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December 21, 2009

The mayors of several large California cities wrote in strong support of California's application for $4.7 billion in federal stimulus funds for its high-speed rail project. [1] The project would connect major cities like San Diego, Los Angeles, Sacramento and the San Francisco Bay Area with trains traveling over 200 mph, generating nearly 130,000 jobs. [2] It would reduce emissions, foster sustainable development, and have long-term economic and environmental benefits for California. [3]

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73 views3 pages

December 21, 2009

The mayors of several large California cities wrote in strong support of California's application for $4.7 billion in federal stimulus funds for its high-speed rail project. [1] The project would connect major cities like San Diego, Los Angeles, Sacramento and the San Francisco Bay Area with trains traveling over 200 mph, generating nearly 130,000 jobs. [2] It would reduce emissions, foster sustainable development, and have long-term economic and environmental benefits for California. [3]

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December 21, 2009

The Honorable Ray LaHood The Honorable Joseph C. Szabo


Secretary Administrator
U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Railroad Administration
1200 New Jersey Ave, SE 1200 New Jersey Ave, SE
Washington, DC 20590 Washington, DC 20590

RE: Support for California’s ARRA Track 2 Grant Application

Dear Secretary LaHood and Administrator Szabo:

On behalf of the largest cities in California, we write in strong support of California’s


high-speed rail American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) Track 2 grant
application to the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA). The state’s application
requesting $4.7 billion in federal stimulus funding for engineering, design and
construction on the state’s high-speed train system will generate nearly $10 billion in
investment when state and local matching funds are included.

With trains operating at speeds of over 200 miles per hour, the metropolitan areas of
San Diego, to Los Angeles, through the San Joaquin Valley and Sacramento, to the Bay
Area would be inter-connected in a manner that would bring significant benefits to
Californians. This project will provide our cities with critically needed jobs, encourage
additional economic investment, reduce dangerous automobile emissions, and foster
sustainable local development while ensuring transparency and accountability.

This project would provide economic stimulus to our cities which have been severely
impacted by the economic downturn. California’s application includes dozens of critical
projects among every section of the 800-mile system, creating nearly 130,000 quality
jobs in some of our hardest hit cities:

San Francisco to San Jose – 34,200 new jobs


• Improvements at San Jose Diridon and San Francisco 4th & King Stations and
platform extensions at San Francisco Transbay Terminal
• Grade separations and safety state-of-the-art “positive train control”
• Electrification and other upgrades on shared alignment with Caltrain
Merced to Fresno – 10,500 new jobs
• Grade separations, guideway structures, utility relocation, earthwork and track
Secretary Ray LaHood & Administrator Joseph C. Szabo
December 21, 2009
Page 2 of 3

• Environmental mitigation and right-of-way acquisition


Fresno to Bakersfield – 16,500 new jobs
• Grade separations, guideway structures, utility relocation, earthwork and track
• Environmental mitigation and right-of-way acquisition
Los Angeles to Anaheim – 53,700 new jobs
• High-speed train facilities at Los Angeles Union Station, Norwalk Station, and the
Anaheim Regional Transportation Intermodal Center
• Grade separations, utility relocation, guideway structures, tunneling, earthwork and
track
• Environmental mitigation and right-of-way acquisition
Preliminary engineering and environmental work – 12,000 new jobs
• Includes preliminary work in all other system segments, including Los Angeles to
San Diego via the Inland Empire, Los Angeles to Palmdale and Bakersfield, and the
Altamont Corridor.

Once built, the high-speed rail system would create over 450,000 more permanent jobs
expected by 2035. Furthermore, lower transportation and transaction costs will
encourage new businesses to locate near the high-speed rail corridors, and the
convenience and accessibility will have a positive impact on residential and commercial
property values. California high-speed rail will have a positive economic impact on the
state and the nation as a whole.

The environmental benefits of developing and operating a high-speed rail system in


California are immense. California has the one of the most challenging air quality
attainment problems in the nation. Today, nearly all Californians, about 99 percent, live
in areas that are designated as nonattainment for the State and national (about 93
percent) health-based ozone and/or particulate matter (PM) standards. In the state’s
major urban areas with the worst air quality problems, the State ozone and PM
standards can be exceeded over 140 days per year 1 . Between 2008 and 2025,
California’s population is projected to increase from 38.1 million to 46.7 million. Annual
increases will be about 500,000 people, equivalent to adding a city the size of Long
Beach to the state’s population each year. The emissions produced by millions of
additional residents will only serve to exacerbate an already dire health problem should
vehicle-miles-traveled continue to increase up to 2-1/2 times the rate of population
growth. Mobile sources such as cars and diesel trucks represent 80% of the nitrous
oxide (NOx) emissions that are regulated by the government and we anticipate that
more stringent regulations on this and other ozone gases will continue to be
implemented over time. The operation of the high-speed rail system in California would
contribute significantly to the mitigation of these emissions and to reductions in
greenhouse gases.

In addition to economic and environmental benefits, the state has the mechanisms in
place to ensure accountability and transparency. The California High Speed Rail
Authority has a decade of engineering and design work in place. In addition, the high-
speed rail bond passed by Californians in 2008 established highly stringent oversight

1
California Air Resources Board, “The California Almanac of Emissions and Air Quality - 2009 Edition.” Extracted from
http://www.arb.ca.gov/aqd/almanac/almanac09/almanac09.htm on November 24, 2009.
Secretary Ray LaHood & Administrator Joseph C. Szabo
December 21, 2009
Page 3 of 3

and accountability measures. The bond requires the creation of a peer review
committee, a pre-appropriation review process, and a pre-expenditure review process. It
also requires the State Auditor to perform periodic audits of the California High Speed
Rail Authority following its expenditure of bond proceeds.

The project currently underway in California will be a model system for the rest of the
nation, and we are unified behind this high-speed train project. Thank you for your
consideration of the state of California’s application. We look forward to continuing to
work with you to make high-speed rail in this nation a reality.

Sincerely,

ASHLEY SWEARENGIN MIGUEL PULIDO


Mayor – Fresno Mayor – Santa Ana

GAVIN NEWSOM CHUCK REED


Mayor – San Francisco Mayor – San Jose

KEVIN JOHNSON CURT PRINGLE


Mayor – Sacramento Mayor - Anaheim

ANTONIO R. VILLARAIGOSA
Mayor – Los Angeles

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