Mountain View Asked To Join Bandwagon for High-Speed Rail Funding

While some Peninsula cities have decided to oppose the construction of high-speed rail from San Francisco to San Jose because of its potential environmental impact, others hope for federal money to ride in by rail.

At Mountain View's City Council meeting this Tuesday, Councilwoman Margaret Abe-Koga discussed a letter that the San Mateo City Council has drafted to send to Congresswomen Anna Eshoo and Jackie Speier and distributed to members of the Millbrae and Burlingame city councils. Abe-Koga asked if Mountain View wanted to consider signing the letter.

"We ask for your help to secure additional funding to make sure the high speed rail is built through our communities in a manner consistent with our general and specific plans and character and quality of our neighborhoods," began the letter, which has not been released to the public but has already been signed by several elected officials in the Peninsula.

Mayor Ronit Bryant suggested that the letter should be considered first at the high-speed rail subcommittee meeting Nov. 1 before going before the City Council.

Mountain View's City Council has been mum about what has occurred in regards to the lawsuit that the cities of Palo Alto, Menlo Park and Atherton have filed against the California High-Speed Rail Authority (CAHSR). That suit addresses how the authority has failed to adequately address the environmental impact to their communities.

Also, several local Palo Alto organizations have raised concerns about the California High Speed Rail Authority's ridership projection figures, revenue forecasts and the potential conflict of interest of several of its board members.

At a high-speed rail community meeting a few weeks back, the CAHSR addressed the residents of Mountain View and City Council about the potential mid-Peninsula rail station in Mountain View.

A straw vote by the Mountain View City Council questioned the contributions of a new rail station in Mountain View. A clear majority voted against Mountain View being a mid-Peninsula stop for high-speed train.