Changes to the Environmental Milestone Schedule – Page 44
Click image to enlarge
Download the PDF of the “Board meeting – 02/14/2017 Operations Report – Finance and Audit Meeting”
Page 44 has the revisions to the “Environmental Milestones Schedule.”
Profile and Depth Maps Issued from CHSRA, August, 2016
Fly-over Videos Issued September 16, 2016
These are the Profile and Depth Maps and also the Fly-over videos for the three proposed routes of the California High Speed Train. Click to see all of the current and past information on CHSRA website for Palmdale to Burbank.
Palmdale to Burbank Project Section CWG Presentation – Summer 2016
Click on the video to start, to enlarge, you can then click on the YouTube Logo or the four-corner square to go full screen
Click image to enlarge
Support Letter from Legislators Bocanegra, Portantino and Hertzberg for elimination of E2
California Assemblymember Bocanegra and Senators Portantino and Hertzberg recommend that CHSRA’s proposed E2 route be eliminated from consideration as…”The impact of this above and below ground route on our respective communities is not acceptable to any of us.”
Also, please read about the Bill introduced by Assemblymember Raul Bocanegra which just passed in the CA Assembly regarding the revitalization of the Pacoima and Tujunga Washes. (Click to Read the Bill)
More problems for HSR in So. Calif: LA supervisors blast state’s high-speed rail Palmdale to Burbank
Read the article about the June 28th Board of Supervisors Meeting
The Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Tuesday to oppose a version of the Palmdale-to-Burbank high-speed rail segment proposed to run through the Big Tujunga Wash in the Angeles National Forest.
Supervisor Michael Antonovich recommended that the board send a letter opposing the plan — one of three alternatives set for environmental review — to county lobbyists and the California High-Speed Rail Authority Board.
The letter will also state that the board opposes any segment that would cross the Big Tujunga Wash at or above grade, and that the remaining two alternatives also pose threats to homes and wildlife areas, and press for an update on long-awaited hydrological and technical studies.
READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE
LA City Council Motion in Support of Removal of E-2 Route
Proposed by CD2 Councilmember Paul Kerkorian and Seconded by LA City Council President Herb Wesson (CD10 and temporary manager for CD7), and Mitch O’Farrell (CD13).
Read/Download the City Council Motion Supporting the Elimination of E2 – Above Grade Route
“I FURTHER MOVE that the Council express opposition to the Refined E-2 Alignment for the California High Speed Rail Authority’s Palmdale-to-Burbank project segment and any other alignments that would cross any natural segments of the Los Angeles River and its tributaries, including the Big Tujunga Wash, at or above grade within the City of Los Angeles.”
LA Times & LA Daily News Coverage of This Motion
Revised Supplemental Alternatives Analysis (SAA) Reports Released April, 2016
The following Supplemental Alternative Analysis Reports have been released by CHSRA that affect our area:
Major High Speed Rail Route Changes in Palmdale to Burbank Project Section
Click for explanatory email sent to the public by CHSRA
03-16-16 – LA Daily News, “Bullet train to potentially change course into Southern California” By Dana Bartholomew
Taking the newly released CHSRA refined route map (March 2016) and overlaying it onto a Street Map (CLICK TO VIEW), you will better be able to see streets in more detail, not perfectly accurate, but you can magnify it more. However, please be aware that just because a route shows pink/purple and says underground, that does NOT mean it is necessarily a fully bored tunnel (this was confirmed with a CHSRA representative.) It could also mean it is cut-and-cover, eventually that part will be all underground, but they need to come in from above and that means eminent domain to those affected properties. Note the part along San Fernando Rd: that “underground section” will no doubt will be cut-and-cover.
Congressman Adam Schiff
SAFE & Mineta’s Equine Issues Report
The following is a letter sent to Mineta Transportation Institute regarding the recently released report they issued to CHSRA on “High-Speed Rail and Equine Issues.” S.A.F.E. has many problems with their findings. Please read both their report and S.A.F.E.’s letter in response that has also been sent to our elected officials. The following is the cover letter to the Executive Director of Mineta Transportation Institute:
Dear Ms. Philbrick:
Attached is a letter to you in your capacity of Executive Director of the Mineta Transportation Institute (MTI) from the S.A.F.E. Coalition. The letter relates to MTI’s work on the high speed train studies for the California High Speed Rail Authority. We represent the impacted and damaged communities throughout CHSRA’s “Burbank to Palmdale Project Section.”
