As my old friend Ambro once said about the news media, “One flies off, they all fly off.” The latest news media fashion trend: Takeaways. As in, “Five takeaways from the Democratic National Convention,” or “Six takeaways from the 49ers preseason game.” And let us add to the mix the new note that states how long it will take to read the story. I always think of it as a competition, but sometimes it takes no time at all. This is all one more indication that none us wants to read anything — unless it has bullet points and highlighted key words. This is my takeaway, anyway. Now, onto highlighted key words.
THE COLOR OF MONEY: It is one of the great myths of public financing, expressed so well in a letter to the Daily Journal: “For the same money that Caltrain is spending on electrification, they could have fully funded 10 of the most needed grade crossings.”
But it is not the same money. There are few things in this world more complex or constrained than public transportation funding. If the money was not spent on Caltrain, it would have gone to some other rail project because it is, you know, rail money. Grade crossing money, believe it or not, is different money.
Furthermore, money assigned to a project — by legislation and a mazelike funding process — cannot be redirected to something you like more. Or for any other reason, for that matter.
It is same thing often said about the money for high-speed rail: Spend it somewhere else. The high-speed rail pot of money was established by a statewide ballot measure. You may think it was a bad decision (I do not), but if the high-speed rail people suddenly spent the money on something else, they all would go to jail.
DON’T BOTHER ME: Poring over the roster of candidates for office in San Mateo County, an alarming number declined to provide a fundamentally useful means of contacting them, such as a phone number or an address. Many provided a website; some provided an email address.
But in the majority of instances, what is on the roster is this repeated wording: “Not authorized to release.” Following up on Jon Mays’ excellent column about elected officials who hide, incorrectly, behind the Brown Act, this refusal to provide meaningful contact information is just one more way in which people running for public office avoid being contacted by the public. Or, at least, being contacted outside of circumstances they prefer.
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It is a continuing frustration for those of us — including the hardworking and diligent reporters at the Daily Journal — who need to interview candidates. We take seriously the obligation to hold elected officials and candidates accountable on behalf of the public. And an email address or a website does not do the job. Websites are full of campaign blather. Interviewing candidates via email is no interview at all since they customarily respond only to the questions they choose, and often ignore follow-up questions.
In an era in which transparency is a buzzword in politics, this would be one way to show a commitment to that, ahem, principle. … Speaking of which, three members of the Redwood City Council — Chris Sturken, Elmer Martínez Saballos and Lissette Espinoza-Garnica — provide no biographical information on the official council website page. All four of their colleagues do. Saballos and Espinoza-Garnica are running for the council in the November election. Saballos is unopposed, but Espinoza-Garnica has a serious challenger.
NO PLEDGE: Not to make a big deal out of this, but it is beginning to rankle more than a few regular attendees of the Redwood City Council meetings that Espinoza-Garnica does not stand and face the American flag during the Pledge of Allegiance at the start of each meeting. Instead, Espinoza-Garnica remains seated, back to the flag, head down. I left a message for Espinoza-Garnica on the phone number they posted on the council’s website page to ask for the thinking behind this, but did not get a response.
YOU MAY HAVE NOTICED: In the race for the District 4 seat on the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors, East Palo Alto councilmembers Lisa Gauthier and Antonio Lopez both have the ballot designation of mayor. But wait, you say, they can’t both be mayor. Ah, they can under the state’s arcane rules governing what candidates can list as their occupations.
It is all about timing. More precisely, when each candidate filed for the office. Gauthier filed in 2023, when she was mayor of East Palo Alto. Lopez filed in 2024, when he replaced Gauthier in the annual mayoral rotation.
Mark Simon is a veteran journalist, whose career included 15 years as an executive at SamTrans and Caltrain. He can be reached at marksimon@smdailyjournal.com.
Grade Separation should never be paid with Public Transportation Funding. Grade Separation mostly benefits cars and drivers - there is little advantage to Caltrain. But most Transportation Funding is not that inflexible. The SMC TA board is deciding how much money goes to highway widenings and how much to other projects - and these are local politicians. For example, Public Transportation money - that could go to better Samtrans or Caltrain service - is re-routed to the RWC Ferry Service. Ferry Service would be competing with Samtrans and Caltrain for the same customers and is even less sustainable than both. All major environmental groups have already spoken out against the RWC Ferry Terminal.
I'm going to have to defer to your expertise in transportation matters for some clarification. I am one of those persons who say stop spending money on the HSR project and use money that could be spent on the bullet train elsewhere.
