Sacramento transit leaders reject Matsui-backed light rail line over Tower Bridge

Under pressure from federal officials to move fast, a divided Sacramento Regional Transit board Monday rejected a last-minute, scaled-down plan to build a light-rail line that would have crossed the Tower Bridge on city streets, connecting downtown Sacramento with West Sacramento.

The board’s refusal to back the 1.1 mile-long rail line from the downtown train depot to the Sutter Health Park baseball stadium appears to end a decade-long cross-river rail effort — once envisioned as a four-mile streetcar line that would run through midtown and downtown Sacramento and terminate at West Sacramento City Hall.

Rep. Doris Matsui, D-Sacramento, a longtime backer of the project who had secured $50 million in federal funding for it, called the decision “troubling.”

That ambitious streetcar plan stumbled for years, and appeared to die in 2019 when construction bids came in higher than expected, topping the project’s then $200-plus million budget. However, the two cities resuscitated a slimmed-down project this summer, proposing using light-rail cars instead of streetcars, in hopes of meeting a federal deadline this week to hold onto the $50 million.

In a statement Tuesday, Matsui said the project was born out of a “shared regional vision for the future of our transportation infrastructure — an environmentally friendly public transit project that would be a catalyst for economic development, job growth, housing, and a more pedestrian friendly waterfront.

“The city of Sacramento and the city of West Sacramento came to me to request federal funding, and I secured $50 million from the Federal Transit Administration to move our vision forward,” Matsui said. “The SacRT board’s decision is troubling, as it leaves tens of millions of dollars on the table to promote transportation equity and help our two great cities continue to grow.

“Public transit systems like these are crucial to creating a more equitable, sustainable future, and I am supportive of all projects that help drive our region forward.”

The two cities this month asked RT, which operates light rail and buses, to agree to own and operate the new line. City officials could not, however, guarantee full funding to build the new project, nor funding to cover the estimated operating costs of $1.5 million annually.

The proposal came with another complicating factor: No study has yet been done to determine how many people would ride the line that would run along 3rd Street from the depot with one one stop — on Capitol Mall — between the two termini.

Speaking to his board Monday night, RT General Manager Henry Li said that if RT wants to build light rail to Elk Grove or to the airport some day, it will need substantial federal funding support. “From that perspective, if we give up this $50 million, FTA will be very disappointed in us. It will make (it) very difficult to get future FTA money. I am just telling the truth.”

Several RT board members said they were offended by that notion.

“I think that is indicative of the problem with how government works,” Elk Grove City Councilman Patrick Hume said. “Rather than reward us for asking the (Federal Transit Administration) to spend the money more prudently, we would be punished for future funding rounds. That is absolutely backwards to me.”

Prompted by Sacramento County Supervisor Don Nottoli, who said he was not sure he understood Li’s warning, Li clarified his comments, saying that federal transit officials would do a professional job and use strict standards to evaluate future RT projects.

But, he said, to say no to the federal money now, after five or six years of working on the project, “from the federal government perspective, they might feel, hey, next time if you apply for some money, put your act together first.”

Supporters, among them Sacramento City Councilman Steve Hansen, who represents downtown, argued the new line could be the first step toward eventually extending light rail to Davis.

Those voting against moving forward included Councilman Jeff Harris of Sacramento, who said a regular bus line would be far less expensive, and would minimize the financial risk to RT, which has been hammered by the coronavirus crisis.

Also voting no were Hume, Rancho Cordova City Councilwoman Linda Budge, Folsom Mayor Kerri Howell and Nottoli, who represents the southeast portion of the county.

Supporting the project were Hansen, Sacramento City Councilman Rick Jennings and Jay Schenirer, and county Supervisors Phil Serna and Patrick Kennedy.

Under RT voting rules, the 5-5 vote gave the “yes” group a 48 weighted score, and the “no” vote a weighted 42 score. The measure failed because the “yes” side did not achieve a 50-point-plus weighted score. The representative from Citrus Heights, which has a 10-point vote, was absent.

This story was originally published August 25, 2020 at 9:00 AM.