Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
On High-Speed Rail, Will the Real Gov. Newsom Please Stand Up?
Bill McEwen updated website photo 2024
By Bill McEwen, News Director
Published 6 years ago on
February 9, 2019

Share

Gavin Newsom has said more than once that he wants California’s high-speed rail project completed between the San Joaquin and Silicon valleys.
“It’s not a train to nowhere,” Newsom told George Skelton of the Los Angeles Times in October. “It’s insulting to suggest the Central Valley is nowhere. This is an economic development project, connecting the fastest growing and most dynamic economic regions in the country. That project is achievable and realistic.”

Portrait of GV Wire News Director/Columnist Bill McEwen
Opinion
Bill McEwen
Two months later, after winning the gubernatorial election, Newsom visited Fresno.
“I’ve been a longtime supporter and I continue to support the Valley to Valley segment,” he told local leaders. “But I also think it’s time for a fresh start. It’s time to take a more sober, honest assessment of what it is and what it isn’t, and that’s what I intend to do. And, frankly, I’ve been critical of some of the financing plans over the past few years, but I hope to get it done but with a lot more transparency and a lot more accountability.”

Promises, Promises

However, campaign promises are easily forgotten. As are responses intended to keep local folks happy. This is the same politician, after all, who said in 2015 that if he became governor, he’d probably kill two of Gov. Jerry Brown’s signature projects — high-speed rail and the Delta water tunnels.
Will the real Gov. Newsom please stand up?

“It’s insulting to suggest the Central Valley is nowhere. This is an economic development project, connecting the fastest growing and most dynamic economic regions in the country. That project is achievable and realistic.” — Gavin Newsom in October
I ask because longtime Newsom and Capitol watcher Dan Walters visited Fresno on Monday and told a room filled with Rotarians and their guests: “I have a hunch it is going to die. Newsom is not so enamored of the bullet train.”
Wrote Gabriel Dillard of The Business Journal: “There was a gasp in the room of Fresno community leaders … .”
I called Walters seeking the context of his remarks. He said that he expects only the first segment of high-speed rail to be completed, leaving the Valley with a souped-up version of Amtrak. But he put the odds of the line going from Bakersfield to the Bay Area as less than 50-50.

Tough Financial, Political Road Ahead

Newsom faces the same financing and political challenges that frustrated Brown.
The California High-Speed Rail Authority has burned through cash like sparklers on the Fourth of July. The latest construction estimate is $77 billion, and the project is years behind schedule. Counted-on private investment is nowhere in sight. Cap-and-trade funding is the project’s lifeline, and it isn’t nearly enough.


“I have a hunch it is going to die. Newsom is not so enamored of the bullet train.” — CALmatters columnist Dan Walters
Public finance watchdogs say don’t throw good money after bad. And Democrats who’ve long backed the project are now calling for a timeout. Some of them are concerned about the spiraling price tag. Others, such as  Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon of Lakewood, say the current plan isn’t what voters approved. In addition, he isn’t happy that it would be decades before the line connects to Southern California — if ever.

Bakersfield to Bay Area Link in 10 Years?

For those who don’t know, the rail authority’s latest plan envisions a Bay Area-to-Bakersfield segment completed by 2029. That is expected to cost between $29 billion and $37 billion — a lot more than what the authority has in the bank or can expect through cap-and-trade funding.
There is hope that President Trump, who is always talking about investing in infrastructure, might send some federal cash. That’s a longshot given his aversion to all things California.
Beyond that, there’s the 2020 election. If the Democrats win the White House and the Senate and keep the House, HSR supporters might sing “Happy Days are Here Again.”
There’s even talk of putting another rail bond on the ballot or a tax — neither of which, in my opinion, will fly.
“There are a lot of unknowns,” says Fresno Mayor Lee Brand, who has always had doubts about HSR’s business plan. “But we’re too far into it, I think, for the state just to walk away.”

Economic Stimulus for the San Joaquin Valley

Brand, like many local leaders, knows the project’s importance to Fresno’s future. Connecting the Valley to the Bay Area, the mayor says, “is an economic game-changer.”
Lee Ann Eager already knows, perhaps better than anyone, the project’s value to the Valley.


“We’re looking at an economic impact of $20 billion in Fresno, Merced, Madera, and Kings counties. And that’s before the train is even up and running or before we add new industries because of being able to go from the Silicon Valley to the San Joaquin Valley in an hour.” — Lee Ann Eager, president/CEO of the Fresno Economic Development Corp.

“We’re looking at an economic impact of $20 billion in Fresno, Merced, Madera, and Kings counties,” says the president/CEO of the Fresno Economic Development Corp. “And that’s before the train is even up and running or before we add new industries because of being able to go from the Silicon Valley to the San Joaquin Valley in an hour.”
All good points. The question is, how strong is Newsom’s resolve to finish what Brown started and failed to keep a close eye on?
Fresno City Councilman Steve Brandau shared what he learned at a recent meeting of the Fresno County Transportation Authority.
“Our consultant told us that high-speed rail doesn’t look like a major priority to Newsom. He said it doesn’t seem like the governor is energized to commit dollars.”

Newsom’s State of the State Address

On Tuesday, Newsom will deliver his first State of the State address in Sacramento. We know he’ll talk a lot about healthcare, housing, education, and immigration.
Many people here in the Valley also want to hear his plan for high-speed rail.
If he is silent, that could be a sign that Walters is right.
Or merely an indication that Newsom, like everyone else, hasn’t yet figured out where the project is really headed.
 
