From: adrian@ntmtv.UUCP (Adrian Brandt)
Subject: Heuning's SM BART "Plan"?
Organization: Northern Telecom Inc, Mountain View, CA
Date: Sat, 15 Aug 1992 00:14:44 GMT


This is an item that Alan Hirsch emailed me to post for him while
I was on vacation:

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July 29, 1992

Letters to the Editor
San Jose Mercury 
1750 Ridder Park Drive
San Jose, CA 95190

Would you vote for "BART around the Bay" if you were told it could be
done without raising your taxes?  

But would you believe the part about "no new taxes"? 

Would you be surprised to hear this promise coming from a candidate for
Congress during election year?

At the Tuesday, July 28, San Mateo County Board meeting, Supervisor
Huening stated that there was enough money to extend BART 17 miles from
San Francisco Airport to Menlo Park without raising taxes and proposed
the following ballot wording: Using existing voter approved taxes should
San Mateo County negotiate to extend BART through San Mateo County into
Santa Clara and around the Bay."   

Luckily, the part about no new taxes was removed by the other four
supervisors--as was promises about Santa Clara County getting BART.  

[The wording has since been changed (again?) and the part about "into
Santa Clara and around the Bay" has been deleted. -Adrian]

Supervisor Huening's promise merits scrutiny because he is running for
Congress from a district that includes Santa Clara County--and
coordination between Santa Clara and San Mateo County is important if we
are going to get a regional rail system.

The 6.5 mile BART extension from Colma to near the San Francisco Airport
will cost $972 million.  If extending BART from San Bruno/SFO to San Jose
is as expensive per mile, it would cost $5.2 billion.  The Santa Clara
County portion would be $2.5 billion.  If this amount was invested in
BART replacing CalTrain, no money for Santa Clara County's light rail
would be available for the next 20 years.  These numbers are so big they
should be put in perspective: Santa Clara County is now planning dramatic
cuts in bus service because of shortfalls of just $26 million. 

Supervisor Huening's supposition that we need rail transit on the Peninsula
and ringing the Bay makes sense--but his fixation with BART technology is
nothing but pandering to people unaware or unconcerned with costs, taxes, or
time-frames.  Santa Clara County has determined it can upgrade CalTrain to
high-speed electric trains running BART-level service for a fraction of the
cost of replacing it with BART technology.

What was doubly astounding at the meeting was to hear Supervisor Huening
argue why he wanted to extend BART to Menlo Park--because it would "force"
Santa Clara County to buy into the BART system.  He seems to forget BART is
demanding half a billion dollars up-front in "buy in" fees before any Santa
Clara County tax money is even spent on building the actual tracks.  

People interested in Supervisor Huening's plan for Peninsula BART should
call Supervisor Huening Office and ask him to send you a copy of the
"Heuning Plan" to extend BART down the Peninsula without raising taxes, and
the time-frame he's proposing, and what what he suggests not be built to
finance it.  His office number is (415) 363-4568.  Though I don't think
this plan exists, it would be a good exercise for people to make a
politician accountable for his promises.   

I hope voters consider Supervisor Huening's fiscally irresponsible behavior
regarding transit funding and regional coordination when they consider who
to elect to congress to handle the federal deficit.

Sincerely,
Alan Hirsch
Director
Peninsula Rail 2000

-- 

Adrian Brandt (415) 940-2379
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