Transcript of Senator Simitian from July 6, 2012 State Senate vote.

Senator Joe Simitian: Thank you Madam resident, mem!ers. ", too, #as struck !y the $uestion from the resident pro tem #ho asked ho# many times do #e %et to cast a vote like this one. &nd in my case, !y virtue of term limits, the ans#er is ' $uite fre$uently, actually. "(m lookiin% !ack at my o#n votin% record. "n 2002 " #as not only an aye vote !ut a co)author on then State Senator *o+(s measure to place the hi%h)speed rail !ond on the !allot. &n aye vote, and a co)author si%nature. "n 200, #hen then &ssem!ly mem!er -o%ue said no, #e ou%ht to hold this off until 2010, " #as one of a handful of assem!ly mem!ers #ho said, ./o, " feel the sense of ur%ency, #e have to move for#ard #ith this visionary notion.. &nd " voted a%ainst that delay. in 2000, #hen &ssem!ly mem!er 1al%iani put the hi%h)speed rail !ond up !efore us, " #as not only an aye vote, " #as once a%ain a co)author. Then of course #e had a chance to vote on rop 1& on the !allot. " #ent into the pollin% place, voted aye, and supported the measure pu!licly. 2ver the past , years, as the chair of the senate !ud%et su!committee #ith the responsi!ility for transportation fundin%, " had the opportunity to vote repeatedly on the re$uest for fundin% for the 3i%h Speed 4ail &uthority, and voted for every dollar they re$uested, !ecause " #anted them to !e successful. 2n the le%islative front, "(ve consistently re!uffed le%islative efforts to shut the &uthority do#n. "ncludin%, as my collea%ue Senator -aMalfa kno#s, t#o attempts on his part in 2011 and 2012 to !rin% the pro5ect to a halt. &nd at home, over these last , years since the !ond measure has passed, " have

consistently told my constituents that " am a supporter of hi%h)speed rail done ri%ht in spite of the plummetin% support for hi%h)speed rail in my district. /o#, there are a lot of %ood reasons to !e for hi%h) speed rail. -et(s start #ith the vision ' a vision " happen to share.. " think hi%h)speed rail makes sense for *alifornia. " think our %eo%raphy, our economy, our population centers all lend themselves to hi%h)speed rail. 6ut #e(re not !ein% asked to vote on a vision today. 7e(re !ein% asked to vote on a particular plan. So the $uestion #e have to ask ourselves today is, even if you support the vision, is this the plan that is #orthy of our support. There are other %ood reasons to vote for hi%h)speed rail. *ertainly the 5o!s that have !een identified. &ny one of us #ho %oes !ack home and talks to our constituents durin% side#alk office hours or in to#n halls as " kno# #e all do, kno#s too many people are out of a 5o!8 too many people are #orryin% a!out #hether or not they(ll !e a!le to make the rent or the mort%a%e. 6ut this isn(t a 5o!s vs. a no 5o!s de!ate. This is a $uestion a!out #hether or not #e %enerate %ood 5o!s #ith the ri%ht plan or the #ron% plan. So let(s not say this is a choice of 5o!s or no 5o!s #hen it(s really a!out #hether or not #e(re %oin% to use the right plan and make the right kind of investments to reali9e the vision in order to produce those 5o!s. /o#, there(s another %ood reason ' and this one doesn(t %et mentioned much ':;< to vote for hi%h)speed rail. The voters #ent to the polls and approved it, Madam resident. &nd for%ive me if " sound a little old)fashioned, !ut elections have conse$uences. 7hen the pu!lic tells us this is our #ill, #e have an o!li%ation to listen.

