Oops. Proponents of a new area-wide tax to address looming operating deficits for a number of public transit systems cannot be happy about a revelation of fiscal danger and flawed agency coordination in the South Bay.
The Bay Area News Group reported last month that BART authorities are involved in a kerfuffle with the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Agency.
The flap involves a hugely expensive project that is designed to bring BART into San Jose and Santa Clara. A significant piece of the construction would involve expensive tunneling beneath San Jose.
The VTA is the entity that is guiding the effort and, in the main, providing much-needed dollars. BART officials are not pleased about certain aspects of the project. Money, as you would expect, is at the core of the dispute, along with the very public nature of related issues.
The timing is not great for those banging the drum in support of the planned tax, folks like the ever-eager state Sen. Scott Wiener who represents San Francisco and a chunk of the North County.
The San Mateo County Transit District, which runs Caltrain and the SamTrans bus system, has opted to be included in the tax plan.
There are skeptics here, among them two county supervisors, Jackie Speier and Ray Mueller. Both have expressed doubts about the financial wisdom of being manacled to troubled outfits like BART well into the future — even if local voters nix it while other involved counties give it the overall OK. The end result would be a done deal.
Speier and Mueller worry that too much local cash would be funneled away from Caltrain and SamTrans. They are more prone to seeking a tax that would benefit only this county.
In any event, the BART/VTA dust-up is another red flag in advance of an election that is tabbed to take place in 2026.
A COUNTER-PRODUCTIVE POLICY: It has been apparent for weeks. An indiscriminate federal policy to utilize coordinated raids to find, detain and, more than likely, try to deport undocumented immigrants — without regard to the gravity of their criminal records (if any) — has backfired.
The controversial move has become counter-productive on all sides of the debate. Why? Because the policy has generated intense and sometimes violent protests resulting in physical attempts to impede, if not halt, any arrests whatsoever.
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There are organized efforts to alert threatened individuals and communities in advance of federal raids to thwart any arrest actions. In the process, there can be little doubt that at least some dangerous individuals have avoided capture and detention, precisely the opposite of what was originally intended.
The stated goal of the government and the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency had been to seek out “the worst of the worst” and deport them ASAP at the outset of the program.
But that specific, stated priority has gone by the wayside. The result: Something unintended, damaging and, in some cases, dangerous.
WRESTLING AT THE COW PALACE: Professional wrestling, for all intents and purposes, is more show-biz performance than competitive sport. But make no mistake. The entertainment option has a big following.
The “sport” has been around for decades. In San Mateo County, the Cow Palace secured a reputation as one of the West Coast’s more prominent pro wrestling venues. The cavernous Daly City arena hosted well-attended Saturday night wrestling cards for decades.
The county’s Historical Association will host a look back at those days with photographer Jim Fitzpatrick 1 p.m. Sept. 6 at its History Museum in Redwood City. Buck Buchanan probably won’t be mentioned.
A 13-year professional football player with the Kansas City Chiefs, Buchanan dabbled as a pro grappler in retirement to supplement his income.
In a mid-1970s interview at the Cow Palace after a match, he mused about his long football career, displaying scarred knees as proof of the toll it had taken on him. How many surgeries did he have at that point? A total of 13. Wrestling must have seemed like a walk in the park by that time.
FORGET THE CABER TOSS IN SSF: Just about every culture has its own version of a unique athletic feat. For example, the Scots enjoy tossing the caber, a large, heavy pole. Italians in South San Francisco toss something a bit lighter — and far more tasty. They tend to favor a salami-throw contest. At least they do so on Sept. 14 at their Festa Italiana at Orange Memorial Park. They also will offer music, food, a car show and other enticements for the public. The affair is scheduled to be conducted from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Admission is free.
Email: johnhorganmedia@gmail.com
(1) comment
Thanks for your column today, Mr. Horgan. The problem for San Mateo supervisors is they likely know that any transit tax for San Mateo is likely to fail and so they’re okay making a deal with the devil, so to speak, in the hopes that getting any money is preferable to not getting any money. The bigger question is how much sway the unions “encouraged” the supervisors to vote to be included, if any.
As for the counter-productive policy, we can only hope Tom Homan and President Trump continue their raids to deport “undocumented immigrants.” Once one crosses the border illegally, they’ve committed a federal offense. As for violent protests and organized efforts to alert invaders to our country, we can only hope federal authorities prosecute them to the fullest extent of the law. They can attempt to make a stand for their beliefs (however misguided) but they should be willing to accept the consequences of their aiding and abetting criminals. And let’s not forget that these actions are only dangerous because Democrats have become the party of defending criminals instead of American citizens. Perhaps the Trump administration can begin offering rewards to those who turn in violent protesters and organizers. I believe the Big Beautiful Bill allocated plenty of funds for legal enforcement.
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