benefit from them. 

Currently, motorist-derived revenues are more than ample to go around now,but Democrat Politicians like Beall, Hill, Yeager, Cortese, Liccardo, Kalra (yech!), Tissier, SFer Democrats, divert huge monies to low-efficient transit dangerous Caltrain-HSR placeholder, road diets that reduce automobility to coerce motorists "out of their cars" by restricting lanes to CAUSE congestion, reduce miles we travel, or, charge more to use the roads we paid, and are paying for, via new toll lanes, toll roads (SR152, I-15, I-405, and 800 miles of SF Bay Area one-freewauys. 

Senator Beall is being two-faced. He wants the monies to reduce our automobility (Democrat politicians hate independent people's mobility--w/o govt control) VMT. See his current bill SB628 that passed the legislature, but is being held now "pending the governors plan to implement cap and trade funding" diversion of motorist fees and gas taxes to C&T via Beall's Infratructure Financing Authority to launder the funds for, you guessed it: High Speed Rail's $7 Billion current funding deficit (to grow later) leverage from other, Private (read Public Private PartnershipToll Road-generated motorists funding).  Indeed, in April 2013, these and other Democrat Politicians who run the SF area Metropolitan Transportation Commission serving in their dual role as Bay Area Toll Authority that controls all Bay Area Highways and Bridges, voted that Bay AreaToll Revenues will go into this newly Democrat State Legislature created Infrastructure Financing Authority. 

Beall's support to eliminate State Routes 130, SR 82--to reduce automobile lanes (and formulated gas tax monies to SJ) for bus only lanes and road diets is another testimony to this now-arrogant, vindictive, in-office-too-long powerful politician "caring" chameleon (seniors and foster kid cover). This man is the once, but no longer, road advocate. Now, I suppose to stay in office, he has sold out to high-density developers and construction union supporters and motorist-human subordinating Sierra Club, who back HSR at all cost--to their benefit by sucking more money from motorist-voters by opposiing new/better roads in actuality. Beall has opposed SR152 for decades (despite family there) being converted to a divided, safe highway, toll-free. SR152 is designated to be a toll road, since at least 2006, to support HSR, literally by $billions of surplus toll monies. Same with SR85, no widening for the congestion/accident relief--except as a toll lane to screw motorist$ more--congestion priced--no limit--thanks to legislation this Dem, like all others in the Bay Area. Worse yet, no support for direct SR130 to I-5 Patterson to relieve I580/I680 congestion for Amazan, Kohl and other warehouses, Tracy et al and commuters. And, Beall also opposed BART to SJ to keep Caltrain as the 30-yr HSR placeholder, as announced essentially by Jerry Brown and Rod Diridon Sr on air interviews last year, 2012. We voted for SB83 $10 Vehicle fee and where is much of the money going? To Road Diets as part of Obama's Sustainable Livable Communities method to coerce motorists from their cars (Ray Lahood, March 2010 National Press Club speech), SmartGrowth (not), and One Bay Area.purposes, Palo Alto, Sunnyvale, San Jose, road diets etc.

No malice intended, but Beall cannot be trusted now. Free speech, The "road" monies he wants NOW are directly or via displacement, a desperate attempt to generate more motorist funds for HSR (as a result of the recent HSR court decision) by an unflinching, Now anti-highway (was for SR85 and half-aborted SR87 to SR237), HSR-backer, Democrat Politician who is union-backed (see Vote Smart) and thus a body-snatched "Stepford Wife" robot, like all the one-party Democrat monopolists who rule the Bay Area. They deny us real road and mass transportation on our highways and BART that should run continuously around the whole SFBay, circular, bidirectional, replacing the outdated, deadly, traffic-congesting Caltrain.

Politicians should pass laws that once again revert road and motorist generated monies to go only to roads...roads that serve not only automobiles, but also trucks, motorcycles, paratransit, transit buses, utility vehicles of private and public entities, emergency vehicles, etc. 

LOL! Not possible by these anti-motorist, special-interest Democrat Stepford-Wife politician robots, of course. 

Today's daylong overturned 18 wheel flipped big rig that blocked Northbound I-680 near the Sunol CHP Truck Weigh Station is the third major multi-mile, multi-hour long, traffic clogging, and air polluting\ incident in the SJ-Central Valley I-580 and I-680 commute route in the past month.  
Both I-580 eastward congestion from the dangerously outdated Hopyard Rd+I-680 Interchange, these freeways are overcongested/overcapacity due to South Bay Bay's growth over the past decades since either they were built or expanded. 