The document outlines our Coalition’s issues with CHSRA in its selection of MTI for the aforementioned work, calls for MTI to withdraw immediately the Equine Study, calls for MTI to withdraw immediately from further work on a tunneling study, calls for MTI to recommend to CHSRA the need for independent, third-party field studies of the impact of high speed trains on equines/equestrian areas, and provides extensive comments on the inadequacies of the Equine Study.
Further, this letter is to inform you that we have filed a complaint with the State Auditor, under the California Whistleblower Protection Act, asking for their review of the implications of the California High Speed Rail Authority having engaged MTI in these studies.
Thank you.
Dave DePinto
President, Shadow Hills Property Owners Assn.
Member, S.A.F.E Coalition
Mineta’s “HSR and Equine Issues Report”
S.A.F.E.’s Letter to Mineta that was copied to our elected officials
Read the Los Angeles Times article by Ralph Vartabedian “Horse owners in the San Fernando Valley feel trod on by bullet train” This article also mentions the Mineta Report
S.A.F.E. is focusing on the short-term objective of getting E2, with its horrendous above ground features, removed from further consideration. Make no mistake, we remain very concerned and vigilant about ALL ROUTES through the Forest but E2 is the worst for people, open space, businesses and sensitive environmental areas – it is BOTH in the Forest AND above ground across our treasured Big Tujunga Wash!
READ the latest post regarding E2 with maps of how the Tujunga Wash will be affected!
READ the letter from SAFE to CA HSR involved agencies regarding E2
NEW! – DETAILED CHSRA ROUTE MAP USING STREET MAP
We have taken the official CHSRA map and overlaid it onto a street map so you can see a bit better where the routes go. It is not perfectly accurate due to offsets between the two maps, but close enough to see within a block where the proposed routes go.
CHSRA Route Map overplayed onto Street Map – March 2016
The High Speed Tunnel Portal Facilities that are required through the San Gabriel National Monument and the Angeles National Forest!
For an eye opening understanding of the infrastructure necessary to support the tunnel through the forest, please read: TECHNICAL MEMORANDUM – High-Speed Train Tunnel Portal Facilities TM 2.4.6.
Keep in mind, one acre is approximately the size of a football field without the end zones! There is above ground impact to the forest other than just the tunneling!
Must See! – “Build It Bigger: Mega Tunnel”
See what the Tunnel Boring Machine is all about.
45 minute video of just what will be happening if those tunnels are approved in our neighborhoods.
Click to Download the Palmdale to Burbank SAA Report – Supplemental Alternatives Analysis Report released for the 6/9/15 CHSRA Board Meeting
We Still Need Everyone’s Help!
We are still taking donations for our educational-instructional fund and our legal fund. If you don’t have the time to volunteer, please consider making a monetary donation to this important fight. (Click Here to Donate!)
Thank you!
S.A.F.E. (Save Angeles Forest for Everyone)
Sunland-Tujunga NC
Lake View Terrace NC
Kagel Canyon Civic Association
Shadow Hills Property Owners Association
Updates
The Latest about CA High Speed Rail
Check out our UPDATE PAGE on the latest from S.A.F.E. and the CA High Speed Rail Authority.
