High-speed rail to cost more + Building trades launch ad blitz + Limiting facial recognition
Good morning and welcome to the A.M. Alert!
REPUBLICANS BLAST HIGH-SPEED RAIL PROJECT AFTER REPORT COMES OUT
The California High-Speed Rail Authority has released its latest status report on the project. That status is troubled.
The Merced-Bakersfield leg of the route is now expected to cost $35.3 billion, up from $22.5 billion just a year ago.
“Large infrastructure projects all over the world have felt the impact of this market instability. We are not immune. We have incorporated these impacts into the resetting of our unit prices and in our escalation rates going forward,” said HSRA CEO Brian Kelly in his letter opening the report.
In his letter, Kelly writes that the project needs an answer on how it will be funded by the state after 2030, when the state’s annual appropriations expire.
“Mega-projects that last for decades need long-term, stable funding. Every country around the world that has built high-speed rail has dedicated billions of dollars over several decades to see it through,” he wrote.
Legislative Republicans seized on rail venture’s woes Wednesday.
“The structurally flawed California High Speed Rail project continues to flounder – an absolute waste of taxpayer dollars. The Legislature should end the continuous funding to this project,” said Assemblyman Vince Fong, R-Central Valley, who vice-chairs the Assembly Budget Committee. “Why is the state giving this failing project more than half a billion dollars when the state is facing more than $22.5 billion deficit?
“Recent estimates indicate the High-Speed Rail will cost $206.4 million per mile. What is it, made out of gold? We already know that this entire project has been a complete failure since it was dreamed up more than 15 years ago,” said Senate Minority Leader Brian Jones, R-San Diego.
‘PROTECT OUR CONSTRUCTION CAREERS’ AD BLITZ LAUNCHED
The California Alliance for Jobs and Rebuild SoCal Partnership on Wednesday announced a digital ad buy urging state and local lawmakers “to protect good-paying construction careers as they consider dozens of new laws and policies in the coming months.”
The spots will run statewide on news sites, social media and online over the next several months.
The campaign comes as state lawmakers weigh a package of housing bills that has split the labor movement and the Democratic supermajority.
“We want to send a strong message to state and local lawmakers that their decisions greatly impact not just the development of needed infrastructure in our state. Their decisions also have the potential to uplift or, conversely, destroy hundreds of thousands of careers and families,” said Michael Quigley of the California Alliance for Jobs.
You can see the ad campaign here.
Though the ad campaign doesn’t namecheck any specific bills, it mentions that lawmakers are threatening to eliminate or reduce transportation projects, failing to support water infrastructure, derailing housing and commercial developments and blocking warehouses.
TING BILL WOULD LIMIT POLICE USE OF FACIAL RECOGNITION TECH
California police would be limited in when and where they can use facial recognition technology, under a bill being considered by state lawmakers.
AB 642, by Assemblyman Phil Ting, D-San Francisco, would block the issuance of arrest or search warrants based solely on a facial recognition match. It would require agencies that deploy facial recognition to use algorithms evaluated by the National Institute of Standards and Technology. The measure would also mandate that agencies adopt written policies around using the technology and produce annual reports to be made publicly available.
“Facial recognition technology accuracy has markedly improved in recent years and can help law enforcement solve cases. With proper regulations, we can strike a balance between using this technology and concerns about protecting people’s privacy,” Ting said in a statement. “Independent, substantial evidence — beyond an FRT match — will still be necessary for an arrest and conviction.”
Right now, there are no limitations on how California law enforcement uses facial recognition technology.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“Did you know #InternationalWomansDay has its roots in the American Labor Movement? In NYC on March 8, 1857, women textile workers protested unfair working conditions & unequal pay for women. It was one of the first organized strikes by working women. We’re still fighting today.”
- Lorena Gonzalez Fletcher, head of the California Labor Federation, via Twitter.
Best of The Bee:
Gov. Gavin Newsom on Wednesday announced the state would not renew a multi-million dollar contract with Walgreens after the giant pharmacy chain said it would not dispense abortion pills in some states, via Maggie Angst.
Sacramento’s non-profit sector lacks Latino leadership, despite the relatively diverse population of the River City, via Mathew Miranda.
California’s Julie Su faces a fierce, and likely ugly, battle to win confirmation for U.S. Secretary of Labor, via David Lightman.
Sacramento Republican activist and Jan. 6 Capitol Riot defendant Jorge Aaron Riley pleaded guilty Tuesday to a single felony count of obstructing an official proceeding, making Riley the third of four area residents to accept plea deals related to the insurrection, via Sam Stanton.
Housing is California’s biggest challenge, but would a constitutional right to a place to live make a difference for state residents? Via Lindsey Holden.