I-580 east from I-680 was last widened in 1972 by two-lanes each way. It is time to get started to build the long-planned (SR130) direct freeway connection from San Jose to I-5 at Patterson to serve this growth in population, motorists, and business expansion on both sides of the Diablo Range. Patterson, CA, where SR130 would meet I-5 travelers from north, south, and east origins is now where new, large, retail distribution centers are located, Kohls, others, and newly under construction, an Amazon distribution center, as well as its new Tracy distribution center would use this new route over time.  

California needs a direct, low VMT access to/from San Jose (10th largest city in the US, Third largest in the US) to/from the growing Central Valley communities' jobs and homes. 

Once again, the myopic Democrats' Agenda 21, Sustainable Communities Strategy, One Bay Area Plan central government planning by the MTC/BATA and ABAG don't provide for such employment growth and related efficient expanded transportation needs. This SR130 reduces VMT beneficially by 55 miles EACH WAY from/to Patterson and from/to San Jose when compared to the current sole I-580 to I-680 route currently available.  

State Route (SR) 130's shortened VMT direct route benefits not only Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) gas/diesel fueled cars (about $5.00 savings in fuel each way), but also low and no emission, especially limited range clean electric, vehicles.

Coming to California soon.  Frequent HSR accidents and fatalities as in Europe and China et al.

1) http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-23442956  (6 dead in Caltrain-like/HSR shared track)

2) http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-16345592 (40 dead, no electricity, Positive Train Control fails on second train).

3) http://www.france24.com/en/20100624-several-revellers-killed-high-speed-train-while-crossing- track-spain (13 ultimately dead crossing HSR track from Caltrain/Metrolink-like train)

STOP HSR in California now, for safety, finance irregularities and lies, waste, low-tech score, low bidder, and unconstitutional 2008 Ballot measure (January 2011 CA 3rd Appellate Court ruling HJTA C060441)

These are converse photos that news outlets ought to display every time news outlets quote anti-HSR forces. Converse of news outlets' display of (pre-crash!) blue and yellow "sleek" HSR renderings when discussing the stories.

CA HSR Contract to TPZP awarded for first leg, despite serious concerns. Better to fund key regional roads and transit for mobility

This comment was posted to the Orange County Register website report of today's award of the first major contract for CA HSR in the Central Valley to Tutor-Perini-Zachary-Parsons consortium for the stretch from Madera to Bakersfield, CA.
http://www.ocregister.com/articles/authority-511625-bid-board.html

Typical HSR issues in that so many if not most WW HSR projects involve bribery or other corruption. Google HSR and Bribes and Corruption.  Seems like nothing new with Calif's HSR, from the pre-selection of SR152 route alignment, secret link with making it (and other CA"Trade corridors" routes) into Toll roads to help fund HSR operating cost (ala Paris-Lyon France HSR). A review of the now-ruled unconstitutional and illegal Nov 2008 Ballot Measure 1A( 3rd Appellate Court Case C060441, 1/28/11) campaign contributors is the who's who of rail project beneficiaries, including member companies of the TPZP consortium and other CA HSRA contracts.. A 2002 SJ Mercury News discusses Rod Diridon Sr's HSR shenanigans while on the Board (now USHSRAssoc Chair and Tax-gigolo funded "Mineta Transportation Institute Exec Director platform).  All the ballot numbers were wrong/fraudulent.  Even if this is built, the ballot "guarantees" nor intra-venously union-funded Democrats (and a few Repubs--Swearingen) in charge of, or pushing, this blue sky project have any civil or criminal penalty risk at all. Snake Oil at the expense of the taxpayer and govt. integrity.  A trip from SF to LA may take 6 hours or whatever, and no one goes to jail. The project is built on fraud.   Nevertheless, a recent SF Examiner article revealed the long history of Tutor-Perini cost overruns on many of their projects, with Mr Tutor making the same claims for "quality.  Overruns will happen here as well--with no repercussions, just as Parsons Brinkerhoff (a 2008 campaign contributor, like Parsons et al) already got a contract $96 million addition in May 2013.   What a waste of tax monies and union labor when they could be so much better for regional transit and highway improvements in:
Southern California  (Metrolink, Coaster, Red Line, I-5, SRs 14, 18, 58, 74, 76, 79, 90,138, US395),
Northern California (BART around the Bay, SR152-no tolls, SRs 20, 36, 37 (urgent!), 65, 84, 102, 130,  148, 238 etc) and
Central Valley (I-5 to 6 or 8 lanes from SR99-South to SR99-North or SR138 Grapevine, SRs 43, 46, 48, 58  65(Urgent) (from SR99 to Porterville), 140, 148, 65 (Roseville), 102, I-80,  etc).

