Connect with us

California

California high-speed rail takes “major” step

Published

on

California high-speed rail takes “major” step


The California High-Speed Rail Authority took one giant leap in the state’s goal of building a railway that will connect San Francisco to downtown Los Angeles.

On Friday, the agency released its final environmental document regarding a 30-mile segment of rail line that will stretch between the cities of Palmade and Burbank in Southern California. According to a press release, the document was the “last key environmental document needed” and marks “a major milestone over a decade in the making.”

“This is a huge milestone for the project and it represents the culmination of years of analysis and stakeholder engagement to connect high-speed rail between two of the state’s major metropolitan centers, San Francisco and Los Angeles,” said Brian Kelly, CEO of the Rail Authority.

The environmental document will be presented to the Rail Authority’s Border of Directors during a two-day meeting on June 26 and June 27, according to the release. Connecting San Francisco and Los Angeles is “Phase 1” of the authority’s overall goal of building a high-speed rail that runs through Northern, Central and Southern California.

Advertisement
A map from the California High-Speed Rail Authority shows the planned creation of a high-speed rail between Palmdale and Burbank in Southern California. The segment is part of the authority’s push to build a railway…


The California High-Speed Rail Authority

The authority has said that the track to connect two of California’s most populous cities will be capable of reaching speeds of over 200 mph and make the trip time between San Francisco and Los Angeles under three hours. It takes a little over six hours to drive between the cities.

The section of the track between Palmade and Burbank will be able to reach speeds of up to 220 mph, according to Friday’s release. The authority said that this section of the track will make the trip from Antelope Valley to San Fernando Valley a roughly 17-minute trip, “more than twice as fast as traveling by car.”

The environmental document release Friday includes analysis of six alternative builds for the rail line segment between Palmade and Burbank.

“Pending Board approval, the Authority can begin preparing this segment for construction as funding becomes available,” read the release. “All that remains to environmentally clear the full 494-mile Phase 1 system of the project is the Los Angeles to Anaheim segment, which the Authority expects to finalize next year.”

Phase 2 of the project will extend the railway north from Merced to Sacramento and in the southern direction from Los Angeles to San Diego, according to the authority’s website.

Advertisement

A spokesperson for the Rail Authority told Newsweek Friday night that while there is not an estimated time frame for completion of all of Phase 1, the team does “feel confident” about opening service for the Central Valley—which includes Madera, Fresno, Kings, Tulare and Kern counties—from 2030 to 2033.

“To move beyond that and create a timeline for the entire trip from San Francisco to Los Angeles, [Kelly] has repeatedly stressed the need for the state to extend funding into the 2030s,” said Jim Patrick, director of communications for the authority’s Southern California operations. “So we don’t have a time estimate for completion beyond the Central Valley.”

A separate project by Brightline West aims to build a high-speed rail line connecting Las Vegas and the greater Los Angeles area by the 2028 Olympics. That line would reach speeds of over 186 mph and stretch 218 miles, from Las Vegas to Rancho Cucamonga, California.

Uncommon Knowledge

Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

Advertisement

Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.



Source link

Continue Reading
Advertisement
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

California

California Shelves Repeal of 1950 Housing Law That Stoked Racial Tension | KQED

Published

on

California Shelves Repeal of 1950 Housing Law That Stoked Racial Tension | KQED


“While SCA 2 was one of many efforts to help address the housing crisis, the November’s ballot will be very crowded, and reaching voters will be difficult and expensive,” Allen said in a statement. “In addition, the legislature recently passed my SB 469, which substantially addresses some of the most significant concerns about how Article 34 might be impacting housing production.”

SB 469 clarifies that the use of state affordable housing dollars does not trigger Article 34’s requirement for voter approval. Allen said his focus is on determining whether these efforts are “making a significant dent in addressing the problem,” adding that quickly building more affordable housing is a priority.

Backed by the California Real Estate Association, the forerunner to the current California Association of Realtors, Article 34 was first adopted by voters in 1950. Realtors played on voters’ fears that affordable housing would lead to greater racial integration of exclusively white neighborhoods.

CAR issued a formal apology in 2022 for its past support of Article 34, with association President Otto Catrina condemning the actions and vowing to address the legacy of its “discriminatory policies and practices.”

Advertisement

The organization “remains a strong supporter of the repeal of Article 34 … which adds unnecessary hurdles and costs to the creation of affordable housing,” CAR spokesperson Sanjay Wagle said in a statement.

Wagle noted that a majority of Californians support repealing the provision but cited research showing a voter education campaign would be needed to explain the article’s effects.

