1 00:00:00,640 --> 00:00:00,840 Speaker 1: Can't. 2 00:00:00,960 --> 00:00:02,040 Speaker 2: I am six forty. 3 00:00:02,120 --> 00:00:06,880 Speaker 3: You're listening to the John Cobelt Podcast on the iHeartRadio app. Welcome, 4 00:00:07,040 --> 00:00:09,760 Speaker 3: how are you. It's good that you're here. Good that 5 00:00:09,800 --> 00:00:10,680 Speaker 3: you're here, Debra. 6 00:00:10,480 --> 00:00:12,440 Speaker 4: Oh well, thank you. It's good that you're here too. 7 00:00:12,560 --> 00:00:12,880 Speaker 2: Thank you. 8 00:00:13,360 --> 00:00:16,040 Speaker 3: We're all happy here and we're on the air from 9 00:00:16,079 --> 00:00:19,200 Speaker 3: one inn till four every day after four o'clock. You 10 00:00:19,320 --> 00:00:21,680 Speaker 3: got the podcast John Cobelt Show on demand, the same 11 00:00:21,680 --> 00:00:24,479 Speaker 3: as the radio show, and so anything you missed you 12 00:00:24,560 --> 00:00:28,200 Speaker 3: can listen to it after four. We're going to follow 13 00:00:28,280 --> 00:00:33,120 Speaker 3: up on yesterday's big story. The Trump administration announced that 14 00:00:33,200 --> 00:00:37,840 Speaker 3: they are cutting off further funding for California's high speed 15 00:00:37,960 --> 00:00:41,720 Speaker 3: rail disaster. There was about four billion dollars still on 16 00:00:41,760 --> 00:00:47,959 Speaker 3: the table and Trump said, no more money. And the 17 00:00:48,120 --> 00:00:53,360 Speaker 3: Democrats in Sacramento, as they say, are doubling down and 18 00:00:53,400 --> 00:00:56,720 Speaker 3: they're shouting even louder that they're going to continue the project, 19 00:00:57,120 --> 00:01:00,520 Speaker 3: even though it's been seventeen years and seventeen billion dollars 20 00:01:00,600 --> 00:01:02,880 Speaker 3: and there's not even two feet of track laid down. 21 00:01:03,480 --> 00:01:09,760 Speaker 3: There are some stonehenge stonehenge stoneheads like viaducts that have 22 00:01:09,840 --> 00:01:14,399 Speaker 3: been built, but there's there's no actual track, there are 23 00:01:14,400 --> 00:01:17,840 Speaker 3: no trains, there's no train stations, and obviously it wouldn't 24 00:01:17,840 --> 00:01:20,080 Speaker 3: happen for decades even if they had the money, and 25 00:01:20,120 --> 00:01:22,119 Speaker 3: they don't have the money at he's not the federal money. Now, 26 00:01:22,440 --> 00:01:26,000 Speaker 3: let's say get Kevin Kylie on, because Kevin Kylie's Republican 27 00:01:26,040 --> 00:01:29,240 Speaker 3: Congressman from northern California, and he actually got the ball 28 00:01:29,360 --> 00:01:33,600 Speaker 3: rolling a couple of weeks before Trump was inaugurated, because 29 00:01:33,640 --> 00:01:37,640 Speaker 3: he introduced a bill in the House to start the 30 00:01:37,680 --> 00:01:39,639 Speaker 3: defunding process. Kevin, how are. 31 00:01:39,520 --> 00:01:41,520 Speaker 1: You doing great? How are you? 32 00:01:41,959 --> 00:01:42,560 Speaker 2: I'm all right? 33 00:01:42,760 --> 00:01:46,520 Speaker 3: Uh, this this is obviously not a big surprise. And 34 00:01:46,760 --> 00:01:50,160 Speaker 3: there isn't anybody in Washington that can do anything about this, right, 35 00:01:50,240 --> 00:01:55,080 Speaker 3: Is there any lawsuits that can turn this around or anything? 36 00:01:55,600 --> 00:01:56,640 Speaker 2: You know, the Democrats. 37 00:01:57,960 --> 00:02:00,720 Speaker 1: This is a process that is well estyled, where when 38 00:02:00,760 --> 00:02:03,720 Speaker 1: you get a federal grant, you're not allowed to just 39 00:02:03,880 --> 00:02:06,280 Speaker 1: do whatever you want with the money. You have to 40 00:02:06,480 --> 00:02:09,440 Speaker 1: abide by the terms of the grand And so that 41 00:02:09,600 --> 00:02:12,200 Speaker 1: was the purpose of this audit, which was really a 42 00:02:12,240 --> 00:02:16,840 Speaker 1: compliance review, is to assess is California in compliance with 43 00:02:16,919 --> 00:02:19,680 Speaker 1: the terms of the four billion dollars in federal grants 44 00:02:19,680 --> 00:02:21,680 Speaker 1: that's received yeah, and you know, one. 45 00:02:21,520 --> 00:02:24,040 Speaker 3: Of those that's important to talk about. I don't mean 46 00:02:24,080 --> 00:02:26,160 Speaker 3: to dirupt you, but a lot of people are. They're 47 00:02:26,200 --> 00:02:29,120 Speaker 3: portraying this as Trump just being vindictive against California and 48 00:02:29,120 --> 00:02:32,040 Speaker 3: against high speed rail. But actually there is a contract 49 00:02:32,320 --> 00:02:34,960 Speaker 3: and they have violated the terms of the deal over 50 00:02:35,000 --> 00:02:36,799 Speaker 3: and over and over again for many years now. So 51 00:02:37,280 --> 00:02:38,320 Speaker 3: go into detail on that. 52 00:02:38,919 --> 00:02:40,959 Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, exactly. I mean it's sort of at the 53 00:02:41,000 --> 00:02:43,040 Speaker 1: most basic level, they were given a grant to build 54 00:02:43,080 --> 00:02:45,600 Speaker 1: a train and they haven't built a train, so they're 55 00:02:45,600 --> 00:02:48,679 Speaker 1: out of compliance with the terms of the grant. And 56 00:02:48,680 --> 00:02:50,640 Speaker 1: in fact, there are a whole host of ways in 57 00:02:50,639 --> 00:02:53,400 Speaker 1: which there are deemed atict compliance that are not adequately reporting. 58 00:02:53,440 --> 00:02:56,280 Speaker 1: Their timelines don't make sense, their funding models don't make sense, 59 00:02:56,440 --> 00:02:59,200 Speaker 1: and nothing has actually been built. They haven't laid any 60 00:02:59,240 --> 00:03:03,160 Speaker 1: track in seventeen years, despite massive federal funding and massive 61 00:03:03,200 --> 00:03:06,800 Speaker 1: state funding. And even now, you know, they're saying that 62 00:03:06,880 --> 00:03:10,000 Speaker 1: this initial set from Baker's Field to Merced it's going 63 00:03:10,040 --> 00:03:12,800 Speaker 1: to miss its twenty thirty three deadline, when the whole 64 00:03:12,800 --> 00:03:15,040 Speaker 1: thing LA to San Francisco was supposed to be up 65 00:03:15,040 --> 00:03:17,960 Speaker 1: and running five years ago. So it is time to 66 00:03:18,080 --> 00:03:20,680 Speaker 1: finally put this nightmare to an end so we can 67 00:03:20,840 --> 00:03:23,600 Speaker 1: use these funds on things we actually need. 68 00:03:23,680 --> 00:03:27,200 Speaker 3: Why are they clinging to this Baker's Field to Merced concept. 69 00:03:27,720 --> 00:03:30,639 Speaker 3: There's it's not going to be used. Nobody's going to 70 00:03:30,720 --> 00:03:34,119 Speaker 3: take that. There's no market there, right. 