Newest articles on The Sacramento Press tagged as "prop 1b"

State turns over $31 million for RR tracks

2009-12-12T07:05:45Z

Helping to save $20 million in local federal stimulus money, the state of California on Thursday ponied up $31 million in Prop. 1B funding for projects connected to Sacramento's future regional transportation center.

The Sacramento Area Council of Governments and the city of Sacramento told the California Transportation Commission this week that the city would lose the federal stimulus funds unless the agency paid out the Prop. 1B money as promised, said Erik Johnson, SACOG spokesman.

The bulk of the $31 million will be used for a $60 million railroad track relocation, the first phase of the train station and public transit center being built in the 244-acre historic railyards adjacent to the Sacramento Valley Station downtown.

"In order to receive the $20 million, we had to have all of our funds to move forward," Johnson said. "Congress wanted to have the stimulus funding move quickly. They (the state) understood that need."

Darrell Steinberg, state Senate president pro tem, represents Sacramento and helped win state funding for the project. U.S. Rep. Doris Matsui helped land the federal stimulus money, according to SACOG.

The state allocated $25 million in trade corridor improvement funds to the city to help move the tracks and for tunnel work under the new tracks.

The state also allocated nearly $6 million in highway railroad crossing safety funds. The money will go toward the $12 million Sixth Street overpass to be built by Railyards developer Thomas Enterprises, Johnson said. The money was paid to Thomas on behalf of the city, which requested the money in August.

All the funds had been awarded but not turned over, he said.

Reconfiguring and relocating the tracks has been a SACOG priority for years, Johnson said.

The Sacramento Valley Station sits on a major national trade route, the Central Corridor, whose western junction is the high-volume Port of Oakland. Freight and passenger trains share three tracks, a configuration set up about the time the Sacramento station was built in 1925.

Track relocation work will include building tracks devoted to freight, allowing a higher volume of freight trains to move more quickly through Sacramento. Freight and passenger tracks will be moved at least 300 feet north and straightened to allow for longer trains.

SACOG helped the city apply for the Prop. 1B funding. SACOG also is responsible for the regional distribution of about $109 million in federal stimulus funds. The organization earmarked $20 million for the railroad tracks project, the largest single project receiving those funds, Johnson said.

Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson said he was happy the California Transportation Commission has allocated the funding for the transportation center and the Railyards.

"This project is important to revitalizing our downtown and will be a tremendous regional asset as new residents, visitors and workers come in and out of this area," he said in a prepared statement.

Photos by Suzanne Hurt, a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

Lots at Stake for Sacramento in May 19th Election

2009-04-29T22:49:35Z

It may be the best kept secret in politics: there's a statewide special election on May 19th that could have a greater impact on Sacramento's schools, fire stations, and budget than anything they're doing down at City Hall.

This special election is all about the state budget: the gaping $58 billion hole, and how the Governor and Legislature will go about fixing it. It includes new taxes, shifting of funds, the payback of funds to schools, and "modernizing" the state lottery so that it brings in more cash.

Led by Sacramento's own State Senate President pro Tem Darrell Steinberg, the California Teachers Association (CTA), and the California Professional Firefighters Association, the pro-reform forces http://www.cabudgetreformnow.com/splash.php?_c=xxzcw3j20w5zgp say these initiatives are a test of bipartisanship -- a compromise of both the left and the right that will keep the state afloat through tough times. Liberals won revenue increases, conservatives won a soft budget cap to prevent sharp rises in state spending, with the result being a balanced package that nobody seems to love but everyone can live with.

But there's plenty of opposition. On the right, the California Republican Party and the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association say any tax increases are acceptable. On the ultra-left, the California Faculty Association and some other labor unions say any cuts and a spending cap are unacceptable.

Meanwhile, the voting public is caught in the cross fire. According to some Field Poll numbers out today, all the initiatives except one are trailing in the polls. But these numbers might well be skewed because of what is expected to be a record low turnout.

Pundits say the main reason voters aren't getting excited about this election is because the ballot initiatives are complex and confusing.

But this much we know: if the initiatives fail to pass, there will be some immediate dire consequences.

As the newly-minted State Senate Republican leader told the Bee today, he will advocate for sharp reductions in state spending across-the-board. The CTA estimates that 75,000 teachers will lose their jobs in August. The California Professional Firefighters Association says it will lead to fire station closures. And health care providers would also be expected to see major cuts in services.

Sacramento's pols are near-unanimous in backing the initiatives. Mayor Kevin Johnson is expected to lead a press conference next week where he'll endorse the initiatives. Supervisor Roger Dickinson was at the California Democratic Party convention in Sacramento where he joined the overwhelming majority of delegates in supporting the propositions. Assemblymember Dave Jones supported the plan when it came to a vote earlier this year.

The Secretary of State's website features a guide to each of the initiatives -- well worth reading if you need to catch up with what's on the ballot. /www.voterguide.sos.ca.gov/title-sum/prop1a-title-sum.htm

(Full disclosure: I'm doing some work for the Yes! campaign)