By Anna Rendall
Lots of people opposed the creation of BART, but what would the Bay Area be if taxpayers groups and libertarians successfully derailed the campaign that created it in the 1960s?
That’s the same argument proponents give to Proposition 1A, which would build a high-speed train from San Francisco to Los Angeles, allowing riders to get from one end to the other for $55 in two and a half hours, after a nine-year construction period and the sale of nearly $10 billion in state bonds.
For the last 12 years this plan has had its caboose dragged all over the legislative map, and now that it’s on the ballot, it’s time to decide if California adopts a green transportation source that’s proven popular in Europe and Asia or whether its derailed by fears that it will strain taxpayers in the midst of a financial meltdown.