HSR Property Acquisition

Another HSR related story in the Fresno Bee 12/26/12.  The story talks about how eminent domain will be handled for the CA HSRA with a $34million contract to four law firms.  One located in the state of Virginia, one from Pismo Beach, one from Sacramento and the other in Oklahoma.

With an award of $34million the law firms should have enough motivation to obfuscate property owners in a similar manner that the EIR intimidates onlookers with its extraneous information.

California's HSR project has two distinct mindsets.  The dominating attitude of the State is revealed in the article: " Rail authority representatives believe they will be able to successfully negotiate with most of the affected property owners in the Valley and anticipate that relatively few will carry a contest all the way through to an eminent domain trial.

Attorneys say that is the norm nowadays when agencies seek to buy private land for public projects." 

The proposed HSR project is far from being a normal public project.  By hiring out of the area attorneys, is this a move by the HSRA to provides insight to the peculiar needs of the Valley's land owners?  With the strength of uniting, such as the Madera County Farm Bureau's claim to have a joined effort to be unwilling sellers, does this conflict with the remarks from the HSRA representatives that there will be no court litigation?  With additional court litigation, the State will have to pick up extra costs for unexpected court fees and first class air tickets back and forth to Virginia and Oklahoma.  As normal bureaucratic procedure goes, this will tally up to millions of unanticipated dollars beyond the $34million contract.  

There are so many unanswered questions regarding the HSR project's business plan, one has to ask how the project can move forward.  The litigation is growing and yet, so far, the HSRA has bounced back from all the  set backs that should have knocked this thing off the tracks.

Misinformed

There is much concern in the Valley from farmers about the loss of their farms.  In a written statement, the Farm Bureau said that the rail line will displace "hundreds of farms."

In the December 13 Fresno Bee article, there are two opposing quotes.  The first quote from the Madera County Farm Bureau saying that all but one property owner is an unwilling seller:

"These farmers are the ones whose property is being threatened," said Anja Raudabaugh, executive director of the Madera County Farm Bureau. Raudabaugh said farmers in Madera County are unified in fighting the loss of land to the rail authority. Rather than sell all or part of their affected parcels, the farmers are prepared to force the state to use eminent domain -- to go to court and ask a judge to order the property be sold to the rail authority.

"It's taken six months, but I've finally contacted every single property owner along the route from Avenue 17 south to the San Joaquin River," she added. "Except for one, everyone else is getting ready to be unwilling sellers."

On the other side is Jeffrey Morales, the rail authority's CEO, who is quoted in the article:

Read more here: http://www.fresnobee.com/2012/12/12/3099779_p2/landowners-air-high-speed-rail.html#storylink=cpy

Read more here: http://www.fresnobee.com/2012/12/12/3099779/landowners-air-high-speed-rail.html#storylink=cpy

"We think eminent domain will be a minority of the parcels," he said."

The Bee sought out the one property owner who is excited to work with the HSRA and interviewed him: "Instead, he's excited about a planned Road 27 overpass over both the high-speed line and the BNSF tracks. "Once they put in that overpass, the freight trains won't have to honk their horns," he said. "That's noisy, and it drives the dogs nuts."  

"Unlike other landowners who vow to force the rail agency to go to court for their land, "I'm going to work with them," Ureña said, "but I want to make sure I'm fairly compensated."

Apparently Juan Urena is unaware of the high pitch 95 decibel screech the proposed train squeels each time it passes.  According to the CA HSRA's own data: (http://www.cahighspeedrail.ca.gov/assets/0/152/198/1efc92bd-1ce9-4514-bb8c-be51d1320488.pdf ) the sound at 100 feet is equivalent to a lawn mower or an un-muffled diesel truck.  For Juan's benefit, a train horn blast at 100 feet ranges from 97 to 107 decibels. 

Read more here: http://www.fresnobee.com/2012/12/12/3099779_p2/landowners-air-high-speed-rail.html#storylink=cpy 

Read more here: http://www.fresnobee.com/2012/12/12/3099779_p2/landowners-air-high-speed-rail.html#storylink=cpy

Fiscal Responsibility

The CA HSR is a political Juggernaut   The momentum of political favoritism is astounding when looking behind the scenes.  In an opinion piece published 12/10/12 in the Orange County Registrar author Wendell Cox has some interesting facts to his opposition of the HSR.

Quality Workmanship

To further display the useless blunder of frivolous government spending gone awry the December 6, 2012 Fresno Bee article explains how inept workers will be required to work on the proposed CA HSR project.  30% of the workforce will be required to know nothing about the work they will be hired to do.  The lack of wisdom from the California's HSRA Board shows with the unanimous vote to hire inept worker; further proof that the project is an irrational waste.