71 00:03:34,560 --> 00:03:37,560 Speaker 1: The whole thing has just been a scheme to keep 72 00:03:37,600 --> 00:03:41,600 Speaker 1: the project alive. You might remember in twenty nineteen, Newsom 73 00:03:41,640 --> 00:03:43,320 Speaker 1: came in its first State of the Union and said, no, 74 00:03:43,400 --> 00:03:45,880 Speaker 1: high speed rail is never going to happen. But then 75 00:03:46,200 --> 00:03:48,680 Speaker 1: he quickly did in about case. And the way that 76 00:03:48,720 --> 00:03:51,680 Speaker 1: they kind of, you know, kept it going was saying, 77 00:03:51,680 --> 00:03:55,160 Speaker 1: we're going to build this initial Baker's Field Merced segment 78 00:03:55,280 --> 00:03:57,600 Speaker 1: first is sort of a proof of concept, and so 79 00:03:57,640 --> 00:04:00,880 Speaker 1: they continue to get more money on the you know, 80 00:04:00,960 --> 00:04:04,680 Speaker 1: on the supposition that this was actually going to be built, 81 00:04:04,720 --> 00:04:06,600 Speaker 1: and then you complete the rest of it after that. 82 00:04:06,800 --> 00:04:10,280 Speaker 1: But the problem is they've proven locally incapable of even 83 00:04:10,360 --> 00:04:13,720 Speaker 1: making any progress on that initial segment, which no one, 84 00:04:13,720 --> 00:04:15,160 Speaker 1: as you said, would actually ride. 85 00:04:15,560 --> 00:04:17,440 Speaker 3: There's a political story out I don't know if you 86 00:04:17,520 --> 00:04:20,880 Speaker 3: saw it, but it suggests that the reason this project 87 00:04:20,920 --> 00:04:25,279 Speaker 3: keeps going on is everyone in California government is intimidated 88 00:04:25,279 --> 00:04:29,400 Speaker 3: by the labor unions. There's fifteen thousand union workers who 89 00:04:29,440 --> 00:04:32,600 Speaker 3: get employed because of this boon goggle, even though they 90 00:04:32,600 --> 00:04:37,120 Speaker 3: apparently don't produce anything useful. And so anytime Gavin Newsom 91 00:04:37,240 --> 00:04:40,160 Speaker 3: or there's Katie Porter is now running for governor, anytime 92 00:04:40,400 --> 00:04:44,160 Speaker 3: they pop off against high speed rail, they got an 93 00:04:44,240 --> 00:04:46,160 Speaker 3: ugly phone call from the union and they change their 94 00:04:46,160 --> 00:04:46,920 Speaker 3: mind the next day. 95 00:04:47,600 --> 00:04:48,560 Speaker 2: Is that what this is about. 96 00:04:48,640 --> 00:04:52,520 Speaker 3: Ultimately, this is a fifteen thousand jobs program for the unions, 97 00:04:52,760 --> 00:04:56,640 Speaker 3: and nobody actually expects to have a high speed rail 98 00:04:56,760 --> 00:04:57,360 Speaker 3: at the end of this. 99 00:04:58,360 --> 00:05:00,960 Speaker 1: Well, this is certainly the talking point that they fall 100 00:05:01,000 --> 00:05:02,919 Speaker 1: back on when all of us fails. And this is 101 00:05:02,960 --> 00:05:05,640 Speaker 1: what Newsome's attack dog. He pays a guy at a 102 00:05:05,720 --> 00:05:08,640 Speaker 1: tax payer money to troll me on Twitter on x 103 00:05:09,160 --> 00:05:11,359 Speaker 1: This is what he said, Oh, but it's creating so 104 00:05:11,440 --> 00:05:13,520 Speaker 1: many jobs, and I'm all four jobs. I think jobs 105 00:05:13,520 --> 00:05:15,479 Speaker 1: that we want to create jobs, but I want to 106 00:05:15,520 --> 00:05:18,200 Speaker 1: create jobs that are actually doing something useful. 107 00:05:18,680 --> 00:05:20,000 Speaker 2: They safe jobs. 108 00:05:20,800 --> 00:05:23,360 Speaker 1: Right, You could easily create jobs by having some people 109 00:05:23,640 --> 00:05:25,240 Speaker 1: dig a hole and then the other people fill the 110 00:05:25,279 --> 00:05:27,480 Speaker 1: dirt back in, which is essentially what they are doing. 111 00:05:27,960 --> 00:05:30,600 Speaker 1: But why not actually create the jobs, having them build 112 00:05:30,640 --> 00:05:34,159 Speaker 1: things like new roads or even new regional transit systems 113 00:05:34,160 --> 00:05:37,320 Speaker 1: to improve regional transit systems that people would actually ride. 114 00:05:38,160 --> 00:05:40,520 Speaker 3: So it is the unions, you're going to have their 115 00:05:40,520 --> 00:05:44,520 Speaker 3: sway forever. I mean, they're claiming there's in this California budget, 116 00:05:44,560 --> 00:05:46,400 Speaker 3: and I know you have no say over that, but 117 00:05:46,440 --> 00:05:48,400 Speaker 3: they're going to appropriate a billion a year for the 118 00:05:48,400 --> 00:05:51,560 Speaker 3: next twenty years, and I guess we're all just going 119 00:05:51,640 --> 00:05:53,880 Speaker 3: to have to eat that, huh, so that the union 120 00:05:53,920 --> 00:05:55,200 Speaker 3: the workers get. 121 00:05:55,080 --> 00:05:57,120 Speaker 2: Paid, well, I don't know. 122 00:05:57,160 --> 00:05:59,240 Speaker 1: I mean, with the with the loss of the federal funding, 123 00:05:59,279 --> 00:06:01,080 Speaker 1: and at my bill houses that I'll make that a 124 00:06:01,240 --> 00:06:05,240 Speaker 1: permanent state of affairs, then the funding models for this 125 00:06:05,320 --> 00:06:09,960 Speaker 1: become even more just outrageously delusional. And so I think 126 00:06:10,000 --> 00:06:12,760 Speaker 1: that if anything is going to force the state to 127 00:06:12,920 --> 00:06:17,560 Speaker 1: reassess its completely irrational support for this project, despite the 128 00:06:17,600 --> 00:06:21,400 Speaker 1: massive deficit and everything else, that loss of federal funding 129 00:06:21,440 --> 00:06:23,720 Speaker 1: maybe it, Which is why I introduced that bill, because 130 00:06:23,760 --> 00:06:25,200 Speaker 1: I think this is the way that we can bring 131 00:06:25,279 --> 00:06:27,039 Speaker 1: high speed rail to an end. And in fact, I 132 00:06:27,040 --> 00:06:29,240 Speaker 1: think that this audit that just came out is the 133 00:06:29,240 --> 00:06:31,719 Speaker 1: beginning of the end for the project. And again we 134 00:06:31,760 --> 00:06:35,080 Speaker 1: can have jobs if we just invest in the transportation 135 00:06:35,480 --> 00:06:38,520 Speaker 1: infrastructure that Californians actually need in fact to have a 136 00:06:38,520 --> 00:06:41,400 Speaker 1: lot more jobs, because when you create, you know, things 137 00:06:41,400 --> 00:06:44,719 Speaker 1: that are actually used that are then additional there's additional 138 00:06:44,760 --> 00:06:49,040 Speaker 1: economic activity associated with that that then we'll create more jobs. 139 00:06:49,160 --> 00:06:53,440 Speaker 3: Your bill specifically says what it just plan out cuts 140 00:06:53,600 --> 00:06:56,120 Speaker 3: off high speed rail money forever. 141 00:06:57,440 --> 00:07:00,600 Speaker 1: Correct. It says that this project is ineligible for future 142 00:07:00,680 --> 00:07:03,280 Speaker 1: federal funding because what they're going to say now is, oh, 143 00:07:03,320 --> 00:07:05,200 Speaker 1: we just need to wait out of the Trump administration. 144 00:07:05,360 --> 00:07:07,360 Speaker 1: Then the spickett will turn back on and we'll get 145 00:07:07,400 --> 00:07:10,960 Speaker 1: billions more from whoever the next president. Is what my 146 00:07:11,000 --> 00:07:14,040 Speaker 1: bill is saying is now, from this point forward, the 147 00:07:14,120 --> 00:07:17,040 Speaker 1: project is simply ineligible to receive any federal grant. 