Anna Miller: ‘Clark County residents please don’t let the mayor of Vancouver; the Chair of the County Council and the C-TRAN Board bring their choo-choo into Vancouver’
Editor’s note: Opinions expressed in this letter to the editor are those of the author alone and may not reflect the editorial position of ClarkCountyToday.com
It’s one of those moments where “boondoggle” doesn’t even feel strong enough.
The Trump administration officially revoked $4 billion in federal funding for California’s high-speed rail project citing years of delays, cost overruns, and unmet milestones. The original vision, an 800-mile system connecting San Francisco to Los Angeles and beyond, has been whittled down to a 171-mile stretch between Merced and Bakersfield, with zero miles of high-speed track laid after more than a decade. The only thing high-speed about this project is the speed at which California taxpayer’s money is being flushed.
The project’s estimated cost has ballooned from $33 billion to $128 billion, and the completion date has slipped to 2033 at the earliest. Trump called it the “high-speed train to nowhere.” California Governor Gavin Newsom is fired up that the money spigot for this pet project has been turned off. They did what they always do when they can’t keep bleeding the citizens dry, they file a lawsuit to get the money spigot turned back on.
Meanwhile, the state says it’s entering the track-laying phase and has created over 15,000 jobs so far. Wow, just wow.
Clark County residents please don’t let the mayor of Vancouver; the Chair of the County Council and the C-TRAN Board bring their choo-choo into Vancouver. Light rail is a debt bomb that just keeps going off!
Anna Miller
Camas
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Closer to home, the City of Portland is facing the loss of over $400 million in Federal monies because of the City’s DEI policies.
I wonder how much money the City of Vancouver is faced with losing over the exact same issue. Right now, the City budgets $500,000 to pay the salaries of DEI Staff, and virtually every single thing that comes before City Clowncil has several DEI elements.
In my view, the entire IBR project is in jeopardy, not just a Loot Rail component. The bridge as designed will not be approved by the US Coast Guard because it shuts down river traffic on the Columbia. We shall likely soon see another outrageous estimate for the project’s cost, which should do the trick for getting the whole mess canceled.
Everyone needs to get behind Pooneh Gray in the City Council Race. She is running a well planned, well financed, issues-oriented campaign against Kim Harless, and has an excellent chance of being elected in November.
So what is her position on the subject at hand (light rail in Vancouver)? I checked her website and nothing stated on this topic.
Anne, who is financing her campaign is the unanswered question I have.
Enter her name on the PDC site and see the 77 contributions.