New Proposed California Initiative Seeks to End Bullet Train Project

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California Bullet Train Project
Conceptual rendering of the California High-Speed Rail project.

A conservative radio host is proposing a new initiative to end California’s bullet train project and divert tens of billions of dollars of funding for highway construction and maintenance from the state to local governments.

On Friday, California Secretary of State Alex Padilla announced that Carl DeMaio, the proponent of the initiative “was cleared to begin collecting petition signatures.”

DeMaio is a former member of the San Diego City Council. He considers himself a government reformer. He was one of the proponents of the unsuccessful gas tax repeal initiative.

In a filing to state Attorney General’s office, DeMaio claimed, “California’s taxpayers already pay some of the highest gas taxes in the country but are forced to suffer with some of the worst roads and infrastructure in the country because politicians have diverted, stolen, and wasted the funds.”

His proposed new initiative seeks to allocate revenues from state taxes and fees on vehicles to local governments for road construction and repairs as well as for mass transit.