148 00:07:18,480 --> 00:07:21,160 Speaker 3: Can you I mean, you've been watching the whole ride here. 149 00:07:21,200 --> 00:07:26,480 Speaker 3: Can you believe it's been seventeen years and nothing. It's 150 00:07:26,520 --> 00:07:30,680 Speaker 3: astonishing because we've done shows, you know, every day, we've 151 00:07:30,680 --> 00:07:33,200 Speaker 3: been covering this thing for seventeen years, and even before 152 00:07:33,240 --> 00:07:35,640 Speaker 3: that when there was a campaign to get this on 153 00:07:35,720 --> 00:07:36,800 Speaker 3: the ballot and vote on it. 154 00:07:36,840 --> 00:07:38,240 Speaker 2: And it's just astonishing. 155 00:07:38,640 --> 00:07:40,600 Speaker 3: Even I didn't think in twenty twenty five you wouldn't 156 00:07:40,600 --> 00:07:43,480 Speaker 3: have two feet of railroad track anywhere, and say this 157 00:07:43,560 --> 00:07:44,560 Speaker 3: is just astonishing. 158 00:07:45,720 --> 00:07:48,800 Speaker 1: It is. Every day it gets even more farcical. And 159 00:07:48,840 --> 00:07:51,560 Speaker 1: the fact that they continue to throw good money after that, 160 00:07:51,800 --> 00:07:55,760 Speaker 1: literally just lighting money on fire, billions and billions and 161 00:07:55,840 --> 00:07:59,680 Speaker 1: billions of dollars. The New York Times itself said that 162 00:07:59,680 --> 00:08:02,200 Speaker 1: this there's going to be one hundred billion dollars over 163 00:08:02,240 --> 00:08:06,640 Speaker 1: budget and we'll even be finished this century. So I 164 00:08:06,680 --> 00:08:09,440 Speaker 1: think you're right. It's worse than we ever could have imagined. 165 00:08:10,040 --> 00:08:13,360 Speaker 3: All right, Kevin, Well keep fighting. I can't wait for 166 00:08:13,400 --> 00:08:16,320 Speaker 3: that bills. All right, Kevin Kylie And he's the Republican 167 00:08:16,400 --> 00:08:19,040 Speaker 3: congressman in northern California, spent a number of years in 168 00:08:19,080 --> 00:08:19,880 Speaker 3: the legislature. 169 00:08:20,600 --> 00:08:22,200 Speaker 2: We will tell you more about this. 170 00:08:22,240 --> 00:08:23,800 Speaker 3: I got to read you the quotes from some of 171 00:08:23,800 --> 00:08:28,520 Speaker 3: the Democratic politicians, I mean they I don't does the 172 00:08:28,640 --> 00:08:33,400 Speaker 3: Union have picked naked pictures of all these people? I 173 00:08:33,440 --> 00:08:36,559 Speaker 3: mean naked pictures of Gavin Newsom might do him much damage. 174 00:08:37,640 --> 00:08:38,800 Speaker 3: Katie Porter is another thing. 175 00:08:39,559 --> 00:08:43,920 Speaker 5: You're listening to John Cobelt on demand from KFI AM 176 00:08:43,920 --> 00:08:44,760 Speaker 5: six forty. 177 00:08:46,000 --> 00:08:50,280 Speaker 3: John Cobelt Show. I Am six forty more stimulating talk radio. Hey, 178 00:08:50,320 --> 00:08:54,000 Speaker 3: moistline is eight seven seven moist eighty six eight seven 179 00:08:54,080 --> 00:08:55,640 Speaker 3: seven moist eighty six. 180 00:08:56,320 --> 00:08:57,800 Speaker 2: We just talked with Kevin Kylie. 181 00:08:58,720 --> 00:09:02,280 Speaker 3: He is republic Getting congressman in northern California, and he 182 00:09:02,360 --> 00:09:06,600 Speaker 3: started on January sixth getting the ball rolling to cut 183 00:09:06,600 --> 00:09:08,720 Speaker 3: the funding off for high speed rail. He's got a 184 00:09:08,760 --> 00:09:11,439 Speaker 3: bill that would permanently cut the funding off so it 185 00:09:12,160 --> 00:09:17,360 Speaker 3: can't be refunded in case there's a Democratic administration replacing 186 00:09:17,400 --> 00:09:19,720 Speaker 3: Trump in four years, then they would have to go 187 00:09:19,760 --> 00:09:24,360 Speaker 3: through Congress all over again to get authorization. So now, 188 00:09:24,440 --> 00:09:27,320 Speaker 3: debor you you spent a few years working up in 189 00:09:27,440 --> 00:09:29,439 Speaker 3: radio in San Francisco, right, I did. So you must 190 00:09:29,480 --> 00:09:31,319 Speaker 3: have made a lot of travel back and forth between 191 00:09:31,480 --> 00:09:33,520 Speaker 3: LA and San Francisco because you know your family was 192 00:09:33,559 --> 00:09:34,000 Speaker 3: down here. 193 00:09:34,240 --> 00:09:34,520 Speaker 4: Yes. 194 00:09:34,760 --> 00:09:35,600 Speaker 2: Yeah, it's a lot. 195 00:09:35,440 --> 00:09:37,239 Speaker 4: Of trips every holiday. 196 00:09:37,840 --> 00:09:40,880 Speaker 2: Yeah, and you either drove or took a plane. Right. 197 00:09:41,360 --> 00:09:41,680 Speaker 4: Yeah. 198 00:09:41,720 --> 00:09:44,800 Speaker 3: Did you ever once think to yourself, Gee, I wish 199 00:09:44,840 --> 00:09:47,600 Speaker 3: there was a train that went between these two cities. 200 00:09:48,120 --> 00:09:49,720 Speaker 4: No, at the time, I never thought that. 201 00:09:50,000 --> 00:09:52,240 Speaker 2: So it wasn't a desire you had, it wasn't. 202 00:09:52,520 --> 00:09:56,720 Speaker 4: I mean, look, if I could get from here to 203 00:09:56,800 --> 00:10:01,040 Speaker 4: the Bay Area in an hour, not lying, but a train, 204 00:10:01,120 --> 00:10:03,640 Speaker 4: but that's impossible, right then I would have thought about it, 205 00:10:03,720 --> 00:10:06,120 Speaker 4: But I mean the trip is an hour on the plane, 206 00:10:07,000 --> 00:10:09,600 Speaker 4: and if you don't do that, then it's what five 207 00:10:09,640 --> 00:10:10,400 Speaker 4: hours by car? 208 00:10:10,640 --> 00:10:12,280 Speaker 3: They sold it to us as two and a half 209 00:10:12,360 --> 00:10:14,000 Speaker 3: hours on the train, and now they're not going to 210 00:10:14,080 --> 00:10:16,760 Speaker 3: do that. Yeah, it's not even going to be high speed. 211 00:10:16,480 --> 00:10:19,640 Speaker 4: Right, so it's not I would just why wouldn't we 212 00:10:19,679 --> 00:10:20,320 Speaker 4: just drive it? 213 00:10:20,440 --> 00:10:22,319 Speaker 3: Just It never occurred to me because I had had 214 00:10:22,320 --> 00:10:24,880 Speaker 3: two sons go to school up in the Bay Area, 215 00:10:25,240 --> 00:10:27,320 Speaker 3: and you had one of your Your son went up 216 00:10:27,360 --> 00:10:30,520 Speaker 3: there too, right, Yeah, and so we took plenty of trips. 217 00:10:30,600 --> 00:10:33,040 Speaker 3: I mean, my son was on a baseball team up there, 218 00:10:33,080 --> 00:10:35,480 Speaker 3: so last year we were going up there most every 219 00:10:35,480 --> 00:10:39,520 Speaker 3: weekend that they were home. And it never occurred to me, Oh, 220 00:10:39,520 --> 00:10:41,440 Speaker 3: this would be so much better if I was on 221 00:10:41,480 --> 00:10:44,520 Speaker 3: a train, you know. I mean, the airport's a painting 222 00:10:44,520 --> 00:10:47,280 Speaker 3: in the ass, But you're right, the flight, the actual 223 00:10:47,400 --> 00:10:49,079 Speaker 3: in air portion of the flight is an. 224 00:10:49,040 --> 00:10:51,000 Speaker 4: Hour twenty five minutes or something like that. 225 00:10:51,400 --> 00:10:52,240 Speaker 2: It's really fast. 226 00:10:52,679 --> 00:10:56,000 Speaker 3: So I didn't understand the market, like, like, take all 227 00:10:56,000 --> 00:10:58,080 Speaker 3: the politics out of it and the wasted money. 