The Chowchilla City Council approved a resolution Tuesday to support Assembly Bill 1455, a bill designed to stop the proposed high-speed rail project so more taxpayer dollars, according to the council, aren’t wasted.
Assemblywoman Diane Harkey introduced AB1455 which would reduce the amount of general obligation debt authorized for high-speed rail purposes related to the Safe, Reliable High Speed Passenger Train Bond Act for the 21st century to the amount contracted as of Jan. 1, 2013.
Voters approved Proposition 1A in November 2008 providing for a $9.95 billion bond to fund high-speed rail from San Francisco to San Diego, but the California High Speed Rail Authority business plan isn’t in keeping with what voters approved in 2008, with costs nearly tripling for only the first phase which doesn’t include maintenance and operating costs, the city said in a news release.
“With growing skepticism throughout the state, findings are that future funding sources are unknown for the project, the Environmental Impact Report is incomplete, California is drowning in debt and voters may be suffering from buyer’s remorse,” according to the news release. “Many of them are jumping off the train.”
The Chowchilla City Council passed a “No Confidence” stance in 2010 and has been very concerned about the impact of the project on the Chowchilla community, the news release said.
A hearing on AB1455 will take place before the State Transportation Committee on April 16.
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