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Politics & Government

Local Lawmakers Criticize High-Speed Rail Plan

The federal government has provided $3 billion for the initial segment of the 800-mile line, but questions about future funding remain unanswered.

Sen. Bill Emmerson criticized Gov. Jerry Brown's request for spending on a high-speed rail project made during today's State of the State Address while Assemblyman Brian Nestande said the state must slash waste before asking "hard-working Californians for more taxes."

Emmerson (R-Hemet) represents portions of Lake Elsinore, and Nestande (R-Palm Desert) represents portions of both Lake Elsinore and Wildomar.

"Governor Brown is wrong; now is not the time to build a high-speed rail," Emmerson said. "I agree that we must improve our transportation infrastructure, but it's irresponsible to be spending billions of dollars on this project while we continue to cut education and other core services to Californians."

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Brown likened critics of the rail plan to those who predicted the Bay Area Rapid Transit system would be a "fiasco" or who believed the Suez Canal would be "impossible" to build. However, he did not address the rail line's anticipated costs, which range from $43 billion to $100 billion over the next 20 years.

The federal government has provided $3 billion for the initial segment of the 800-mile line, but questions about future funding remain unanswered.

Find out what's happening in Lake Elsinore-Wildomarwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

During his speech, Brown reiterated his desire for "temporary" tax increases to pare down an estimated $9.2 billion deficit in the coming fiscal year. The proposed tax hikes, which will be put before voters in November, include a half-percentage point increase in sales taxes and higher marginal income tax rates for residents earning $250,000 or more.

Nestande said there are better ways to achieve a balanced budget than digging into people's pocketbooks.

"As a state we should be focused on finding and eliminating redundancies and inefficiencies in all state agencies and programs," Nestande said. "The Legislative Analyst's Office and State Auditor have identified over a billion dollars that could be saved by reforming state programs. We have an obligation to stretch tax dollars and eliminate inefficiencies before we ask hard-working Californians for more taxes."

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