228 00:10:58,360 --> 00:11:01,440 Speaker 2: It's like, why where is demand for this sort of thing. 229 00:11:01,520 --> 00:11:03,920 Speaker 4: Well, if truly, if you could get okay, so I 230 00:11:03,960 --> 00:11:05,760 Speaker 4: said an hour, but let's just say two and a 231 00:11:05,800 --> 00:11:08,679 Speaker 4: half hours, which, like you said, that was sold to us. 232 00:11:09,080 --> 00:11:11,680 Speaker 4: If you don't want to deal with the airport and 233 00:11:11,720 --> 00:11:13,079 Speaker 4: you don't want to drive, and you want to be 234 00:11:13,080 --> 00:11:15,000 Speaker 4: able to do work and look at your phone and 235 00:11:15,040 --> 00:11:17,920 Speaker 4: all that, and going on a train, if it made sense. 236 00:11:18,040 --> 00:11:21,000 Speaker 4: I mean again, I never thought about that. But if 237 00:11:21,080 --> 00:11:24,920 Speaker 4: that were really the case, then yes, if it really 238 00:11:25,040 --> 00:11:27,360 Speaker 4: was going to happen like that, I could see that 239 00:11:27,480 --> 00:11:28,319 Speaker 4: being beneficial. 240 00:11:29,160 --> 00:11:32,000 Speaker 3: Yeah, but you know, even then you get I guess 241 00:11:32,000 --> 00:11:34,120 Speaker 3: it was going to go to downtown San Francisco, because 242 00:11:34,120 --> 00:11:36,440 Speaker 3: I got a story today about how they actually built 243 00:11:37,000 --> 00:11:42,920 Speaker 3: in one of the transportation centers in San Francisco. They 244 00:11:42,960 --> 00:11:46,280 Speaker 3: have a basement the bottom promenade down there. It was 245 00:11:46,360 --> 00:11:49,160 Speaker 3: meant for the high speed rail train and they had 246 00:11:49,200 --> 00:11:51,800 Speaker 3: electrified some rail and so they thought this was going 247 00:11:51,840 --> 00:11:52,679 Speaker 3: to be a huge. 248 00:11:52,400 --> 00:11:56,320 Speaker 4: Boost, and I would fly into Oakland for the most part. 249 00:11:56,559 --> 00:11:57,680 Speaker 2: Well, see that's the thing. 250 00:11:57,720 --> 00:12:00,400 Speaker 3: You could take the train up there, But then now 251 00:12:00,440 --> 00:12:02,880 Speaker 3: you got to go find a taxi or Zackbert. 252 00:12:03,040 --> 00:12:04,560 Speaker 4: So then it just doesn't make sense, right. 253 00:12:05,600 --> 00:12:09,680 Speaker 3: I tried taking a train years ago when my wife 254 00:12:09,679 --> 00:12:11,040 Speaker 3: and I lived in New York City and I worked 255 00:12:11,080 --> 00:12:13,440 Speaker 3: for a radio station about sixty miles away, and I 256 00:12:13,520 --> 00:12:17,800 Speaker 3: used to drive up and down the Jersey Turnpike twice 257 00:12:17,800 --> 00:12:24,600 Speaker 3: a day, sixty sixty five miles each way. And it's 258 00:12:24,640 --> 00:12:27,120 Speaker 3: more of a it's more of a train culture back 259 00:12:27,160 --> 00:12:30,160 Speaker 3: east within the cities, you know, because they have a 260 00:12:30,200 --> 00:12:33,040 Speaker 3: pretty well developed in New York and in Boston, Washington 261 00:12:33,240 --> 00:12:35,559 Speaker 3: a well developed train system, and then they had trains 262 00:12:35,600 --> 00:12:38,120 Speaker 3: went from New York through Jersey. So I tried it, 263 00:12:38,840 --> 00:12:41,520 Speaker 3: and it didn't work because I'd have to walk from 264 00:12:41,520 --> 00:12:44,400 Speaker 3: my apartment into New York to a subway, take the 265 00:12:44,440 --> 00:12:47,680 Speaker 3: subway to the main train station, then take the train 266 00:12:47,800 --> 00:12:53,720 Speaker 3: from New York City all the way to Trenton. Actually 267 00:12:53,760 --> 00:12:55,840 Speaker 3: I had to leave my car in Trenton because when 268 00:12:55,880 --> 00:12:58,120 Speaker 3: I got off the train, I had to get in 269 00:12:58,120 --> 00:13:00,360 Speaker 3: the car and drive to the radio station, and then 270 00:13:00,440 --> 00:13:01,880 Speaker 3: drive the car back. 271 00:13:03,240 --> 00:13:05,120 Speaker 2: To the parking ride, get on the. 272 00:13:05,000 --> 00:13:08,400 Speaker 3: Train, take it to New York, switch to a subway, 273 00:13:08,440 --> 00:13:11,720 Speaker 3: get out of the subway, and walk. So there was 274 00:13:11,760 --> 00:13:14,280 Speaker 3: there was like four components to the trip, and it 275 00:13:14,320 --> 00:13:18,600 Speaker 3: took even longer exactly. So it was walk, subway train drive, 276 00:13:18,840 --> 00:13:22,560 Speaker 3: drive train subway walk, And I tried that for like 277 00:13:22,640 --> 00:13:24,600 Speaker 3: three days, and I said, this is a huge pain 278 00:13:24,640 --> 00:13:28,400 Speaker 3: in the ass. What are people talking about? And that's 279 00:13:28,400 --> 00:13:31,079 Speaker 3: what this thing in San Francisco would be. You that 280 00:13:31,200 --> 00:13:33,079 Speaker 3: same thing here in La If it brings you into 281 00:13:33,200 --> 00:13:37,080 Speaker 3: Union Station, Well, then what if I live on the 282 00:13:37,080 --> 00:13:38,400 Speaker 3: west side. What am I going to get on a 283 00:13:38,440 --> 00:13:39,640 Speaker 3: metro train and get stabbed? 284 00:13:39,920 --> 00:13:42,719 Speaker 4: Well, yeah, we're definitely not going to do well, I'm 285 00:13:42,880 --> 00:13:43,720 Speaker 4: going to take a bus. 286 00:13:44,960 --> 00:13:48,839 Speaker 3: I'm just fumnox as to why they thought that was 287 00:13:48,880 --> 00:13:53,400 Speaker 3: an answer, But you know, I should know better, And 288 00:13:53,440 --> 00:13:56,840 Speaker 3: still my mind works in the old way. It never 289 00:13:57,000 --> 00:14:01,000 Speaker 3: was about providing us with transportation, really, believe. 290 00:14:00,760 --> 00:14:01,400 Speaker 2: Me and understand. 291 00:14:01,440 --> 00:14:08,120 Speaker 3: It was about financing construction unions for the next Well, 292 00:14:08,200 --> 00:14:12,280 Speaker 3: it'll be thirty five years now, because we've done seventeen years. 293 00:14:12,679 --> 00:14:15,160 Speaker 3: And now they have a bill to keep throwing a 294 00:14:15,200 --> 00:14:19,280 Speaker 3: billion dollars of state tax money, your tax money into 295 00:14:20,040 --> 00:14:22,920 Speaker 3: high speed rail a billion a year for twenty years. 