Source: Fox News
Summary
California city leaders, including Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer, are opposing the state’s high-speed rail project due to concerns that local taxpayer funds may be used to support the troubled system. The mayors penned a letter to the CEO of the High-Speed Rail Authority, criticizing a proposal to redirect tax revenues near future High Speed Rail stations to the project. The proposed plan, outlined in the California High-Speed Rail Authority’s 2026 Draft Business Plan, would not create a new tax but redirect existing tax revenues.
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As expected, the matter has reached another stage.
The mayors’ letter is a familiar response to the state’s handling of the high-speed rail project. The concerns about local taxpayer funds being used to support the project are not new. The proposal to redirect tax revenues near future High Speed Rail stations is seen as a “legally dubious scheme” by the mayors. The High-Speed Rail Authority’s spokesperson pushed back on the mayors’ characterization, saying there is no finalized plan to capture local revenues. The project has been in the works since 2008, with an initial $33 billion price tag that has ballooned to over $200 billion in expected costs.
The mayors’ letter is a performance of opposition, a ritual of resistance to the state’s handling of the project.
Author: Evan Null