6ut=voter sentiment has unddenia!ly chan%ed in the intervenin% years. &nd, even if the voter sentiment hadn(t chan%ed, there(s no ar%uin% that this is a very different plan !efore us today !oth in scope and content and price. &nd finally, #e(ve heard reference to this already and #e(ll hear reference "(m sure for the rest of the day today, there(s that >?.?6 in federal fundin%. @nder our current circumstances, #ho #ouldn(t !e lured !y the opportunity to access >?.?6 of federal fundin%A 6ut let(s understand at #hat cost those funds mi%ht come to *alifornia. 7e(re talkin% a!out a >60.B6 pro5ect. The >?.?6 #e(re talkin% a!out represents a!out BC of the money involved '< if the pro5ect stays on !ud%et. 7e(re e+pected to put up 20 times that amount over the course of #ho kno#s ho# many years. So let(s keep the dollar amounts in perspective. Dven at our level, >?.?6 is no small num!er. 6ut it pales in comparison to the 60)plus !illion the state of *alifornia is then o!li%ed to find in order to access those dollars. &nd, even more disconcertin% to me, as #e cast an an+ious eye on the >?.?6, is the result of the pollin% #e sa# 5ust this #eek ' !ut you didn(t haave to read the results of the pollin%. &ny of us #ho talk to our folks kno# that they(re askin% the same $uestions. They(re sayin%, .4eallyA Eou made these cuts, #e(re threatened #ith more, and you #ant to !uild a hi%h)speed rail track.. &nd " think you can make a very %ood ar%ument that in tou%h times you for%e ahead #ith !i% and !old pro5ects. 6ut " kno# #hat the impact #ill !e if the revenue measure fails on /ovem!er(s Dlection Fay. 7e all do. " think "(m #ithin the rules here, Madam resident ' " think therre are more folks #ho support the %overnor(s revenue measure on this side of the room than there are on that side of the room. 6ut, it(s a >,06 revenue risk if #e lose the 1overnor(s ta+ measure on Dlection Fay in /ovem!er. So in order to access that >?.?6 ' our o#n lon% kno#lled%e of elected officials, the

conversations #e have #ith people on a daily !asis, and the survey results from around the state tell us #e are puttin% that >,06 of revenue at risk on Dlection Fay if #e move ahead today #ith this hi%h)speed rail measure. &nd ho# are #e %oin% to feel if #e #ake up on 7ednesday, the day after Dlection Fay, and look at the tri%%er cuts :;< the >,06 that #ill have to !e pulled painfully from the !ud%et, from schools, from colle%es, from universities, from health, from #elfare and pu!lic safety. 3o# %lad #ill #e !e then that #e %ot >?.?6 in federal fundin% for hi%h)speed rail if #e have put the future of the state at risk in that #ay. 7e may not think that(s the #ay it ou%ht to !e, !ut the hard political reality is that(s the #ay folks !ack home are thinkin% a!out these trade)offs. /o# " understand that #henever #e tackle a pro5ect of this ma%nitude it re$uires us to take a leap of faith. 6ut as the old ada%e #ould have it, look !efore you leap. &nd if you take a look, here(s #hat you(ll find #ith respect to the !asic plan that(s !efore us today. "t(s proposed that #e spend >?.?6 of federal funds and >2.G6 of state funds for 1?0 miles of rail in the *entral Halley. That is the core of the measure !efore us. That is ?I, of the fundin% that(s in the !ill #e(ll !e votin% on today. So, if that(s #hat you pay and that(s #hat you %et, it raises some o!vious $uestions a!out #here do #e %o from here. 3o# do #e do moreA So here are those o!vious $uestions and ans#ers. "s there an additional commitment of federal fundsA There is not. "s there an additional commitment of private fundin%A There is not. "s there a dedicated fundin% source #e could look to in the comin% yearsA There is not. The administration of course has su%%ested the possi!ility of usin% of cap and trade revenue, Madam resident, in order to fund future e+pansion if necessary. 6ut those are dollars #e have yet to see, if and #hen #e do see them our le%islative analyst has already su%%ested they may not !e la#fully or appropriated

used for these purposes. &nd even if #e do see them and can use them, then !y definition it #ill have !een at the e+pense of other pro%rams and services #here those dollars mi%ht have %one. /o# it(s al#ays possi!le, of course, that 2, B, or 10 years from no# additional federal fundin% #ill !e forthcomin%. 6ut as the 3i%h Speed 4ail &uthority ackno#led%ed in our hearin% in Fecem!er, it(s hard to see that time over any reasona!le hori9on %iven the current lay of the land. &nd, of course, #e could %o !ack to the voters #ith yet another >106 plan for more !onds for ne+t steps, !ut " think it(s more than a little unlikely that the ta+payers #ould !e so inclined, and in fact the &uthority has said they have no plans to do so. /o# all of this talk a!out #here do all of the dollars come from is important, !ecause if you can(t find any more money, then you have to ask yourself: #hat is it you %et for that >66. &nd in transportation 5ar%on, the $uestion they ask is, .7ell if #e don(t that #e(re %oin% to have more money and #e don(t kno# if #e can do more, #hat(s the independent utility of the thin% #e(re %oin% to !uildA. " think plain folks #ould 5ust say, .7hat(s the stand)alone value of that investmentA. &nd so, #hen #e asked the 3i%h Speed 4ail &uthority they told us, .7ell, it(s 1?0 miles of track.. &nd #e said, ."s it hi%h)speed railA. the ans#er #as .no.. "s it electrifiedA ./o.. Foes it have positive train controlA ./o.. &re you %oin% to run hi%h)speed rail cars on itA ./o.. So #e(re %ettin% an up%raded &mtrak in the *entral Halley. Jor 6 !illion dollars. &ll of our federal money and a $uarter or more of our state money for a 1?0 miles of not)hi%h)speed) rail and, oh, !y the #ay, it(s in a lo# ridership area. & place that the &uthority and the eer 4evie# 1roup ackno#led%ed is lo# ridership in the sense that it has a!out a million riders