296 00:14:23,400 --> 00:14:25,600 Speaker 3: So twenty years from now, the unions would have gotten 297 00:14:26,440 --> 00:14:31,360 Speaker 3: thirty seven years worth of funding, tens of billions of dollars, 298 00:14:31,760 --> 00:14:35,080 Speaker 3: and then every time. Every time somebody says, why don't 299 00:14:35,080 --> 00:14:39,280 Speaker 3: we stop this, some union goon gets on TV and go, well, 300 00:14:39,320 --> 00:14:43,040 Speaker 3: you're gonna cost fifteen dozen jobs, and people don't. Oh 301 00:14:43,080 --> 00:14:45,360 Speaker 3: that's not good. Fifteen thousand people will be out of work. 302 00:14:45,400 --> 00:14:48,320 Speaker 3: It's like, no, they should be rebuilding the roads and 303 00:14:48,360 --> 00:14:53,440 Speaker 3: the bridges. For God's sakes. How about build reservoirs. There's 304 00:14:53,480 --> 00:14:54,960 Speaker 3: a lot of things that need building. 305 00:14:55,240 --> 00:14:55,600 Speaker 2: My god. 306 00:14:55,600 --> 00:14:58,160 Speaker 3: We went to Dodger Stadium last night and we drove 307 00:14:58,280 --> 00:15:00,720 Speaker 3: through downtown in the one ten free way to the ten. 308 00:15:01,080 --> 00:15:05,360 Speaker 3: My god, is that a dilapidated freeway? And I realized 309 00:15:05,400 --> 00:15:07,920 Speaker 3: it was built in the nineteen forties. It is eighty 310 00:15:08,360 --> 00:15:12,760 Speaker 3: years old, eight more than eighty years old. And it's 311 00:15:12,760 --> 00:15:15,120 Speaker 3: like this thing has not been touched. 312 00:15:14,800 --> 00:15:16,680 Speaker 2: In eighty years. 313 00:15:18,200 --> 00:15:20,640 Speaker 3: And you can't put some good union men on that. 314 00:15:21,560 --> 00:15:24,160 Speaker 3: And I don't know what they're building out in the 315 00:15:24,160 --> 00:15:30,560 Speaker 3: Central Valley anyway, except the Stonehenge sculptures. 316 00:15:31,440 --> 00:15:31,800 Speaker 2: All right. 317 00:15:31,800 --> 00:15:34,000 Speaker 3: But here's the Democrats, and I guess they're all bent 318 00:15:34,080 --> 00:15:37,480 Speaker 3: over by the union. The Senate Budget Committee chair, oh 319 00:15:37,520 --> 00:15:40,560 Speaker 3: my god, this weasels in charge of the Budget Committee, 320 00:15:40,680 --> 00:15:43,880 Speaker 3: Scott Weener, and I'm sure they have him bent over. 321 00:15:44,080 --> 00:15:46,200 Speaker 3: We've seen this coming and we're gonna do everything we 322 00:15:46,240 --> 00:15:48,800 Speaker 3: can to prevent it. Regardless of what happens here, we're 323 00:15:48,800 --> 00:15:51,960 Speaker 3: committed to making this project a reality. And you know 324 00:15:52,000 --> 00:15:57,040 Speaker 3: how they're spinning it to the to their followers, to 325 00:15:57,160 --> 00:15:58,160 Speaker 3: progressive voters. 326 00:15:58,680 --> 00:15:59,920 Speaker 2: It's like Trump is against it. 327 00:16:00,560 --> 00:16:04,000 Speaker 3: That means we're for it right right, So this is 328 00:16:04,040 --> 00:16:07,360 Speaker 3: a way to stick it to Trump, to keep using 329 00:16:07,760 --> 00:16:12,080 Speaker 3: California tax money to show Trump that he's not going 330 00:16:12,160 --> 00:16:17,160 Speaker 3: to win on this issue. And they figure they're cult members, 331 00:16:17,160 --> 00:16:23,480 Speaker 3: they're religious followers, are say yeah, yeah, yeah, f Satan. Yeah, 332 00:16:23,840 --> 00:16:28,120 Speaker 3: here's Newsome. I want to get it done. That's our commitment. 333 00:16:28,120 --> 00:16:32,320 Speaker 3: That's why it's still reflected in this budget for the 334 00:16:32,400 --> 00:16:35,720 Speaker 3: next twenty years. And it's gas tax money. They call 335 00:16:35,720 --> 00:16:38,200 Speaker 3: it cap and trade money, but this is the tax 336 00:16:38,320 --> 00:16:43,280 Speaker 3: on the oil companies which is passed, which has passed 337 00:16:43,280 --> 00:16:46,000 Speaker 3: through to the gas pump. So I call it all 338 00:16:46,040 --> 00:16:47,880 Speaker 3: a gas tax because that's what it is, because you 339 00:16:48,000 --> 00:16:51,720 Speaker 3: pay for all this stuff. They have about five different 340 00:16:51,840 --> 00:16:55,920 Speaker 3: gas taxes with different names so that you get confused 341 00:16:56,000 --> 00:17:00,120 Speaker 3: and it seems complicated. They're taking gas tax money and 342 00:17:00,280 --> 00:17:02,320 Speaker 3: they're using a billion of that every year for the 343 00:17:02,360 --> 00:17:05,080 Speaker 3: next twenty years for high speed rail by the way 344 00:17:05,400 --> 00:17:07,480 Speaker 3: as part of the referendum. As part of the law, 345 00:17:07,680 --> 00:17:12,520 Speaker 3: they weren't supposed to use any any tax money. A 346 00:17:12,600 --> 00:17:20,920 Speaker 3: Newsom spokes whole named Daniel via Signor. He when anybody 347 00:17:21,000 --> 00:17:25,960 Speaker 3: asks him about the funding being cut off, he says, 348 00:17:26,720 --> 00:17:29,880 Speaker 3: go to the budget press conference that Newsom did. That's 349 00:17:29,920 --> 00:17:33,200 Speaker 3: where Newsom said, We're gonna get it done. That's our commitment. 350 00:17:34,600 --> 00:17:40,600 Speaker 3: Then then Katie Porter, who's running for governor, missus potato head. 351 00:17:41,080 --> 00:17:44,000 Speaker 3: You remember she ran for She ran for Senate right 352 00:17:44,920 --> 00:17:51,800 Speaker 3: against Adam shiff and she face planted. She's the one 353 00:17:51,800 --> 00:17:55,160 Speaker 3: who dumped hot mashed potatoes on her husband's head. 354 00:17:55,880 --> 00:17:56,960 Speaker 2: That was before the divorce. 355 00:17:58,480 --> 00:18:07,600 Speaker 3: Katie Porter said briefly that she criticized high speed rail 356 00:18:08,600 --> 00:18:11,760 Speaker 3: and then she got the bad phone call and went 357 00:18:11,800 --> 00:18:14,480 Speaker 3: to a union event and said she wants to put 358 00:18:14,480 --> 00:18:16,080 Speaker 3: people to work and I want to get it done 359 00:18:16,119 --> 00:18:19,919 Speaker 3: for Californians. But she went on TV and criticized the project. 360 00:18:19,960 --> 00:18:22,040 Speaker 3: At first, they all get the bad phone call from 361 00:18:22,080 --> 00:18:24,720 Speaker 3: the unions, and the bad phone call is we are 362 00:18:24,840 --> 00:18:27,320 Speaker 3: going to spend millions of dollars on your opponents and 363 00:18:27,359 --> 00:18:27,680 Speaker 3: we're going. 364 00:18:27,640 --> 00:18:29,640 Speaker 2: To drive you out of politics. 365 00:18:30,000 --> 00:18:32,879 Speaker 3: And that's what Newsom is afraid of, and that is 366 00:18:32,920 --> 00:18:40,320 Speaker 3: what Katie Porter is afraid of. And you have these 367 00:18:40,359 --> 00:18:44,240 Speaker 3: government agencies that get funded because of high speed rail. 368 00:18:44,480 --> 00:18:48,399 Speaker 3: You have these labor unions, and these guys don't do anything. 369 00:18:48,560 --> 00:18:52,919 Speaker 3: It's fifteen thousand people shoveling dirt around up in the 370 00:18:52,920 --> 00:18:57,080 Speaker 3: Central Valley, spending your money seventeen billions so far, and 371 00:18:57,119 --> 00:19:00,000 Speaker 3: they have constructed nothing and they will never construct anything. 