Until the Calif Republican Party can update its brand and platform to serve the public, especially the Calif.car-loving motoring public/voters, including opposing any more toll roads/lanes (to fund HSR, especially), buying out all existing Toll Roads for all to use, then the CA Democrats can and will get away with all this!  Mr. Tweed, Democrat, might have been quite pleased with CA HSR

The fifth violent death occurred on May 27, 2013 due, in my road safety view, due to irresponsible removal of a critically important center median shoulder to make way for another lane (future toll lane is likely) that used to allow space for a disabled vehicle and safety zone for occupants.

Callous Caltrans (District 4) and distracted San Mateo County Transportation officials have removed the center safety shoulder median from this stretch of US101, such that a vehicle is only inches (less than 12" or so) from the center K-rail at 65 mph.  A car can easily hit or touch it, lose control, spin out, then the immobilized vehicle will get whacked from other fast-moving vehicles with no escape route or path available in the midst of 5 lanes of fast moving traffic on either side of the freeway.

US101 here, and other highways in this Caltrans district are thus, killing zones for disabled, unconscious, injured, or live and post-accident ambulatory motorists and passengers. No escape to safety is possible from the center area, nor for oncoming vehicles to dodge around a stopped car.

So, it is a multi-lane bloody, viciously violent road, from Broadway past SR92 since it was recently repaved to eliminate even a minimal median shoulder.  In some segments,  not even a right side shoulder exists anymore (Poplar). Her death is the Fifth most horrific and unspeakably violent death in the no-shoulder stretch between Broadway to Poplar to 3rd Ave. Sad, very sad, and so unnecessary from a highway safety viewpoint. I hope a very mean bulldog-type Personal Injury attorney gets involved to rectify and stop further tragedies of such beloved people here and elsewhere on such deliberately unsafe roads. 
Another SM County example is at I-280 at Edgewood where a tiny 4' median shoulder contributed to 2 deaths there, too, when that SUV got a flat tire and could not get completely off the fast (#1) lane, presumably.  Where else could they go? Certainly not across four lanes of traffic to the right shoulder at that time of day. 
This is a testament to San Mateo County Transportation agency, elected officials, and Caltrans disregard for the most basic roadway safety needs--that costs real people their lives in the most horrific way. Friends and family suffer lifelong pain.    Caltrans and local transportation agencies are eliminating too many safety shoulders here and elsewhere, but San Mateo County is one of the worst. Perhaps this is because their Transportation head holds three jobs in order to "earn" over $432,000/yr and is too focused on transit only.   But, he can do no justice to any of the three jobs by holding all three.  Too many violent, vicious road deaths occur in San Mateo County, in my view.

It is ironic indeed, that the new Devil's Slide (SR1) tunnels have escape routes for accident and stalled vehicle occupants, as does the new Caldecott Tunnel, yet, Caltrans and local transportation agencies are eliminating such safety zones, shoulders, and routes. 

Reference Articles:
http://www.sfexaminer.com/local/crime/2013/05/woman-killed-fatal-accident-was-well-known-burlesque-performer

http://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/Ten-Injured-After-Party-Bus-Crash-in-Burlingame-209003281.html

About the tragic limousine fire on the San Francisco Bay's San Mateo Bridge on Saturday, May 4, 2012....  

Every driver should have the $12 Emergency Hammer (multi-function, seat belt cutter, too) in their car, especially Limosines or other very closed vehicles. The tool, available at any auto parts store and some big box stores, quickly shatters automobile windows for easy escape in cases where the doors won't open due to crash damage, submerge in water, or, fire, such as this limo tragedy. See: 
http://www.autopia-carcare.com/life-hammer-escape-tools.html?gclid=CI-K4IL-i7cCFc47OgodIXQAgw I have no affiliation with this company, of course.