[activecampaign form=19]

DON'T MISS

Newsom Uses a Stunt to Position Himself as a Leader of Anti-Trump Resistance

DON'T MISS

CA Legislature Sets Record for Women in Office and Could See Historic Gender Parity

DON'T MISS

Trump to Target Iran’s Oil Trade in Renewed ‘Maximum Pressure’ Campaign

DON'T MISS

Over 2,500 Central Unified Students Receive Spirit Sweaters at 20th Annual ‘Warm for Winter’

DON'T MISS

Fresno Police Arrest Gang Members in Shooting Involving 7-Month-Old

DON'T MISS

Fresno Team Makes Low-Budget Horror Flicks Look Like Multi-Million-Dollar Productions

DON'T MISS

4B Movement: After the Election, a Call for Women to Swear Off Men

DON'T MISS

Homeowners’ Effort to Leave Sierra Unified Ends With County Ed Rejection

DON'T MISS

Will Terance Frazier’s Nonprofit Exit Granite Park? ‘Hell No’

DON'T MISS

Fresno Crash Sends Pickup Into Tree, Dark Tint Cited as Cause

UP NEXT

Over 2,500 Central Unified Students Receive Spirit Sweaters at 20th Annual ‘Warm for Winter’

UP NEXT

Fresno Police Arrest Gang Members in Shooting Involving 7-Month-Old

UP NEXT

Fresno Team Makes Low-Budget Horror Flicks Look Like Multi-Million-Dollar Productions

UP NEXT

Homeowners’ Effort to Leave Sierra Unified Ends With County Ed Rejection

UP NEXT

Fresno Crash Sends Pickup Into Tree, Dark Tint Cited as Cause

UP NEXT

November Has Scattered Cool Temps, Rain Showers for Fresno

UP NEXT

Tulare County Man Brutally Killed at Halloween Party, Six Arrested

UP NEXT

City of Fresno Invests in El Dorado Park Upgrades in Maxwell-Led Move

UP NEXT

Clovis’ Measure A and Sanger’s Measure M Get Good News with Thursday Vote Update

UP NEXT

New Look Basketball Bulldogs Open at Home. How Will They Fare Under Walberg?

Bill McEwen,
News Director
Bill McEwen is news director and columnist for GV Wire. He joined GV Wire in August 2017 after 37 years at The Fresno Bee. With The Bee, he served as Opinion Editor, City Hall reporter, Metro columnist, sports columnist and sports editor through the years. His work has been frequently honored by the California Newspapers Publishers Association, including authoring first-place editorials in 2015 and 2016. Bill and his wife, Karen, are proud parents of two adult sons, and they have two grandsons. You can contact Bill at 559-492-4031 or at Send an Email

Over 2,500 Central Unified Students Receive Spirit Sweaters at 20th Annual ‘Warm for Winter’

2 hours ago

Fresno Police Arrest Gang Members in Shooting Involving 7-Month-Old

2 hours ago

Fresno Team Makes Low-Budget Horror Flicks Look Like Multi-Million-Dollar Productions

3 hours ago

4B Movement: After the Election, a Call for Women to Swear Off Men

4 hours ago

Homeowners’ Effort to Leave Sierra Unified Ends With County Ed Rejection

5 hours ago

Will Terance Frazier’s Nonprofit Exit Granite Park? ‘Hell No’

5 hours ago

Fresno Crash Sends Pickup Into Tree, Dark Tint Cited as Cause

6 hours ago

November Has Scattered Cool Temps, Rain Showers for Fresno

7 hours ago

Beyoncé Makes Grammy History With ‘Cowboy Carter,’ Leading 2025 Nominations

7 hours ago

Macklin Celebrini, NHL’s Youngest Player, Scores on Marc-Andre Fleury, League’s Oldest

7 hours ago

Newsom Uses a Stunt to Position Himself as a Leader of Anti-Trump Resistance

Two days after the nation’s voters gave Donald Trump another term as president, Gov. Gavin Newsom staged a publicity stunt to position...

22 mins ago

22 mins ago

Newsom Uses a Stunt to Position Himself as a Leader of Anti-Trump Resistance

24 mins ago

CA Legislature Sets Record for Women in Office and Could See Historic Gender Parity

36 mins ago

Trump to Target Iran’s Oil Trade in Renewed ‘Maximum Pressure’ Campaign

The Foundation for Central Schools' 20th annual Warm for Winter event provided over 2,500 Central Unified students with spirit sweaters, thanks to community partnerships and generous donors. (Central Foundation)
2 hours ago

Over 2,500 Central Unified Students Receive Spirit Sweaters at 20th Annual ‘Warm for Winter’

2 hours ago

Fresno Police Arrest Gang Members in Shooting Involving 7-Month-Old

3 hours ago

Fresno Team Makes Low-Budget Horror Flicks Look Like Multi-Million-Dollar Productions

Following the results of Tuesday's election, Jada Mevs, a 25-year-old from Washington, D.C., is urging women to take action by signing up for self-defense classes, deleting dating apps, getting on birth control, and investing in vibrators, as part of a growing response to the election of Donald Trump for a second term and the failure of abortion rights referendums. (Shutterstock)
4 hours ago

4B Movement: After the Election, a Call for Women to Swear Off Men

5 hours ago

Homeowners’ Effort to Leave Sierra Unified Ends With County Ed Rejection

Search

Send this to a friend