1 month ago
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FRESNO, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) – California is officially suing the Trump Administration aft it pulled $4 cardinal successful national backing for California's high-speed rail.
Governor Newsom called the determination successful a property merchandise "petty" and a "political retribution."
It comes little than 48 hours aft the Trump Administration announced they were pulling the money. Now, California is firing backmost successful court, saying it was a "politically motivated termination."
At the clip of the announcement, Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy justified pulling the money, saying the task wasn't gathering its operation goals and that it was costing taxpayers acold excessively overmuch money.
The contented is dividing galore lawmakers crossed the valley, with Republican Assemblymember David Tangipa saying helium thinks this ineligible backmost and distant volition supply much clarity astir the financials of the project.
"Instead of trying to enactment against the national administration, which is expected to beryllium one-third of our concern successful this high-speed obstruction project, we should person been looking astatine slightest preparing a program to accidental this is really however it's going to get done," Tangipa said.
However, Democratic Assemblywoman Esmeralda Soria's spokesperson, Brody Fernandez, says Soria is inactive successful enactment of the task and provided a connection connected the issue.
“Assemblywoman Soria has ever supported California’s High Speed Rail Project. Especially since the Governor chose to prioritize the obstruction enactment betwixt Merced and Bakersfield soon aft helium took office. This task has created implicit 10,000 jobs passim the Central Valley and has revitalized our section economies successful the process. We cannot spend to wantonness it now, adjacent successful the look of governmental and retaliatory cuts from the Trump Administration. More importantly, going forward—we request transparency and accountability erstwhile it comes to cognition and oversight of this project. That’s wherefore Soria precocious voted yes connected a bipartisan measure that ensures both. The vale needs this project, and we volition beryllium amended disconnected for it. We volition not beryllium intimidated by shallow and ignorant threats from the national administration," helium said.
The contented is besides reaching lawmakers successful the South Valley.
Republican Assemblywoman Alexandra Macedo said successful a connection erstwhile the quality was announced, “The high-speed obstruction is not salvageable. The authorities has higher priorities similar h2o infrastructure and wildfire prevention – lifesaving projects that tin supply well-paying jobs for skilled workers successful the Central Valley."
The project, for years, has been seen arsenic not just a mode to link the vale to the state's broader economy, but besides arsenic a mode to revitalize Fresno's Chinatown. Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer has been connected grounds for years arsenic a staunch protagonist of high-speed rail, saying the existent plans to enactment the presumption successful Chinatown would assistance bring beingness backmost into the area, connected apical of bringing jobs.
However, Board President of Fresno Chinatown Preservation Inc., Kathy Omachi, says high-speed obstruction does thing to enactment Chinatown's preservation backmost connected track.
"What the metropolis is consenting to bash close present is commercialized disconnected a historical portion of Fresno for a attraction yard. And what we're saying successful our assemblage radical is, no, you request to beryllium capable to marque a assemblage viable, vibrant, and economically sound. And nary of those things are happening successful Chinatown," she said.
California High Speed Rail Board Member Henry Perea Sr. says they expected this. In a statement, Perea added, "Based connected past history, we expected this from this administration. We volition prosecute successful litigation, intelligibly expecting to triumph connected the facts, and volition proceed afloat steam up to physique this task for California."
