Author: dailycastsocal
Samme Miller Obituary (2025) – Palm Springs, CA – Legacy.com
Samme Miller Obituary (2025) – Palm Springs, CA Legacy.com Source link
Katie Porter walked back her criticism of the high-speed rail boondoggle. Why? – San Diego Union-Tribune
Kill the California high-speed-rail boondoggle? Katie Porter went there. Well, a little. The former U.S. House member and failed 2024 candidate for U.S. Senate now is running for governor in 2026. She has gone farther than any Democratic candidate to question the project, which she had strongly supported. “Increasingly, the evidence is showing that this project is not going to be able to be completed remotely on budget or remotely on time,” she told KTLA. “That’s why I don’t think we should BS California voters. They have noticed that we don’t have a high-speed rail. And they have noticed we’ve spent money on it.” Unfortunately, she didn’t outright call for an end to the project. Instead, she added, “If this high-speed rail project can get done, then let’s get it done. If it can’t get done, then stop.” A week after saying that, she walked her criticism back further while at a labor event. According to Politico, she told a reporter she wants to “put people to work, and I want to get it done for Californians.” Everybody knows it can’t get done. The project came into existence from the vapors at the end of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s undistinguished seven years in office. In 2008 he conned just 52.6% of voters to pass Proposition 1A. Voters read this promise in the ballot summary: “Establishes a clean, efficient 220 MPH transportation system…. Provides for a bond issue of $9.95 billion to establish high-speed train service linking Southern California counties, the Sacramento/San Joaquin Valley, and the San Francisco Bay Area.” Even if the $9.95 billion price tag and the train speed had been remotely realistic, the problem is right there in the words: linking SoCal to NorCal means the train would run through the lightly populated areas in between. And the easiest way to traverse that is not in a train taking at least 2.5 hours, probably a lot more, but on a plane at half that. The California High-Speed Rail Authority’s Nov. 2008 Business Plan invoked as a model the “Shinkansen high-speed trains – Japan.” The territories are roughly similar, with Japan’s 145,937 square miles a bit less than California’s 163,696. But the population sizes are markedly different, Japan’s 123 million to California’s 39 million. That yields a population density of 842 per square miles for Japan, but just 238 for California – a bit more than a quarter as dense. In 2007, just before Prop. 1A passed, the Department of Finance projected California’s population would grow from 36.6 million to nearly 60 million by 2050. Instead, the population leveled out at 39 million. The state’s endemic mismanagement, including under Arnold, finally took its toll. From 2000 to 2003, the population actually dropped. In the private sector, families and businesses reassess plans when circumstances change. Not the government, whose motto ought to be: No boondoggle left unfunded. The project’s original price tag was $33 billion, with $9.95 billion from the Prop. 1A bonds, the rest from federal or private sources. But the HSRA’s March 1, 2025 Project Update Report pegged the total cost now as high as $135 billion. Yet no part of the project has been finished, including the initial segment, Merced-to-Bakersfield, now projected to finish as late as 2033 – maybe. Then there’s President Trump. In February, his administration launched a review of the $3.1 billion federal grant for the project. “That train is the worst cost overrun I’ve ever seen,” he told reporters on May 6 in the Oval Office. “It’s, like, totally out of control. This government is not going to pay.” Despite all that, Newsom’s May Revision to his budget for fiscal year 2025-26, which begins on July 1, stipulates “at least $1 billion annually should be provided” for the project. Porter needs to take a more antagonistic stance against Arnold’s Folly, including demanding Newsom and the Legislature remove that funding. With the state suffering a $12 billion deficit and Republican candidates Steve Hilton and Chad Bianco strongly calling for termination, the other Democratic candidates also need to defy the unions still pushing the project and come out sharply against it. The June 2 primary next year will come as the Legislature grapples with Newsom’s final budget proposal. If there’s another deficit, as seems likely, candidates who spent the past year preaching frugality will fare better than those pushing profligacy. John Seiler is on the Southern California News Group’s Editorial Board Source link
Elvis Presley’s Palm Springs Home: Iconic Chino Canyon House Where He Recorded 9 Songs
Join The Spa Guy on a tour of Elvis Presley’s Palm Springs home, located in the Chino Canyon neighborhood. This iconic house … source
Boarding the Sunset Limited at Union Station in Los Angeles, CA – Abandoned LA Zoo – Lyon Air Museum
Intro by Cre80s https://linktr.ee/cre80s If you would like to make a contribution, my Patreon can be found here … source
Can you actually go scuba diving in San Diego?!
