Follow the Money: Who is Funding Prop 1A?

image
Published: 25 Oct, 2008
1 min read

Researches at the San Francisco Chronicle reported that proponents of Prop 1A, the bill that would allow bonds to be sold to finance a multi-billion dollar high speed rail link, have raised about $2 million for their cause.

While opponents to the bill have not yet created an official campaign association, they are resting on the idea that the proposed legislation is simply so ridiculous and poorly timed that there's no way a sane California electorate will let it pass.

While California faces one of the worst budget crises in recent history, official supporters of Prop 1A still contend that spending $10 billion-plus on a train is worth tax payer's money. But who are these people?

Compliments of the Chronicle:

"Nearly all of the campaign contributions have come from engineering andconstruction companies or organized labor groups that could benefitfinancially if the state moves ahead with plans to build an 800-milestatewide high-speed train system."

There you have it. The main fundraisers of this massively ill timed spending bill are, surprise surprise, the same people who will make a killing from it. Granted, who wouldn't want a cheap and quick trip to LA and back? The Amtrak service is unreliable and slow. Flying is a pain.

It really would be nice. But we just can't afford it.

You Might Also Like

Trump sitting in the oval office with a piece of paper with a cannabis leaf on his desk.
Is Trump About to Outflank Democrats on Cannabis? Progressives Sound the Alarm
As President Donald Trump signals renewed interest in reclassifying cannabis from a Schedule I drug to Schedule III, a policy goal long championed by liberals and libertarians, the reaction among some partisan progressive advocates is not celebration, but concern....
08 Dec, 2025
-
5 min read
Malibu, California.
From the Palisades to Simi Valley, Independent Voters Poised to Decide the Fight to Replace Jacqui Irwin
The coastline that defines California’s mythology begins here. From Malibu’s winding cliffs to the leafy streets of Brentwood and Bel Air, through Topanga Canyon and into the valleys of Calabasas, Agoura Hills, and Thousand Oaks, the 42nd Assembly District holds some of the most photographed, most coveted, and most challenged terrain in the state. ...
10 Dec, 2025
-
6 min read
Ranked choice voting
Ranked Choice for Every Voter? New Bill Would Transform Every Congressional Election by 2030
As voters brace for what is expected to be a chaotic and divisive midterm election cycle, U.S. Representatives Jamie Raskin (Md.), Don Beyer (Va.), and U.S. Senator Peter Welch (Vt.) have re-introduced legislation that would require ranked choice voting (RCV) for all congressional primaries and general elections beginning in 2030....
10 Dec, 2025
-
3 min read