372 00:19:00,240 --> 00:19:02,840 Speaker 3: If they actually constructed it and it was done by 373 00:19:02,880 --> 00:19:05,840 Speaker 3: twenty twenty, then they would have been out of work. 374 00:19:05,680 --> 00:19:07,160 Speaker 2: For the last five years. 375 00:19:07,680 --> 00:19:10,280 Speaker 3: So the purpose, and that's why they don't keep track 376 00:19:10,320 --> 00:19:12,159 Speaker 3: of the money when they do the audits. There is 377 00:19:12,160 --> 00:19:16,680 Speaker 3: no receipts, there's no paper trail where the money went. 378 00:19:17,960 --> 00:19:20,719 Speaker 3: It's because the unions, because because Newsom is so corrupt, 379 00:19:20,920 --> 00:19:24,800 Speaker 3: Katie Porter is so corrupt, Scott Wiener so corrupt, they. 380 00:19:24,720 --> 00:19:26,919 Speaker 2: Just bend over and they take it from the unions. 381 00:19:28,880 --> 00:19:33,360 Speaker 3: Because they're so terrified, the little babies, the little cowards. 382 00:19:33,400 --> 00:19:35,720 Speaker 3: And nobody wants to fight for us, Nobody wants to 383 00:19:35,760 --> 00:19:37,880 Speaker 3: fight for you at all. Nobody wants to say enough 384 00:19:37,880 --> 00:19:41,320 Speaker 3: of this nonsense. We're coming up. 385 00:19:42,320 --> 00:19:46,679 Speaker 5: You're listening to John Cobel's on demand from KFI Am 386 00:19:46,680 --> 00:19:47,240 Speaker 5: six forty. 387 00:19:48,000 --> 00:19:50,960 Speaker 3: We're on every day one until four o'clock and then 388 00:19:51,080 --> 00:19:51,920 Speaker 3: after four o'clock. 389 00:19:52,080 --> 00:19:54,880 Speaker 2: Now you miss something, What you miss something? 390 00:19:54,960 --> 00:19:57,720 Speaker 3: John cobell Show on demand the podcast and that's where 391 00:19:57,760 --> 00:20:01,080 Speaker 3: you catch up to it. We've been Kevin Kylie on 392 00:20:01,560 --> 00:20:05,000 Speaker 3: in the last half hour, the Northern California Congressman, talking 393 00:20:05,040 --> 00:20:09,240 Speaker 3: about the high speed rail getting defunded by the Trump administration. 394 00:20:10,000 --> 00:20:13,160 Speaker 3: And that story will pop up at about a month 395 00:20:13,240 --> 00:20:16,320 Speaker 3: or so because high speed Rail has thirty seven days 396 00:20:16,600 --> 00:20:20,560 Speaker 3: to respond, but it's a done deal from Trump's end, 397 00:20:20,800 --> 00:20:22,719 Speaker 3: no more money. And then Kylie is trying to get 398 00:20:22,760 --> 00:20:27,320 Speaker 3: a bill passed and that will permanently end federal funding 399 00:20:27,640 --> 00:20:31,360 Speaker 3: in the future that the next administration couldn't do it 400 00:20:31,680 --> 00:20:36,720 Speaker 3: with that congressional approval. And amidst all this, you know, 401 00:20:36,720 --> 00:20:39,600 Speaker 3: in San Francisco there's a lot of die hard progressives 402 00:20:39,640 --> 00:20:43,960 Speaker 3: who are maybe tearing up a bit over the death 403 00:20:43,960 --> 00:20:48,879 Speaker 3: of high speed rail. And there's one writer here I 404 00:20:48,880 --> 00:20:53,440 Speaker 3: don't have his name, but in the San Francisco Chronicle 405 00:20:54,359 --> 00:20:57,360 Speaker 3: they wrote a headline was high speed Rail was supposed 406 00:20:57,400 --> 00:21:04,480 Speaker 3: to signal San Francisco's renaissance. And if you've been to 407 00:21:04,480 --> 00:21:08,640 Speaker 3: San Francisco within the last couple of years, whoa, it's 408 00:21:08,680 --> 00:21:18,520 Speaker 3: an outdoor drug bizarre mental patient asylum. The headline, well, 409 00:21:18,600 --> 00:21:21,119 Speaker 3: the story says what Gavin Newsom served as mayor of 410 00:21:21,160 --> 00:21:26,159 Speaker 3: San Francisco. Get this, He imagined the city not only 411 00:21:26,240 --> 00:21:30,760 Speaker 3: as a Paris of the West, but as the terminus 412 00:21:30,800 --> 00:21:34,040 Speaker 3: of an epic rail line that would stretch from Anaheim 413 00:21:35,720 --> 00:21:39,639 Speaker 3: to South of Market. Here's what Newsom said at a 414 00:21:39,680 --> 00:21:44,399 Speaker 3: twenty ten ceremony breaking ground for what's now known as 415 00:21:44,440 --> 00:21:49,119 Speaker 3: the Salesforce Transit Center. And this is where trains were 416 00:21:49,119 --> 00:21:52,919 Speaker 3: supposed to glide into a busy concourse down below at 417 00:21:52,920 --> 00:21:53,720 Speaker 3: the basement level. 418 00:21:54,240 --> 00:21:55,560 Speaker 2: It's supposed to be high speed rail. 419 00:21:56,359 --> 00:21:59,560 Speaker 3: And he said, we're going to be building something that 420 00:21:59,640 --> 00:22:04,200 Speaker 3: is our arguably a generation overdue. This was in twenty ten. 421 00:22:06,119 --> 00:22:14,720 Speaker 3: Fifteen years later, nothing's been built. Right now, the center 422 00:22:14,800 --> 00:22:19,280 Speaker 3: is a large bus station. It's basement still an empty 423 00:22:19,400 --> 00:22:24,159 Speaker 3: concrete vault, and now they don't know if that vault's 424 00:22:24,200 --> 00:22:29,480 Speaker 3: ever going to be filled. So they built this train 425 00:22:29,560 --> 00:22:33,760 Speaker 3: station below ground, figuring that they were gonna have high 426 00:22:33,760 --> 00:22:40,040 Speaker 3: speed rail coming through every two hours and the chronicle 427 00:22:40,119 --> 00:22:43,280 Speaker 3: rights why it may seem like a maddening image. While 428 00:22:43,320 --> 00:22:47,919 Speaker 3: it may seem like a maddening mirage see maddening. Oh 429 00:22:48,000 --> 00:22:51,639 Speaker 3: we're not getting high speed rail. High speed rail was 430 00:22:51,680 --> 00:22:55,760 Speaker 3: considered an element of San Francisco's downtown renaissance. It was 431 00:22:55,760 --> 00:22:58,200 Speaker 3: gonna be the lynchpin for a new high rise neighborhood 432 00:22:58,280 --> 00:23:01,600 Speaker 3: that bloomed around the transit center. It's sidewalks lined with 433 00:23:01,720 --> 00:23:07,879 Speaker 3: cylindrical buildings. More importantly, the train system would help shape 434 00:23:07,880 --> 00:23:12,800 Speaker 3: a transportation network aimed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. A Yes, 435 00:23:13,960 --> 00:23:20,160 Speaker 3: the Holy Grail. A well operated rail anchored by two 436 00:23:20,240 --> 00:23:23,679 Speaker 3: urban metros, La and San Francisco would allow people to 437 00:23:23,720 --> 00:23:27,520 Speaker 3: move through California without relying on airplanes and cars. 438 00:23:28,320 --> 00:23:31,280 Speaker 2: Airplanes, bad, cars bad. 439 00:23:32,640 --> 00:23:35,879 Speaker 3: Now Here is the plan, Because you have to the 440 00:23:35,920 --> 00:23:37,160 Speaker 3: supporters of high speed rail. 441 00:23:37,200 --> 00:23:38,600 Speaker 2: They fall into different categories. 