Posts Tagged ‘Anthony Pignataro’Rail Program In Deep Doo-DooTuesday, May 24th, 2011 MAY 24, 2011 You know a massive government program is in trouble when even its hand-picked “working group” of insiders starts crying foul. This is exactly what happened to the increasingly troubled California High-Speed Rail Authority (CHRSA) earlier this month. Already suffering under the... State Threatens Parks ClosuresWednesday, May 18th, 2011 MAY 18, 2011 It was an unseasonably cool and rainy Sunday afternoon, and there were about two dozen of us standing under the entry porch of the Governor’s Mansion on Sunday. Usually just two or three tourists show up these days, and the tour guide couldn’t believe the size of the crowd. “Is... LAO Blows Up Bullet TrainWednesday, May 11th, 2011 MAY 11, 2011 There’s something truly exhausting -- no, dispiriting -- about reading the latest state Legislative Analysts Office (LAO) report on California’s immense high-speed rail undertaking. Released at noon on May 10, the document runs just 28 pages but utterly dismantles the current, hu... LAO Says Zero Out AB 32 FundingWednesday, May 4th, 2011 MAY 4, 2011 California’s Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 is in every sense of the word a landmark piece of legislation. Known by its legislative moniker AB 32, the law is, by far, the most sweeping and hard-hitting experiment in climate change of any of the nation’s 50 states. Beginni... Free the Rail Ridership Committee!Wednesday, April 27th, 2011 APRIL 27, 2011 You’d think that an agency spending millions of dollars on public relations would know to discuss one of its most controversial issues in public, where outside experts and members of the public can steadily review any and all findings. But the California High-Speed Rail Authority... Boondoggle Train Already ObsoleteThursday, April 21st, 2011 APRIL 21, 2011 The debate over whether to build an 800-mile network of bullet trains crisscrossing the state at speeds approaching 220 miles per hour is one of the most contentious we have today. Its projected cost of $45 billion (some analysts say double that) makes it the largest public works p... CA Jobless Fund Goes BrokeFriday, April 15th, 2011 APRIL 15, 2011 Because of California’s disastrous unemployment rate -- 12.2 percent at last count -- the State Unemployment Fund is in a precarious position. It actually went insolvent two years ago, and pays out benefits today only because of federal loans. Assuming the Legislature continues t... Will High-Speed Rail Kill All Rail?Wednesday, March 30th, 2011 MARCH 30, 2011 The promise of California’s proposed high-speed rail network is unambiguous: the 800 miles of bullet trains across the state will run clean, make money, put people to work and get people out of their cars. “California’s high-speed rail system will be profitable, will attract ... Will High-Speed Rail Kill All Rail?Wednesday, March 30th, 2011MARCH 30, 2011 The promise of California’s proposed high-speed rail network is unambiguous: the 800 miles of bullet trains across the state will run clean, make money, put people to work and get people out of their cars. “California’s high-speed rail system will be profitable, will attract ... Court Dishes Overdue Justice to CARBWednesday, March 23rd, 2011 MARCH 23, 2011 In the matters of public relations and legislative maneuvering, Mary Nichols is a very smart woman. She has been the chairman of the California Air Resources Board (CARB, or sometimes just ARB) under both Governors Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jerry Brown. She knows exactly how to ... |