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Aug 11, 2008 7:49 pm US/Pacific
Bill Strengthening CA High-Speed Rail Bond Delayed
SACRAMENTO (AP) ―
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Trains like the one seen here may someday move residents between Northern and Southern California.
Reseau Ferre de France (RFF)
The state Assembly on Monday delayed a vote on a bill that would add more accountability to the high-speed rail measure on California's November ballot, avoiding a showdown with the governor.
Lawmakers were expected to take up the bill Monday so the secretary of state's office could include the changes in the information guides that will be sent to registered voters.
Monday was the deadline to send the guides to the printer's office, but the Assembly canceled its session.
The delay gave a reprieve to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who has said he will veto all bills until lawmakers reach a budget deal.
A spokesman for Assembly Speaker Karen Bass, D-Los Angeles, said the session was called off because of budget negotiations.
"The speaker is focused exclusively on the budget today," said Bass spokesman Steve Maviglio.
Schwarzenegger had sought some of the changes in the bill, which include a requirement for detailed financial plans before construction of each segment of the rail system.
If Schwarzenegger eventually signs the bill, the additional language would go on the ballot as Proposition 1a and would be included in a supplemental voter pamphlet.
That could be confusing to voters who will have to decipher between the old and new high-speed rail initiatives in two different voter guides. In that scenario, only Proposition 1a would be listed on the ballot, said Robin Adam, a spokeswoman for the bill's author, Assemblywoman Cathleen Galgiani, D-Tracy.
The deadline for listing initiatives in the supplemental voter ballot is Aug. 16, but lawmakers have extended that deadline in the past.
"The governor will continue to work with the Legislature to get the improved high-speed rail language on the ballot," Schwarzenegger spokesman Aaron McLear said. "There will be one high-speed rail initiative on the ballot, and the governor will be out campaigning for that."
The initiative would help fund a $40 billion, 700-mile high-speed rail system linking the state's largest cities.
Supporters say California needs to develop high-speed rail to supplement its freeways and airlines as the state's population continues to grow.
Galgiani's bill would increase the accountability of the state board that is planning the project. It also would create a committee of engineering and financial experts to evaluate the project.
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