442 00:23:39,240 --> 00:23:42,320 Speaker 3: There are the greed bags who are looting the system 443 00:23:42,359 --> 00:23:46,000 Speaker 3: right the trade unions. They're looting our tax money, along 444 00:23:46,040 --> 00:23:52,400 Speaker 3: with the engineers, the environmental experts, the land use attorneys, 445 00:23:52,560 --> 00:23:55,840 Speaker 3: I mean the whole list of professional parasites who then 446 00:23:56,119 --> 00:23:59,600 Speaker 3: launcher the money back to the politicians with campaign contributions. 447 00:24:01,400 --> 00:24:04,600 Speaker 3: There are politicians who are just afraid of offending anybody, right. 448 00:24:04,640 --> 00:24:06,600 Speaker 3: They don't care one way or the other about high 449 00:24:06,600 --> 00:24:10,280 Speaker 3: speed rail. They can tell it smells bad, but they 450 00:24:10,320 --> 00:24:13,320 Speaker 3: don't want the labor unions giving them a bad phone call. 451 00:24:14,400 --> 00:24:16,000 Speaker 3: And then there are the true believers. 452 00:24:17,040 --> 00:24:20,000 Speaker 2: These are the whack jobs who wake up terrified every morning. 453 00:24:21,240 --> 00:24:25,240 Speaker 3: The earth is boiling over and it would be in 454 00:24:25,320 --> 00:24:27,800 Speaker 3: a communist paradise. It would be better if we were 455 00:24:27,840 --> 00:24:31,520 Speaker 3: all stuffed into trains and buses together and we didn't 456 00:24:31,520 --> 00:24:34,280 Speaker 3: have the freedom to travel, and the air would be 457 00:24:34,320 --> 00:24:38,639 Speaker 3: clean and the oceans would be cooler. Here's one of 458 00:24:38,680 --> 00:24:44,200 Speaker 3: these guys, Tom Radulovich. He's the senior policy manager at 459 00:24:44,200 --> 00:24:51,200 Speaker 3: the nonprofit nonprofit what does that mean? Probably getting taxpayer grants. 460 00:24:52,080 --> 00:24:56,880 Speaker 3: It's the think tank called Liveable City. And Radulovich says, 461 00:24:56,960 --> 00:24:59,600 Speaker 3: let's call it a multi modal California. 462 00:25:00,560 --> 00:25:01,119 Speaker 2: What does that mean? 463 00:25:01,160 --> 00:25:06,600 Speaker 3: They always have some weird modernistic sounding phrase that doesn't 464 00:25:06,640 --> 00:25:09,840 Speaker 3: seem to make any sense. He sees the state as 465 00:25:09,880 --> 00:25:14,400 Speaker 3: a massive transit ecosystem. Small communities. You're in a small town, 466 00:25:15,359 --> 00:25:20,040 Speaker 3: small communities that embrace walking and biking. There you go, 467 00:25:20,600 --> 00:25:21,440 Speaker 3: that's the plan. 468 00:25:23,280 --> 00:25:23,399 Speaker 1: You. 469 00:25:23,920 --> 00:25:25,719 Speaker 3: If you live in a small town, you're supposed to 470 00:25:25,760 --> 00:25:31,240 Speaker 3: walk and bike. You can't drive your car. No, no, no, no, 471 00:25:31,240 --> 00:25:37,680 Speaker 3: no visiting the bigger cities. But we'll have rail lines, 472 00:25:38,240 --> 00:25:40,439 Speaker 3: and the rail lines will connect the small towns to 473 00:25:40,440 --> 00:25:43,919 Speaker 3: the bigger cities. And then in the big city like 474 00:25:44,040 --> 00:25:48,040 Speaker 3: La or San Francisco, you would have longer haul transit 475 00:25:48,640 --> 00:25:51,720 Speaker 3: passenger trains. You see how it works. And then nobody 476 00:25:51,800 --> 00:25:56,520 Speaker 3: drives ever, nobody has any freedom. Nobody can enjoy themselves 477 00:25:57,800 --> 00:26:03,360 Speaker 3: bike and walk. That's free. All you riff raft peasants 478 00:26:03,359 --> 00:26:10,120 Speaker 3: in the small towns. Yes, use your legs. Stop polluting 479 00:26:10,119 --> 00:26:15,600 Speaker 3: the air, stop warming the planet. And so high speed 480 00:26:15,680 --> 00:26:21,160 Speaker 3: rails are very important in that they spent two point 481 00:26:21,160 --> 00:26:25,240 Speaker 3: two billion dollars on the Salesforce Transit Center. It opened 482 00:26:25,320 --> 00:26:27,640 Speaker 3: in twenty eighteen. It was going to be the end 483 00:26:27,680 --> 00:26:32,080 Speaker 3: point for high speed rail, whisking business travelers from southern California. 484 00:26:33,359 --> 00:26:37,439 Speaker 3: The transit hub was captivating merchants leased the retail space 485 00:26:37,520 --> 00:26:41,560 Speaker 3: to sell coffee and food. City planners promised that once 486 00:26:41,600 --> 00:26:46,959 Speaker 3: the train tracks came to downtown cowtrain commuters who are 487 00:26:47,040 --> 00:26:50,000 Speaker 3: dropped off in Mission Bay could step right onto Mission Street, 488 00:26:51,480 --> 00:26:55,639 Speaker 3: but instead of fulfilling Newsom's vision, the transit center became 489 00:26:55,680 --> 00:27:01,800 Speaker 3: a very expensive bus station. Fifteen years later, it's a 490 00:27:01,840 --> 00:27:03,800 Speaker 3: bus station and it's a bust. 491 00:27:04,320 --> 00:27:05,560 Speaker 2: They blew a lot of money. 492 00:27:06,440 --> 00:27:09,080 Speaker 3: Now I go to smaller cities back east, their bus 493 00:27:09,080 --> 00:27:15,440 Speaker 3: stations are actually outdoors. The buses stop, they pull over 494 00:27:15,760 --> 00:27:20,200 Speaker 3: into a cutout, and the passengers step onto the sidewalk 495 00:27:20,240 --> 00:27:23,320 Speaker 3: and wander down to a parking lot, or they go 496 00:27:23,440 --> 00:27:30,199 Speaker 3: lay in the street and become homeless people. Radulovich, though, hey, 497 00:27:30,240 --> 00:27:34,480 Speaker 3: as long as he gets his nonprofit grants, says, well, 498 00:27:34,640 --> 00:27:37,280 Speaker 3: as long as the political will exists in California, we'll 499 00:27:37,320 --> 00:27:40,640 Speaker 3: get there. The only reason there's political will is because 500 00:27:40,680 --> 00:27:45,960 Speaker 3: they get bribed by the construction unions, and they get 501 00:27:45,960 --> 00:27:56,800 Speaker 3: bribed by rich, the wealthy interests, the lobbyists, the lobbyists 502 00:27:56,840 --> 00:28:00,399 Speaker 3: in engineering and in land use, you know, all the 503 00:28:00,440 --> 00:28:04,280 Speaker 3: attorneys that are in those scam industries. That's the political will. 504 00:28:05,400 --> 00:28:08,920 Speaker 3: If Newsom wasn't afraid of the trade unions, he would 505 00:28:08,920 --> 00:28:11,040 Speaker 3: have pulled the plug on high speed rail. He said 506 00:28:11,080 --> 00:28:14,119 Speaker 3: so a few years ago until he got the bad 507 00:28:14,160 --> 00:28:20,679 Speaker 3: phone call. And these believers, and they're called believers in 508 00:28:20,720 --> 00:28:24,320 Speaker 3: the story in urban transit still embrace the dream of 509 00:28:24,359 --> 00:28:31,000 Speaker 3: a fully connected state. No need to widen freeways. Yeah right, 510 00:28:32,520 --> 00:28:36,280 Speaker 3: this is their dream. Hey lady, walk yeah, walk from 511 00:28:36,320 --> 00:28:36,959 Speaker 3: with the nils. 512 00:28:37,080 --> 00:28:39,479 Speaker 4: Check out my commute every day, which really isn't much 513 00:28:39,560 --> 00:28:43,960 Speaker 4: better John by the way, Uh oh, holy maybe five 514 00:28:44,000 --> 00:28:45,240 Speaker 4: minutes getting to work. 515 00:28:45,400 --> 00:28:50,320 Speaker 3: No, No need to build additional runways at airports. Yeah, 516 00:28:50,320 --> 00:28:53,719 Speaker 3: why would you want that? Just have thirty planes all 517 00:28:53,760 --> 00:28:56,960 Speaker 3: bunched up in the sky overhead. This is what And 518 00:28:57,000 --> 00:29:00,360 Speaker 3: they're in control of the government, These dreamers, these true 519 00:29:00,360 --> 00:29:03,760 Speaker 3: believers again, like a religion, even though it makes no sense. 