50% overrun…5000% overrun…makes no never mind because in the Moonbeamverse taxpayer money is limitless…so get back to work tax suckers….cause Jerry will make you pay up one way or other.

While I admit that the may be worthy projects this state government is incompetent and dishonest. The intent of these bonds is to pass taxpayer money to union and private interests rather than serve the good of the people of the state of California. Things will only change when we force it to happen.

Michael:
Regarding Bonds/Initiatives, they’re not all bad,

In the case of water, some either have, are or will fund major regional water quality & supply projects, good ones that unless you live nearby you’re unaware of.

Some are based upon matching fed/state funds, but invoking a water joke, don’t throw the baby out with the bath water.

That said, I partially agree with you, perhaps a clock needs to be imposed: If you can’t get a certified EIR/EIS, break ground with a completion schedule (similar to a Performance Bond in construction) within 5 years? NO DICE.

The incompetence and ineptitude of this HSR was revealed within the 1st 5 years—It should have been scrapped, sent to the back of the line, requiring a new vote in light of emerging information.

Moreover, CEQA & NEPA mandate re-openers if new, post EIR/EIS info conflicts or supersedes original data. Truly a pig-in-a-poke.

Friday will be a wonderful day for those conservative of us in California. Hopefully “the Donald” will put the screws to sanctuary “Kalifornia” and put a bullet in this browndoggle.

For the rest of you idiots that approve bond measures here in California, this is a prime example of why not to vote yes on any bonds or taxes.

Biologists know that 40-50 ft. swaths of impervious sever migrational and foraging corridors, can strand populations, create ecosystem islands.

So it’s NOT very environmentally correct either!

Not getting a lot of ink presently, perhaps the single most expensive ticket item is boring through those mountains in multiple places! And near seismic fault lines no less.

Personally, I wrote several feature online columns a few years back flailing away at the adverse, unmitigated environmental impacts as well. So it’s not just a fiscal but also ecological black hole, potentially jeopardizing both surface AND ground water quality.

It’ll displace and disconnect significant acreage of high value habitat, if there’s a wreck, spilling fuel/contaminants, there go your streams, aquatics and aquifers.

Why couldn’t it have been sectioned? One line from south Bakersfield going north, one in the Santa Clarita area connecting to San Diego? Does that make too much sense?

Shuttling across the Grapevine would have been far less invasive, cheaper, let alone hazardous both during and after construction.

Tunnels of this monolithic size are crazy. Just like what appears to be a senile, out-of-touch Governor.

SF is six shades of HELL……enough said.

At least there is some sense cutting out HSR to the run down Brady Bunch tourist trap fraud San Diego…..your political Superman Mayor wants to raise the bed tax on tourists from 12% to 16% to fund pet progects and chronyism. SD has miserable surface roads and off ramps. Drive around that pot holed dump of Truman era airport… a real eye opener. No HSR for you- Even the Chargers know better to get away from a rotting city.

California needs HSR to move Amazon deliveries that’s it…..no thinking human will ever ride it. A few may use the Groupons to enjoy the CVS wine and Ritz crackers. Who knows-

EVER.

We So-So-Cal taxpayers can take solace in the fact that we still get to PAY for the HSR system, trains servicing other areas of the state.

Indeed, it turns out that it’s San Diego taxpayers who are getting “serviced.”

Good and hard.