Here's my confusion... it looks like funding promised by voters back in 2008 has been spent. If that is the case, can't Sacramento just stop pouring additional money into the project?
Earlier this year, Fresno's ABC affiliate reported that an additional $100 billion would be needed to link the state's SoCal and NorCal hubs. Given the state of California's economy and the funding needed to address important issues like homelessness, isn't it possible for the state legislature to stop allocating taxpayer money for HSR? You wrote, "... if the high-speed rail people suddenly spent the money on something else, they all would go to jail." Well, what if we stop giving money to the high-speed rail people? That way, the money HSR proponents would like to spend on the project could be allocated for other... possibly more urgent... budget items? No one goes to jail. Right?
The column implies that the state has subsidized rich people to buy Tesla's and other electric vehicles to get to and from where they are going faster, while everyone else has to put up with deficient public transportation.
That is correct, local politicians on the board of SMC TA decided that the county needs a highway-widening which allows wealthy drivers and companies to get faster to wherever they need to go. All kinds of things were wrong with the express lane project, but most importantly, when it came to being ADA compliant the SMC TA board members did not take responsibility. The express lane project basically sabotaged the ADA required safe ped/bike crossings in San Mateo and San Carlos and didn't calculate that into their project. When it came to paying up, the money had been spent on the express lanes already.
So SMCTA board members were clearly able to re-route transportation funding the way they saw fit.
Thanks for another eclectic column today, Mr. Simon. If voters are willing to put up with the shenanigans from the candidates you highlight, they get the government they vote for. As for Ms. Espinoza-Garnica, perhaps when she speaks, everyone, including her colleagues, can turn their backs to her. Or everyone can bring American flags to Redwood City Council meetings. Or when folks see her, start reciting the Pledge of Allegiance. Or all of the above, or some of the above. The best thing of all would be to vote for her opponent.
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(6) comments
Grade Separation should never be paid with Public Transportation Funding. Grade Separation mostly benefits cars and drivers - there is little advantage to Caltrain. But most Transportation Funding is not that inflexible. The SMC TA board is deciding how much money goes to highway widenings and how much to other projects - and these are local politicians. For example, Public Transportation money - that could go to better Samtrans or Caltrain service - is re-routed to the RWC Ferry Service. Ferry Service would be competing with Samtrans and Caltrain for the same customers and is even less sustainable than both. All major environmental groups have already spoken out against the RWC Ferry Terminal.
Hello, Mark
I'm going to have to defer to your expertise in transportation matters for some clarification. I am one of those persons who say stop spending money on the HSR project and use money that could be spent on the bullet train elsewhere.
Here's my confusion... it looks like funding promised by voters back in 2008 has been spent. If that is the case, can't Sacramento just stop pouring additional money into the project?
Earlier this year, Fresno's ABC affiliate reported that an additional $100 billion would be needed to link the state's SoCal and NorCal hubs. Given the state of California's economy and the funding needed to address important issues like homelessness, isn't it possible for the state legislature to stop allocating taxpayer money for HSR? You wrote, "... if the high-speed rail people suddenly spent the money on something else, they all would go to jail." Well, what if we stop giving money to the high-speed rail people? That way, the money HSR proponents would like to spend on the project could be allocated for other... possibly more urgent... budget items? No one goes to jail. Right?
The column implies that the state has subsidized rich people to buy Tesla's and other electric vehicles to get to and from where they are going faster, while everyone else has to put up with deficient public transportation.
That is correct, local politicians on the board of SMC TA decided that the county needs a highway-widening which allows wealthy drivers and companies to get faster to wherever they need to go. All kinds of things were wrong with the express lane project, but most importantly, when it came to being ADA compliant the SMC TA board members did not take responsibility. The express lane project basically sabotaged the ADA required safe ped/bike crossings in San Mateo and San Carlos and didn't calculate that into their project. When it came to paying up, the money had been spent on the express lanes already.
So SMCTA board members were clearly able to re-route transportation funding the way they saw fit.
Thanks for another eclectic column today, Mr. Simon. If voters are willing to put up with the shenanigans from the candidates you highlight, they get the government they vote for. As for Ms. Espinoza-Garnica, perhaps when she speaks, everyone, including her colleagues, can turn their backs to her. Or everyone can bring American flags to Redwood City Council meetings. Or when folks see her, start reciting the Pledge of Allegiance. Or all of the above, or some of the above. The best thing of all would be to vote for her opponent.
all good ideas, particularly others on the council turning their backs on her.
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Be truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
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PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Anyone violating these rules will be issued a warning. After the warning, comment privileges can be revoked.