- 05/12/17 – LA Times, “Gov. Brown asks President Trump for help on the California bullet train” by Ralph Vartabedian
- 05/01/17 – Los Angeles Times, “Leadership turnover at the California High-Speed Rail Authority could signal shakeup” By Ralph Vartabedian
- 04/14/17 – Los Angeles Times, “The price of safety on California’s bullet train is only now becoming apparent” By Ralph Vartabedian
- 03/15/17 – Los Angeles Times, “California’s bullet train board bad-mouths the state’s Republican delegation” By Ralph Vartabedian
- 03/08/17 – KTTV, “Point of View: California’s High Speed Rail” By Bob Cook, VP / General Manager KTTV
- 03/06/17 – Air Talk, KPCC, “What’s next for California’s high-speed rail after Trump Admin blocks key funding” With Larry Mantle
- 03/04/17 – Mercury News, “high-speed rail ready to lay some track” By Don Thompson of Associated Press
- 03/03/17 – Los Angeles Times, “Two construction firms seek an extra $300 million for bullet train work” By Ralph Vartabedian
- 02/22/17 – LA Daily News, “Electrifying debate over bullet train funding” By The Editorial Board – LA Daily News
- 02/17/17 – Los Angeles Times, “U.S. Department of Transportation puts off OK of key $647-million grant related to California’s bullet train” By Ralph Vartabedian
- 02/10/17 – Los Angeles Times, “Bullet train agency cleared to buy two parcels in downtown Los Angeles” By Ralph Vartabedian
- 02/10/17 – Los Angeles Times, “U.S. Transportation department executive approved grant days before taking job with rail contractor” By Ralph Vartabedian
- 02/06/17 – Los Angeles Times, “California Republicans ask Trump administration to block bullet train funding” By Ralph Vartabedian
- 02/06/17 – San Francisco Chronicle, “With Trump in charge, Republicans target Caltrain” By Matier & Ross
- 02/01/17 – Los Angeles Times, “New legal challenge to California bullet train is filed in Superior Court” By Ralph Vartabedian
- 01/20/17 – LA Daily News, “Bullet train veering off fiscal track?” By The Editorial Board – LA Daily News
- 01/20/17 – Los Angeles Times, “Obama administration made last-minute modifications to California’s nearly $1-billion bullet train grant” By Ralph Vartabedian
- 01/17/17 – Los Angeles Times, “Federal warning of higher bullet-train costs prompts sharp opinions, plans for congressional hearings” By Ralph Vartabedian
- 01/13/17 – Los Angeles Times, “California’s bullet train is hurtling toward a multibillion-dollar overrun, a confidential federal report warns” By Ralph Vartabedian
- 12/24/16 – Los Angeles Times, “The hunt for dollars to build the $64-billion bullet train” By Ralph Vartabedian
“DON’T RAILROAD US” LAWN SIGNS!
You need a lawn sign and you can get one simply by making a $10 donation. To order, just click on the PayPal button below! After we receive your order, we will contact you to arrange delivery. These lawn signs are an important backdrop to help people be aware and engaged.
Order Your Lawn Sign NOW!
High Speed Rail Update – Appreciation for Volunteers and “Activist” Residents
The date of the California High Speed Rail Authority Board Meeting, June 9th , was a special day for our Foothills Communities in our fight against high speed rail. Thank you to everyone who helped plan the day, made the trip, testified, were with us in spirit, donated to help defray various costs, have written letters and watched on various websites.
The turnout from the Foothills area and other affected communities far exceeded our expectations given the meeting was held in downtown Los Angeles on a work day. Most of us left this area at 7:30 for a meeting that lasted until 4:30 and did not get home until after 6 pm. Over 400 people attended and more than 150 people testified, including at least 50 people from our Foothill communities alone. The meeting room overflowed the entire day. The poise, intelligence, community-spirit, compassion and brilliance displayed by our residents and others throughout the region, demonstrated that unity is the best and only strategy against this “big government” boondoggle and the “transportation zombies” trying to impose their view of the world on our communities. READ THE ENTIRE POST HERE
What Progress Has Been Made Fighting High Speed Rail?
Please read our detailed report about what S.A.F.E. has accomplished to date, and why this battle is so important for all of us. READ THE ENTIRE POST HERE
Links to SAFE and/or Community Important Events
S.A.F.E. – Save Angeles Forest for Everyone
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 35 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!
OUR POSITION ON PALMDALE TO BURBANK PROJECT SECTION EAST CORRIDOR ALTERNATIVES
It is very apparent that HSR has the “cart ahead of the horse” at this juncture in this region…pun intended…from both an engineering/design and communications standpoint, and is struggling to develop the right strategy to build and communicate within densely populated communities. It was shocking to us that HSR, with its vast array of financial, engineering, technical and political/communications resources, could propose the flawed Corridors E1, E2 and E3.