“The cost of such a campaign in an election year with so many initiatives on the ballot made this campaign more costly and difficult, thus making it more logical to pursue a repeal on a future ballot,” Wagle wrote. “We thank Sen. Allen and Sen. Wiener for their efforts on this repeal effort and look forward to working [with] them and other stakeholders on this issue in the future.”





Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

California

California Quarterback Commits to Penn State’s 2026 Recruiting Class

Published

on

California Quarterback Commits to Penn State’s 2026 Recruiting Class


Though Penn State has been busily filling its 2025 recruiting class in June, the program hasn’t stopped looking ahead. The Nittany Lions on Tuesday received a commitment from 4-star California quarterback Troy Huhn, who became the second player in Penn State football’s 2026 recruiting class.

Huhn (6-4, 205 pounds) will be a junior at Mission Hills High, just north of San Diego. He threw for 1,623 yards and 16 touchdowns as a sophomore last season. Huhn quickly built a strong offer sheet that included Michigan, Ohio State, Oregon, Texas, Auburn and Notre Dame, among many others. Huhn took an unofficial visits to Ohio State and Penn State in June, committing to the Nittany Lions two weeks after his trip.

Huhn is the 2026 recruiting class’ 10th-rated quarterback prospect, according to the 247Sports Composite, and a top-15 player in California. On3 ranks Huhn highest among the major recruiting services, slotting him at No. 60 nationally and sixth at quarterback.

Huhn, who committed to Penn State offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki and quarterbacks coach Danny O’Brien, spent time with head coach James Franklin during his unofficial visit. He told Sean Fitz of Blue-White Illustrated that Franklin made an impression.

Advertisement

“Coach O’Brien was great, but really my main thing when I was getting out there was to have more time with coach Franklin. They definitely gave that to me,” Huhn said in his interview with Blue-White Illustrated. “I really felt the love from coach Franklin. He’s very business, he’s awesome, he’s a funny guy. My mom loves him, he loves my mom. That relationship with him is now a lot better and I’m glad I got to spend that time with him.”

Huhn joins Harrisburg athlete Messiah Mickens on the ground floor of Penn State’s 2026 recruiting class. Mickens committed to Penn State in August 2023. Penn State had been recruiting several 2026 quarterbacks alongside Huhn. One of their targets, Dia Bell, recently committed to Texas.

Huhn’s commitment continued a prolific stretch for the Nittany Lions. Franklin and his staff have received commitments from five players in a four-day stretch. Four of them committed to Penn State’s 2025 recruiting class.

The most recent 2025 commitment belonged to Max Granville, a 4-star prospect from Texas and first-team all-state honoree as a junior. Granville, who will be a senior at Fort Bend Christian Academy, is rated as a 4-star linebacker according to the 247Sports Composite. However, the 6-3, 220-pound Granville projects at defensive end and was recruited by Penn State defensive line coach Deion Barnes. Granville chose Penn State after making an official visit to State College earlier in June. He also visited USC, Texas A&M and Oklahoma in June and took an official visit to Baylor in April.

Penn State opens the 2024 football season Aug. 31 at West Virginia. The game is scheduled for a noon kickoff on FOX.

Advertisement

More Penn State Football Recruiting

Penn State receives commitment from 4-star Maryland prospect

Advertisement

Versatile New Jersey prospect commits to the Nittany Lions

Former Penn State linebacker commit switches to Rutgers

AllPennState is the place for Penn State news, opinion and perspective on the SI.com network. Publisher Mark Wogenrich has covered Penn State for more than 20 years, tracking three coaching staffs, three Big Ten titles and a catalog of great stories. Follow him on Twitter @MarkWogenrich.





Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

California

Butte County issues evacuation orders for Apache wildfire

Published

on

Butte County issues evacuation orders for Apache wildfire


(FOX40.COM) — An evacuation order is in effect for areas of Butte County amid a wildfire, according to the Butte County Sheriff’s Office.

Around 8:30 p.m. on Monday, BCSO issued an evacuation order for the Apache Fire on the south side of Grubbs Road between Crossa Country Road and Alta Arosa Drive in zones 884 and 885. Shortly after, evacuation orders were also issued for all of zone 884, 865, 866, 868, and 869. For information about zone locations click or tap here.

An evacuation warning was also issued for zones 867 and 883.

At 9:45 p.m., the Apache Fire has burned through 466 acres, according to Cal Fire. By 10:30 p.m. it reached more than 650 acres.

Advertisement

For more information visit www.buttecounty.net, or call (833) 512-5378.



Source link

Continue Reading

Trending