Reference article: 
http://mountainview.patch.com/articles/experts-ponder-what-trapped-the-limo-victims-11693ebe#comment_7253308

S.F. Bay Area's...I-580 comments:

The Westbound I-580 to I680 South (to San Jose) and North (to Walnut Creek) is in desperate need to be upgraded/rebuilt into a high-capacity, high-speed freeway-to-freeway interchange.

This interchange has motorists suffering almost daily accidents, some fatal due to semi-truck involvement and the Hacienda and Hopyard line-of-sight limitations due to their undercrossings, and, the grossly inadequate signage and lane space for traffic to line up and stack to handle the decades-long outdated old interchange.   Indeed, after the BART line was installed in the Westbound I-580 median, Caltrans forgot to move the line-up sign with arrow to the right (the whole freeway was moved over one lane) and a couple of fatal accidents occurred, I called Caltrans to advise them that the sign was pointing to the wrong lane, second from the right, instead of the rightmost lane where the newly aligned lane would line up to the I-680 interchange, especially to San Jose (I-680 South).   Instead of moving the sign and arrow to the right, Caltrans "saved a buck, but killed a motorist" by simply removing the sign's arrow, leaving the sign to simply display "San Jose".   More signs are needed to properly segregate through traffic from I-680's two directions and further west, Foothill Blvd.

Another key contributor to the congestion of I-580, is the lack of the long-planned State Route 130 (SR130) which was designed to pull traffic to/from San Jose directly to Interstate I-5 at Patterson.  It is long past time to get the process started to study, fund, and built SR130 to accommodate and balance out traffic to San Jose, the third largest city in California, San Jose, with over 1 million motorist-inhabitants and the central Central Valley and all point East between SR152 (Pacheco Pass) and I-580, I680, and reaching to reduce traffic as far as I-80 to/from Sacramento and points East, North, and South (I-5).

I-580 lingering daily and weekend congestion and accidents is just another indication of the failure of MTC/BATA which seems more interested in social(ist) engineering, tolling--not fixing or expanding our highways--under the MTC/BATA's modern day motorists' Caligula, Steve Heminger, Executive Director, in conspiracy with the Democrat monopoly of politicians who sit on the MTC/BATA Board of Directors.

More to come....  

It turns out that during Governor Jerry Brown's China trip a couple of weeks ago, and, despite his strong and expressed desire for state-owned China companies to invest in California projects whilst he was touring China, the California HSR project the foundational two San Francisco Lennar housing projects at Hunter's Point and Treasure Island that were propositioned fell through first. This, apparently because of the US tax and other laws require transparency (per SF Chronicle's Andrew Ross column) and possibly an unwillingness of SF Mayer Ed Lee and others to succumb to the deep level of involvement that the Chinese insist upon when they agree to build major infrastructure projects, as is normal in third world developing nations, notably Africa but also southern Asia.

Nevertheless, keep an eye on China investment for future HSR contracts because China's state-owned companies can easily be low-bid contract costs.

Best regards.

=====Original Post: 03/26/2013=============
Calif. HSR and China ... Is the big dig Central Valley contract imminent?

The Daily Caller article about California Fracking (03262012) triggered this additional Freemotorist Comment from Jerry Brown's comments about Fracking: "we’re not jumping on any ideological bandwagons,” Brown added" 

Freemotorist follows-up on Brown's comment to extend them to the majority of Californians High Speed Rail concerns and, now, polled HSR opposition majority:
Righto, this from a man who had three full blown corruption events under his Oakland mayorship, accepted California public unions' collective bargaining--which neither his father-governor, nor FDR did knowing the likelihood of corruption. The obvious, corrupting, conflict-of-interest that has corrupted politics that turned California to a dirty brown state from The Golden State that Hiram Johnson so carefully set up to keep politics clean. 

Brown eagerly pursues this terrible, unnecessary, sneaky (you haven't seen anything yet!), dishonest, fraudulent, and, of course, bankrupting PPP-Corporate Cronyism. Just see the Nov. 2008 HSR campaign contributors (and those names who gave through Labor's Calif. Alliance for Jobs (CAJ) organization as well), then compare the list to the current Cal HSR contractors and vendors--wow, what a fantastic ROI! for some.
Brown wants to add this California High Speed Rail (HSR) project for his mantle via the corrupt and ruled unconstitutional fraudulent Nov. 2008 ballot measure (3rd CA Appellate Case ( http://www.hjta.org/press-releases/pr-jarvis-wins-major-victory-california-voters ).