For starters, each of the East Corridor alternatives violates the premise and spirit of the San Gabriel Mountains National Monument and Angeles National Forest, and we challenge whether the routes legally adhere to the definition of “existing transportation and utility corridors” as required by the enabling legislation and Proposition 1A, as approved narrowly by California voters. The East Corridor alternatives tunnel directly under the heart of the residential, equestrian communities of Shadow Hills, La Tuna Canyon, Lake View Terrace, Kagel Canyon, Sun Valley and Burbank. These alternatives create damage of varying degrees to nearby Sunland/Tujunga, Pacoima and San Fernando, affecting equestrians and recreation enthusiasts from throughout LA County who use the Northeast San Fernando Valley for their equestrian and varied recreation pursuits.
The overall reputation, quality of life and historic equestrian culture of our Foothill communities would be decimated by the construction of multiple, gaping tunnel openings and an elevated rail line over our flood plain, equestrian trail network and recreation/open space areas. In addition, the local equestrian-related economy (which exceeds $100 million in value annually, not including equestrian real estate nor indirect economic benefits) consisting of horse sales, boarding, feeding, shoeing/trim, trucks, trailers, veterinarians and insurance would be devastated.
CONGRESSMAN SCHIFF REAFFIRMS AND DETAILS HIS OPPOSITION TO HIGH SPEED RAIL THROUGH ANGELES NATIONAL FOREST
Schiff decries proposal for high-speed rail tunnel below Angeles National Forest
Congressman calls route underneath Angeles National Forest ‘implausible.’
From the Glendale News-Press By Arin Mikailian January 15, 2015 | 6:26 p.m.
Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Burbank) is speaking out against the proposed idea of having high-speed rail tracks run through underground tunnels beneath the Angeles National Forest to connect Palmdale and Burbank and calls the alternative a costly dead-end.
California’s High-Speed Rail Authority plans to study having a section of the rail pass through the southwestern part of the forest…READ ENTIRE STORY
This economic loss does not include the permanent property value and other non-equestrian-related sales tax loss that the State and local government agencies would lose due to HSR’s use of eminent domain and devaluation of “survivor” properties.
We have projected the severe damage created by HSR’s East Corridor proposal, however preliminary or conceptual HSR intended, in its construction and operational phases. This comprehensive analysis, similar to but far less costly than an EIR/EIS, should lead you to eliminate the East Corridor alternatives immediately from further consideration.
We also believe HSR has a fiduciary responsibility to the State and its taxpayers to operate efficiently per the legislation. Already, the introduction and study of far-fetched and flawed alternatives such as E1 and E2 represents a waste of time and taxpayer monies. Including these infeasible alternatives in the EIR/EIS will compound the wastefulness as well as raise serious legal issues related to NEPA and CEQA.
We have organized our analysis so that the most heavily impacted communities/open space areas are discussed:
· Shadow Hills/La Tuna Canyon/Sun Valley
· Lake View Terrace
· Kagel Canyon
· Big Tujunga Wash/Hansen Dam Recreation Area
· San Gabriel Mountains National Monument and Angeles National Forest
CALIFORNIA HIGH-SPEED RAIL PROPOSALS WILL DESTROY OUR FOOTHILL COMMUNITIES!
• Bullet Train Tunnels and Lines Dug/Located Under, Over and Through Our Communities
• Eminent Domain – Your House Could be Taken from You at a Financial Loss
• Property Values and Your Home’s Equity (Your Life’s Savings!) Devastated
• 60+ Foot Wide Tunnel Openings, Speeding Train and Elevated Bridge Visible/Audible for Miles
• Horses, Wildlife and Public Safety Seriously Endangered
• Serious Health Issues Due to Dust, Truck Emissions, Noise and Vibration
• Equestrian and Recreation Trails Closed and Destroyed; Equestrian Industry and Lifestyle Decimated
• Constant Noise and Visual Blight for Hundreds of Thousands of Residents and Motorists Daily
• Water Pollution Created; Water Supply Threatened
• 1 Million Plus Truck Trips to Remove Tunnel Dirt Damages Roads, Pollutes Air, Closes Roads, Jams Traffic
• National Monument, National Forest, Rim of the Valley and Wildlife Corridors Violated
• False, Misleading Claims by HSR re: Costs, Jobs, Economic Benefits & Ridership Projections
“Legislation requires high speed rail to be built in existing transportation and utility corridors.”
“Our elected officials should move away from the presumption that high speed rail will happen at any cost and move more toward demanding it be done right and cost-effectively…or not done at all.”