{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"StreetSmart 14.2 - The Governor's Race and High-Speed Rail","description":" Following up on yesterday's podcast, today Damien Newton speaks with Adriana Rizzo of Californians for Electric Rail and Eli Lipmen of Move California about two major statewide issues: the California governor\u2019s race and the future of high-speed rail. The conversation focuses on what transportation advocates should look for in gubernatorial candidates, including commitments to transit funding, affordability, project delivery reform, and standing up to federal attacks on rail and transit. The group also discusses the newly released high-speed rail business plan, potential legislative changes to funding restrictions, and the broader political and fiscal challenges facing transit agencies across the state. A full transcript of the podcast follows below. Edited Transcript Damien Newton: As I mentioned in the intro, earlier this week\u2019s podcast focused on legislation specific to the organizations involved. Today, I\u2019m back with Adriana from Californians for Electric Rail and Eli from Move California to talk about two big statewide stories: the governor\u2019s race and high-speed rail. Before we start, a quick note: we all work with nonprofits, and this podcast is produced by a nonprofit. We won\u2019t be endorsing any candidates today. Streetsblog and Move California cannot make political endorsements, and while Californians for Electric Rail isn\u2019t currently a 501(c)(3), we\u2019re steering clear of endorsements to keep things clean. If the first letter of every sentence we say happens to spell out a candidate\u2019s name, that\u2019s purely coincidental. Since we\u2019re not talking endorsements, let\u2019s talk about what we should look for in candidates. Personally, I often find that when candidates share personal stories about how transit or bicycling has impacted their lives, it gives insight beyond policy statements. That\u2019s not foolproof \u2014 one of my favorite former L.A. councilmembers, Bill Rosendahl, famously hadn\u2019t ridden a bike since childhood \u2014 but it\u2019s one lens. Eli Lipmen: That\u2019s a great segue. Part of our mission as nonprofit leaders is getting candidates onto transit and talking about it from a rider\u2019s perspective. Lived experience matters. In this race, though, everything is being framed around affordability and the federal administration. That actually works in our favor. Transportation and housing are the number one and number two expenses for most households. Affordable housing near high-quality transit is central to affordability. This is a kitchen-table issue. It might not dominate headlines every day, but people talk about their commute, car payments, insurance costs. We need multimodal options, and we need a governor who will champion them. We also have a huge opportunity right now. California is building high-speed rail \u2014 something almost no other state is doing. What happens under the next governor will be critical for transportation project delivery, active transportation, and safety. Ten people die every day in California traffic crashes. That\u2019s unacceptable, and leadership matters. Adriana Rizzo: Transit is key to affordability \u2014 and also to standing up to Trump, or at least coping with his administration. We\u2019ve seen federal transit funds clawed back. High-speed rail has long been a target. Supporting high-speed rail is a way for California to assert its priorities. When the administration announced its intent to revoke funding in early 2025, we helped organize a protest at Union Station. It was one of the first major public pushbacks, and it mattered symbolically. Standing up for high-speed rail and making sure it succeeds is a way the next governor can defend California\u2019s vision. Eli Lipmen: That protest definitely rattled them. There\u2019s also an immigration angle. During ICE raids in Los Angeles, we saw a 15% drop in transit ridership in one month. Fear impacts ridership, traffic, and system operations. These federal actions ripple through transportation. Meanwhile, Congress must reauthorize the federal transportation bill this year. Caltrans released draft principles that didn\u2019t even mention transit operations funding \u2014 which is the number one issue for agencies facing fiscal cliffs. That omission was frustrating. Adriana Rizzo: This isn\u2019t just California. SEPTA, Chicago Transit \u2014 it\u2019s a national crisis. In California, agencies are scrambling, and the Bay Area is pursuing a ballot measure to stabilize funding. But historically, state and federal governments provided more operating support than they do now. Since the pandemic, transit advocates have had to fight annually to get operating funds into the state budget. That needs to change. SB 1 is also up for reauthorization in 2027 \u2014 another major issue for the next governor. Eli Lipmen: If any gubernatorial campaigns are listening: we have a questionnaire ready. We\u2019d love candidates to talk about their relationship to transit and active transportation. We\u2019re even planning a transportation-focused debate. This is something every Californian deals with daily \u2014 cost, congestion, safety. Candidates should treat it that way. Adriana Rizzo: Another big issue is project delivery reform. We need new transit lines and service improvements, but costs are escalating. Tariffs, federal funding instability, permitting challenges \u2014 it\u2019s harder than ever. Reform requires political capital. Dealing with utilities, permitting, entrenched interests \u2014 that\u2019s tough. But if we want projects delivered on time and at reasonable cost, leadership is essential. High-Speed Rail Discussion Damien Newton: Quick note before we pivot: there\u2019s ongoing news involving the High-Speed Rail Authority CEO. We\u2019re recording March 2, and things may change before this airs, so we won\u2019t speculate. But we\u2019re not ignoring it. Let\u2019s talk about the new business plan. Adriana Rizzo: The big headline is that the Central Valley initial operating segment is no longer fully funded because of the loss of $4 billion in federal funds. They\u2019re also considering removing the Merced stop from the initial segment, potentially adding it later. That will be controversial. More exciting: they\u2019re discussing a potential Los Angeles connection by 2040, assuming funding. That includes reducing tunneling between Palmdale and Burbank and sharing more track with Metrolink, including possibly on the Antelope Valley Line. This aligns with our push to electrify that corridor. There\u2019s also SB 1411, sponsored by Senator Henry Stern, which would lift restrictions limiting high-speed rail spending to the Merced\u2013Bakersfield segment. That could accelerate work in Southern California or toward the Bay Area. It\u2019s promising \u2014 but the devil is in the details. We don\u2019t want the Central Valley segment abandoned, and we don\u2019t want funds diverted to unrelated projects. Eli Lipmen: This is California\u2019s opportunity to prove we can still build big projects. Accelerating connections to major urban centers makes sense because that\u2019s where ridership is strongest. We\u2019re already investing in complementary infrastructure. Aligning those investments is smart strategy. Damien Newton: We\u2019ve been at this for a while, so let\u2019s wrap. Thanks to both of you. Links to your organizations and related coverage will be included alongside this podcast. If you\u2019re not listening through Streetsblog California, head to the site for the full list of resources. Thanks again \u2014 and I\u2019m sure we\u2019ll talk again soon.   ","author_name":"StreetSmart","author_url":"https:\/\/sites.libsyn.com\/StreetSmart","html":"