Most people don’t know this… but San Diego has some of the most epic diving in Southern California! From world-renowned … source
Residents share personal experiences as community remains divided on bridge project at public meeting ⋆ The Palm Springs Post
City Engineer Joel Montalvo looks at a screen displaying his slideshow as he speaks about a bridge project Thursday evening at Indian Canyons Golf Club. Palm Springs residents offered passionate and conflicting testimony Thursday evening about a bridge project that would replace a flood-prone crossing on South Palm Canyon Drive near Bogert Trail, with supporters citing life-threatening emergencies and opponents questioning the project’s necessity. The public meeting at Indian Canyons Golf Club drew dozens of residents from neighborhoods that would be affected by the proposed bridge at South Palm Canyon Drive near Arenas Canyon — just south of Oswit Canyon. The Palm Springs City Council voted April 9 to postpone a decision on the project for 60 days and directed staff to hold community meetings to gather more input before making a final decision. The project, which has been in development since 2006, aims to provide flood protection at a crossing that has repeatedly closed during heavy storms, cutting off access to approximately 700 homes in the area. Emergency services responded to roughly 590 calls in that neighborhood over the past year, creating concern about access during flooding events. City Engineer Joel Montalvo told the audience the estimated cost has risen to approximately $9 million to $10 million, funded primarily through $4.5 million in federal Highway Bridge Program funds. The city risks losing federal money if construction does not start by December 2026. Several residents shared harrowing personal experiences from past flood events, particularly the Valentine’s Day flood in 2019. One man said he and his wife were forced to spend the night away from home when the road closed, and he eventually walked across the golf course to reach his house on an injured foot just weeks before scheduled surgery. A rendering of the current design for a bridge planned for South Palm Canyon Drive near the intersection with East Bogert Trail can be seen on the left. On the right, vehicles pass near the section of roadway where the bridge would be constructed. An Andreas Palms resident said he was among the 590 emergency calls last year and had to be transported to the hospital at 2 a.m. He described leaving his home at 8 a.m. one day during flooding and being unable to return until 11 p.m. and said he feared what would have happened during his emergency last year had the road been too dangerous to travel. An Estancias resident who has lived in the area for years offered strong support for the project, calling it a life safety issue for the community’s aging population. “I just found out we are the oldest community in Palm Springs,” the resident said. “Our population will have the greatest amount of risk in the event of another flood incident of having a health issue that cannot be addressed. This is simply a life safety issue.” The resident added that practical considerations should outweigh other concerns. “I don’t care if this (flooding) happens once every five years, once every 10 years, once every 20 years,” she said. “This is a life saving issue for your whole community, not a specific individual.” However, a longtime Bogert Trail resident who has lived in the area for 25 years disputed the severity of past flooding, saying residents were able to get through during the 2019 Valentine’s Day flood. “It wasn’t like overnight that we had a big flood,” she said. “It wasn’t like we were really in bad shape. We weren’t. And so I just want to let you know we do not want need anything done there.” Fire Chief Paul Alvarado voiced strong support for the project, referencing recent severe weather events including the 2019 flood and Tropical Storm Hilary in 2023. “Both of these severe weather events put citizens and firefighters in harrowing rescue situations,” Alvarado said. “I’m here tonight as your fire chief to tell you I support that bridge. I need to make sure that my rescuers can get to calls where they need to go.” A resident of the area that would be impacted by construction of a flood control project on South Palm Canyon Drive makes her point Thursday evening. Some residents raised technical concerns about whether the bridge would solve flooding problems on Bogert Trail or potentially create new issues downstream. The proposed bridge would use four reinforced concrete box culverts to allow water to flow underneath South Palm Canyon Drive. The project would replace the current roadway with an elevated bridge structure, allowing floodwaters from Arenas Canyon to pass underneath through a rock-lined channel. According to city staff, the area can generate runoff of up to 1.3 million gallons per minute during a 100-year storm event. Montalvo said the city plans to update environmental reviews that were completed in 2012 before moving forward with construction. The California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) report for the project has been criticized as outdated given changes to the area, including conservation efforts. Mark Waier, a consultant with Daley Strategies who facilitated the meeting, said residents can submit additional comments by email and noted that a second virtual meeting will be held Monday via Zoom. The feedback will be compiled in a memo for the City Council. Construction would take approximately 50 weeks if approved after the delay, putting completion close to the December 2026 deadline for maintaining funding eligibility. More information: Complete details about the project, including how to attend the virtual meeting on Monday June 2, can be found at this city website. Source link
A ship sits docked with containers at the Port of Long Beach in Long Beach, California – Colorado Springs Gazette
A ship sits docked with containers at the Port of Long Beach in Long Beach, California Colorado Springs Gazette Source link