Friday, June 29, 2007

The Terminator?

As we slip in to Summer in California, it seems that the future of high speed rail rests with the Terminator. From the meager amount proposed in Governor Schwarzenegger's budget to the $40-50 proposed by the California Assembly and Senate, the final budget for high speed rail will rest with the Governor. Will he agree with the legislators or will he kill the project?

Support has been building around the state, yet the Governor still holds firm with nothing more than lip service. He claims to support the project, but doesn't want the state to step forward until the private sector comes forth with billions. The way the California budget process works, the legislature works up a budget after reviewing the Governor's budget. They have added in about half the original budget requested by the high speed rail authority. This is enough to keep the project on track for the Fall 2008 bond vote. BUT the Governor has a line-item veto in California. That means, once presented with the budget, he gets a thumbs up/donw on everything.

Will Governor play the Terminator once again?