compared or contrasted #ith 20 million in the north and southern ends of the state. So the $uestion that #e have !efore us today, Madam *hairman, resident and mem!ers, is not .do you share the vision. !ut rather this: .is this a plan that is #orthy of supportin%A. 7e could talk a!out the mana%ement challen%es #e(ve seen over the last , years, !ut time does not permit. 7e could talk a!out the fact that the folks that #ere ask to implement this still don(t have a mana%ement team in place, 5ust hired their *D2, the third in three years, ? #eeks a%o, don(t have a *22, don(t have a *J2, don(t have a risk mana%er, and yet unappointed, untested and unproven #e #ant to start do#n this >60.B6 path #ithout ade$uate oversi%ht. 7e could talk a!out the fact that the administration has already ackno#led%ed that it #ants *DK& e+emptions or e+ceptions or modifications as the pro5ect %oes B)6)G)000 miles throu%h the state. rovidin% presuma!ly less protection for people, !usinesses, homes, farms, open space. 7e could talk a!out the fact that this isn(t 5ust a handful of critics in the le%islature. The -e%islative &nalyst(s 2ffice, the eer 4evie# 1roup, the independent "nspector 1eneral, the State &uditor, and the "nstitute for Transportation Studies at 6erkeley have all raised si%nificant concerns. &nd even lookin% at this ne#ly revised plan, the -e%islative &nalyst(s 2ffice said the risk is too %reat and recommends a%ainst proceedin% #ith the plan. /o# !efore " close, Madam resident, and " 5ust #anted to %ive you some reason for optimism on that front, there are a lot of %ood ar%uments on !oth sides of this de!ate, and " think after the last , years "(ve pro!a!ly heard most if not all of them, !ut let me tell you the ar%ument that " did not find particularly persuasive. " #asn(t persuaded #hen folks said, .Joe, you kno#, this thin% is %oin% to pass. Dventually the votes #ill !e there on the Jloor. "t(s somethin% leadership at several levels #ants to see happen, and the smart thin% to

do #ould !e to simply %o alon% #ith the pro%ram.. "(m !ettin% that(s the conversation that took place !ack in 1LL6 #hen the le%islature #ent alon% #ith the pro%ram and approved the dere%ulation that " confronted as a ne# mem!er in 2001, and it cost the state !illions. 6illions #e are still payin% as #e sit or stand here today havin% this de!ate. "(m !ettin% that in 1LLL, #hen the pension measure that #e all kno# as S6 ,00 came to the floor for de!ate, #e said, .ahh, 5ust %o alon% #ith the pro%ram.. &nd here #e are a decade later, tryin% to untan%le the !illions of dollars in costs that the %overnor has so ri%htfully and appropriately identified as re$uirin% attention throu%h his pension reform efforts. So "(m askin% myself today, if the measure(s %oin% to pass, and if it(s somethin% that my leadership supports, is there some reason " shouldn(t %o alon% #ith the pro%ramA &nd " think the ans#er to that is that there are !illions of reasons #hy none of us should simply %o alon% #ith the pro%ram. @nless #e are convinced in %ood faith, as many of my collea%ues are, that this is the ri%ht plan, and that the plan #ill %enuinely allo# the state to reali9e the ri%ht vision. " #ish " could come to that conclusion, Madam resident. " certainly %ive thanks and respect !oth to the *hair of the !ud%et committee and to the resident pro tem #ho(ve !een eminently fair a!out lettin% mem!ers have the opportunity to make their case on this issue. 6ut re%retta!ly, the only conclusion " can come to today is that this is the #ron% plan in the #ron% place at the #ron% time. &nd " #ill !e a .no. vote.