Where High Speed Rail Works, And Where It Does Not
Here’s a story of two high speed rail systems: Switzerland’s effort to build a 34-mile long tunnel right through the Alps to accommodate its planned high speed trains, at a cost of $10 billion over 20 years, and California’s joke of a high speed system now pegged at $68 billion with no beginning and no […]
Prudent Budget Proposed by Governor
Balanced budget. No new taxes. Rainy day reserve. Debt repayment. These are phrases rarely associated with California¹s fiscal outlook. But economics and politics have intervened to apply those phrases to today¹s circumstances. Governor Brown proposed a fiscal plan in January that harvests the fruits of the state¹s economic recovery, and mostly reinvests right back into […]
LA City Council Can’t Handle the Truth
The last thing that the professional politicians on the City Council wanted to discuss on Friday was the City’s dismal finances that were outlined in “A Time for Truth,” the “lacerating” report that was a “stark reality check” on the City’s finances and economy that was issued by The Los Angeles 2020 Commission headed by […]
Build It, Even Though They Won’t Come
The recent decision by Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Allan J. Goodman to reject as “fatally flawed” the densification plans for downtown Hollywood could shake the foundations of California’s “smart growth” planning clerisy. By dismissing Los Angeles’ Hollywood plan, the judge also assaulted the logic behind plans throughout the region to construct substantial high-rise […]