--China's state-owned Railway Corporation Group will be the low-bidder (and riddled with corruption like most HSR projects worldwide) to kickoff construction in July 2013 between Madera and Bakersfield. http://www.cahsrblog.com/2010/12/siemens-and-kawasaki-angry-at-chinese-hsr-plans/

I expect an imminent announcement during or before Brown's China trip this April 2013 (next month). 

Here's why I believe the pieces to award the major construction contract to China are in place:
-- Brown's April visit, ostensibly to visit the newly reinstated California Trade Offices that will facilitate this and other investments in California, especially San Francisco (Folsom St project, etc)

-- Secy of State John Kerry plans to visit China in April as well (CCTV)

-- China's Xi Jingpin was elected up from VP to President, 2 wks ago, for the 10 year term. (CCTV
-- --Brown met with Xi Jinping last Feb. 2012 in LA to beg China's involvement in CA HSR.(Multiple sources, per web search) http://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2012/02/16/chinese-vice-president-to-visit-la-thursday/

--The newly reconstituted China Railway Corporation Group which was $300 Billion in debt from all of China's rail and its other infrastructure construction projects in China and developing nations. (CCTV). HSR debt is a major components of 3 of the 5 financially troubled 5 EU PIIGS countries.

--Thus, China Railway Construction (CRWOY?  stock symbol) is now positioned early and swiftly to "invest" and manage the California project as one of its "Public-Private-Partnership (PPP) lead contractors.  California Labor will love this, eh? 
-- China Railway was inserted into the huge Lennar (think Pelosi kin) SF 12,500 Hunter's Point housing project as General Manager as part of the contract.  (SF Examiner, by Will Reisman., December 2013 and on-air KCBS a.m. Commentary by Phil Matier) 

--Not coincidentally, San Francisco is the northern terminus of CA's proposed HSR and Caltrain commuter rail electrification construction project and MOU.  (Bay Area News Group, SJ Mercury News et al). 
Note: Sun Tzu: The Art of War:  wrote "Be Swift" ("The Nine Grounds" chapter) and "One who takes position first on the battleground and awaits the enemy is at ease." 

--The November 2012 Prop. 30 tax ballot measure now provides the $180Million/year bond interest payments from the General Fund.  This, rather than to support California's needy courts, education, public safety, health and welfare programs that were cutback, as the voters were led. 
--New Prop. 30 new taxes will pay for HSR's California Infrastructure Revenue Bond sale of over $3.3 Billion of the last week or so. (KCBS) 
This provides the California financial security to China and other PPP members.
Yep, Jerry Brown, unlike his destructive "small is beautiful" first term, now has no idealogy, . Such is this failed Jesuit free-spirited Democrat governor.

More corroboration about an impending China-California HSR announcement, I believe..

--Treasury Secretary Lew was in China last week.  (CCTV)

Remember, Federal $3+ Billion will be involved in Calif. HSR, is not stalled by the Federal Sequester issue, thus, providing more assurance to the Chinese to invest in the HSR project.

--As recently as late last month, CEO Jeff Morales confirmed the project is on track to start construction in July 2013 in the Central Valley.  (Bay Area News Group).

--As Melissa Griffin mentioned in the March 24, 2013, S.F. Examiner article about the Democrat Legislature's denial of Senator Harkey's request for an HSR audit  of contracts already let,"...Speeding Out of Control", California taxpayer's can expect that the less-than-scrupulous HSR project contracts will have deliberate  huge and exceptional cancellation clauses' penalties to dissuade opponents of the HSR project and voters in a future initiative from killing the project.

It is important to remember that California politicians, ex-politicians/rail zealots, and their hired consultants who peddle these snake-oil tax-funded public projects with deliberate and fraudulent, exaggerated or understated, numbers (2.5 hours to LA, $40 Billion in 2008 ballot for the whole, ultimate project, exaggerated ridership and alternative highway costs, etc) are have never been subject to civil fines, penalties, let alone well-deserved fraud or racketeering criminal charges, jail, and fines.  They ought to be. Crimes, like those that private individuals would face for defrauding a public entity so openly,  would clean up a lot of this crap, save tax dollars, and right California's finances, and be sure that those who do this in tax-funded project after tax-funded project for their own glory--won't do it again...they would be in jail!

Omar