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State in use-it-or-lose-it mode with $4B in bullet-train funds

The California bullet-train project — stalled for years by legal fights over land acquisition and the state’s business plan, uneven progress in planning and Gov. Jerry Brown’s abrupt downsizing of the scale of the project in 2013 — had its symbolic

Budget fight shows unlikelihood of fed $ for bullet train

Chris Reed December 16, 2014

Congress’ most intense squabbles over the $1.1 trillion omnibus spending plan that passed Saturday weren’t over the budget details. They were over plans to add provisions in the measure to modify existing laws, most notably language that would weaken some

Part of bullet-train legal mystery may be answered

Chris Reed October 31, 2014

For close followers of the bullet-train saga, one of the most basic mysteries of recent years has been what happened after Sacramento Superior Court Judge Michael Kenny’s tentative ruling in August 2013 that blocked the state from starting construction on

Ruling that CA high court upheld hardly favorable to bullet train

Chris Reed October 17, 2014

I talked to a couple of insider types Thursday who asked me to explain my take on Wednesday’s California Supreme Court announcement on the bullet train. After all that’s gone down, they couldn’t believe that the justices would clear the

Wall Street Journal too nervous about bullet-train ruling

Chris Reed September 15, 2014

Over the weekend, the Wall Street Journal’s editorial page continued its excellent coverage of California issues with an editorial (behind pay wall) about the July 31st appellate court ruling that overturned a trial court ruling essentially blocking concrete steps toward

How accurate are high-speed rail jobs reports?

Kathy Hamilton September 4, 2014

How many jobs is the California high-speed rail project creating? As California’s unemployment rate remains above the national number, it’s a crucial question. The California High-Speed Rail Authority has numbers of jobs created as of April. As reported by

Feds abdicate on own rules for CA bullet train $

Chris Reed August 14, 2014

The Obama administration has given the state $3.5 billion in funds for its bullet train project. But the 2009 stimulus funds that were the source of most of the federal bequest came with lots of strings attached, as is common

Summary details high-speed rail problems

Kathy Hamilton August 6, 2014

As construction is going forward, now would be a good time to clear the air a little and summarize California’s high-speed rail project. And why not with a little humor? This month the Santa Clarita Valley Signal published a tongue-in-cheek editorial

Associated Press blows coverage of bullet-train ruling

Chris Reed August 3, 2014

Led by the Associated Press, the mainstream media coverage of the state appellate court ruling overturning two anti-bullet train trial court rulings is somewhat peculiar in that it depicts the ruling as monumental. Read the 49-page decision, and it seems

Kings County attorney: Don’t overreact to pro-bullet train ruling

Chris Reed August 1, 2014

A state appellate court ruling announced Thursday overturning Sacramento Superior Court Judge Michael Kenny’s 2013 decisions saying the state rail authority didn’t have a legal financing plan or adequate environmental reviews to proceed with construction of the initial segment of