SAVE ANGELES FOREST FOR EVERYONE
Fighting the High Speed Train Since 2014
S.A.F.E. was organized to stop the California High Speed Rail Authority from building train routes within the Palmdale to Burbank project section that damaged our local communities, the San Gabriel Mountains National Monument and the Angeles National Forest. The so-called “East Corridor” includes routes that would travel approximately 41 miles over, under and through our communities and open space. Locally impacted communities include: Kagel Canyon, Lake View Terrace, Sunland-Tujunga, Shadow Hills, La Tuna Canyon and Sun Valley. Potential impacts, from both operational and construction phases, include damage to our community character, water resources, visual and aesthetics, noise and vibration, truck traffic and air quality, human and animal health, equestrian culture and industry and economy. We are working in unity with neighboring communities similarly impacted by high speed rail proposals including Pacoima, San Fernando, Santa Clarita, Acton and Agua Dulce.
Don’t Railroad Our Communities! Read all the facts and history of this project and get involved!
Rendering of Route E2 viewed from Shadow Hills
It's Here! The Draft Environmental Report for Palmdale to Burbank is Available for Public Review
www.hsr.ca.gov
The California High-Speed Rail Authority (Authority) announces the availability of the Palmdale to Burbank Project Section Draft Environmental Impact Report / Environmental Impact Statement(EIR/EIS). The Draft EIR/EIS has been prepared and is being made available pursuant to both the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).
The Palmdale to Burbank Project Section Draft EIR/EIS and associated documents will be available to the public on September 02, 2022.
The Palmdale to Burbank Project Section Draft EIR/EIS is available online in PDF at the Authority’s website (www.hsr.ca.gov) or you can request an electronic copy by calling (800) 630-1039.
KEY POINTS
ANTICIPATED IMPACTS
Significant pre-mitigation environmental effects resulting from the Palmdale to Burbank Build Alternatives are anticipated in the following resource areas: transportation (construction impacts); air quality and global climate change (construction impacts); noise and vibration (construction and operation impacts); electromagnetic fields and electromagnetic interference (construction and operation impacts); public utilities and energy (construction); biological and aquatic resources (construction and operation impacts); hydrology and water resources (construction impacts); geology, soils, seismicity, and paleontological resources (construction impacts); hazardous materials and wastes (construction and operation impacts); safety and security (operation impacts); socioeconomics and communities (construction and operation impacts); station planning, land use, and development (construction impacts); agricultural lands (construction impacts); parks, recreation, and open space (construction impacts); aesthetics and visual quality (construction impacts); and cultural resources (construction impacts).
HAZARDOUS WASTE SITES
There are three sites identified on hazardous waste lists enumerated under Section 65962.5 of the California Government Code (Cortese List) that occur in proximity to the project. These sites are Crane Company (3000 Winona Avenue, Burbank, 91504), Holochem, Inc. (13546 Desmond Street, Pacoima, 91331), and Lubrication Company of America (12500 Lang Station Road, Santa Clarita, 91351).
COMMENT PERIOD EXTENDED TO DECEMBER 1, 2022!!!
See document below for issues of great concern
To make a public comment via live links:
Mail: California High-Speed Rail Authority, 355 S. Grand Ave., Suite 2050, Los Angeles, CA 90071
Website: www.hsr.ca.gov
Email: Palmdale_Burbank@hsr.ca.gov with subject line "Palmdale to Burbank Project Section Draft EIR/EIS Comment"
Telephone: (800) 630-1039 (may also be submitted at the public hearing)
To access DEIR documents: www.hsr.ca.gov or https://meethsrsocal.org/p-b/ Be sure to hit "next"
Click here for Official Public Notice on HSR website
For more info, including accessing the DEIR documents go to www.hsr.ca.gov or https://meethsrsocal.org/p-b/ Be sure to hit "next"
Brief Overview of the Project. The California High-Speed Rail Authority was formed in September 1996. However, it did not gain any traction until 2008, when California voters narrowly approved Proposition 1A allowing the state to issue $9.95 billion in bonds to the California High-Speed Rail Authority.
What we voted for:
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A 220-mph high-speed train
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With a 520-mile route connecting San Francisco to Los Angeles
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With a budget of $45 billion
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With the requirement that $9 billion of the $9.95 billion bonds be matched by public and private funds.
What we got (13 years later):
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A “not high-speed” train that will have to share miles of blended tracks at speeds ranging from 40 mph to 80 mph
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With a scaled-back initial operating segment of 171 miles connecting Merced to Bakersfield
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With a budget of $99.9 billion
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With NO private funds secured, plus an $80-billion funding gap that needs to be filled to actually build out the full line
From 2014 to present, scathing audit reports have been issued, scandals have rocked the project (including a defective bridge which had to be demolished shortly after construction), massive budget overruns, high management turnover, a state legislature demanding accountability, and purchase and/or seizure of generational family-owned properties (including farms, orchards, and ranches) which later were deemed not to be needed after all—many of which were not paid fair market value for their property.
The Latest
Refined SR14 is the Preferred Alternative but can change if conditions warrant
* Read the Burbank Airport Authority v. California High Speed Rail lawsuit here
* Draft 2022 Business Plan is available for public comment
(spoiler alert! cost is up to $105 BILLION!) Click here for Business Plan.
With the release of the draft business plan, the Authority Board will review management’s recommendations and seek input as part of a 60-day public comment period that starts 2/8/22 and closes 4/11/22. The Authority is providing the following options for submitting comments:
As of 2022, the cost of the HSR is anywhere from $77B to $105B. In 2008 when this was approved by voters, the budget was $45B.
Online comment form through the Draft 2022 Business Plan website at: https://hsr.ca.gov/about/high-speed-rail-business-plans/draft-2022-business-plan-comment-form
By email at: DraftBP2022@hsr.ca.gov
U.S. mail to the Authority:
California High-Speed Rail Authority
Attn: Draft 2020 Business Plan
770 L Street, Suite 1180
Sacramento, CA 95814
Voicemail comment at: (916) 384-9516
Provide public comment at the two upcoming Board of Directors Meeting within the public comment period being held virtually on February 17 and March 17.
* Burbank to Los Angeles Project Section
Burbank will lose 75% of its local water supply for an extended period of time and over 130 businesses, and the brand-new Avion development near the airport will have to be demolished at a cost of nearly $1 billion.
Burbank Area Potential Property Impacts Map Large file – Enlarge to 100% to see property and street names.
Final Environmental Impact Report/Environmental Impact Statement – Burbank to LA Project Section
* Burbank Airport Authority Files Lawsuit Against CHSRA - LA Times 2-25-22
* Informational Meeting for N.E. San Fernando Residents - 2-16-22
Zoom Meeting Recording: CHSRA P-B - SAFE Video Recording 2-16-22
Flyover video: CHSRA Palmdale to Burbank SR-14A Preferred Alternative (narrated)
* The bullet train just keeps on failing by The Daily News Editorial Board 2/16/2022
* Costs for California’s high-speed rail project climb another $5 billion by Associated Press - 2/16/2022