520 00:29:04,240 --> 00:29:07,800 Speaker 3: What would makes sense is to have an airport with 521 00:29:07,920 --> 00:29:11,920 Speaker 3: more runways. It would make sense to have freeways with 522 00:29:12,080 --> 00:29:14,840 Speaker 3: more lanes, double deck them. Look, we have an Orange County. 523 00:29:14,960 --> 00:29:17,560 Speaker 3: They spent local tax money on freeways. They got eight 524 00:29:17,640 --> 00:29:20,040 Speaker 3: lanes across in Orange County on the on the five. 525 00:29:20,720 --> 00:29:26,320 Speaker 3: It's terrific. It's fast. Shootings across in Orange County. The 526 00:29:26,360 --> 00:29:30,240 Speaker 3: traffic blows wide open. You only got three lanes in downtown. 527 00:29:32,080 --> 00:29:34,360 Speaker 3: Listen to this. Another one of these guys, Sebastian Petty, 528 00:29:34,400 --> 00:29:38,360 Speaker 3: a senior transportation policy advisor at another nonprofits. You see 529 00:29:38,400 --> 00:29:42,320 Speaker 3: you see the pattern here One of the original justifications 530 00:29:42,320 --> 00:29:45,440 Speaker 3: for high speed rail that I thought were most compelling 531 00:29:45,880 --> 00:29:48,800 Speaker 3: was looking at the trade offs if you had if 532 00:29:48,800 --> 00:29:52,480 Speaker 3: you had to expand airport capacity or invest in Highway 533 00:29:52,560 --> 00:29:56,760 Speaker 3: ninety nine. In other words, what he's saying is the 534 00:29:56,800 --> 00:29:59,240 Speaker 3: reason you want rail lines is you don't have to 535 00:29:59,280 --> 00:30:02,720 Speaker 3: expand the airport. You don't have to widen Highway ninety nine. 536 00:30:03,280 --> 00:30:05,280 Speaker 3: So you end up with a narrow highway, you end 537 00:30:05,360 --> 00:30:08,640 Speaker 3: up with congested airports, but you're saving money. 538 00:30:08,880 --> 00:30:12,000 Speaker 2: Not really, No, you still don't have you don't have 539 00:30:12,040 --> 00:30:15,120 Speaker 2: a rail line. 540 00:30:15,840 --> 00:30:18,720 Speaker 3: So we have a cult. We're in the grips of 541 00:30:18,760 --> 00:30:20,600 Speaker 3: a cult that's governing the state. 542 00:30:21,640 --> 00:30:25,960 Speaker 5: You're listening to John Cobels on demand from KFI AM 543 00:30:26,000 --> 00:30:26,760 Speaker 5: six forty. 544 00:30:27,440 --> 00:30:30,120 Speaker 3: The moistline is eighty seven seven Moist eighty six eight 545 00:30:30,240 --> 00:30:33,760 Speaker 3: seven seven Moist eighty six, or the talkback feature. 546 00:30:33,640 --> 00:30:35,120 Speaker 2: On the iHeartRadio app. 547 00:30:35,160 --> 00:30:38,480 Speaker 3: I'm sorry to do another San Francisco story, but this 548 00:30:38,640 --> 00:30:40,800 Speaker 3: is all related and you're not going to believe this. 549 00:30:42,960 --> 00:30:47,640 Speaker 3: And I also say this because the California Legislator legislature 550 00:30:47,760 --> 00:30:52,920 Speaker 3: is a disproportionately run by San Francisco progressives. Okay, they 551 00:30:52,960 --> 00:30:56,800 Speaker 3: have all the leadership posts. They're in charge. So the 552 00:30:56,840 --> 00:31:00,640 Speaker 3: stuff that comes out of the San Francisco politically anus 553 00:31:01,080 --> 00:31:07,760 Speaker 3: ends up affecting us here all over California. In San 554 00:31:07,760 --> 00:31:10,880 Speaker 3: Francisco they have a three hundred and twenty two million 555 00:31:10,960 --> 00:31:15,080 Speaker 3: dollar deficit. You know what they considered to close the deficit. 556 00:31:15,600 --> 00:31:17,440 Speaker 3: And I know somebody in LA is going to pick 557 00:31:17,480 --> 00:31:24,480 Speaker 3: up this stupid idea taxing you if you have a driveway, 558 00:31:24,520 --> 00:31:26,840 Speaker 3: taxing you one hundred dollars. 559 00:31:26,520 --> 00:31:29,200 Speaker 2: If you have a driveway. Do you hear that? What 560 00:31:29,880 --> 00:31:30,479 Speaker 2: one hundred? 561 00:31:30,600 --> 00:31:33,440 Speaker 3: This was proposed in San Francisco, a one hundred dollars 562 00:31:33,520 --> 00:31:35,520 Speaker 3: tax if you own a driveway. 563 00:31:36,960 --> 00:31:38,680 Speaker 4: But why they wanted to. 564 00:31:38,680 --> 00:31:42,720 Speaker 3: Tax you if you have a curb cut that's the 565 00:31:42,760 --> 00:31:45,200 Speaker 3: little ramp that cuts into the curb that leads to 566 00:31:45,240 --> 00:31:45,920 Speaker 3: your driveway. 567 00:31:46,560 --> 00:31:48,240 Speaker 2: They wanted to tax that too. 568 00:31:48,360 --> 00:31:51,160 Speaker 4: But I don't understand what's the purpose of taxing. 569 00:31:50,840 --> 00:31:53,040 Speaker 3: For that because they had a three hundred and twenty 570 00:31:53,040 --> 00:31:54,280 Speaker 3: two million dollar deficit in. 571 00:31:54,280 --> 00:31:58,040 Speaker 4: The city of saying that they'd rather you not they'd 572 00:31:58,120 --> 00:31:59,240 Speaker 4: rather you park on the street. 573 00:32:00,000 --> 00:32:02,760 Speaker 3: Em Francisco Chronicle calls it highly imaginative. 574 00:32:04,240 --> 00:32:05,360 Speaker 4: I call it stupid. 575 00:32:07,320 --> 00:32:10,760 Speaker 3: The driveway could have been a reliable source of revenue 576 00:32:11,920 --> 00:32:14,960 Speaker 3: because everybody has a driveway. 577 00:32:15,520 --> 00:32:18,320 Speaker 4: Okay, isn't that part of your property taxes? 578 00:32:19,040 --> 00:32:20,640 Speaker 2: Yeah, this would be an extra tax. 579 00:32:20,800 --> 00:32:24,840 Speaker 3: I mean it would give them fifteen million a year. 580 00:32:25,360 --> 00:32:27,000 Speaker 4: Okay, come on, get more creative. 581 00:32:27,000 --> 00:32:31,040 Speaker 3: This is dumb, and says Luke Bonnheimer, executive director of 582 00:32:31,280 --> 00:32:35,440 Speaker 3: Streets Forward, this is a more equitable way. 583 00:32:37,480 --> 00:32:41,320 Speaker 4: So if you don't have a driveway, you can't you 584 00:32:41,360 --> 00:32:44,560 Speaker 4: don't have you can't afford a house that has a driveway, right, 585 00:32:44,640 --> 00:32:45,120 Speaker 4: so then you. 586 00:32:45,360 --> 00:32:50,240 Speaker 3: So you have an unfair privilege. So an equitable way 587 00:32:50,280 --> 00:32:53,760 Speaker 3: to use public space. Well, the driveway is not public space. 588 00:32:53,880 --> 00:32:55,360 Speaker 3: That's your private property. 589 00:32:56,320 --> 00:33:00,800 Speaker 4: And it also keeps cars off the street, especially in 590 00:33:00,840 --> 00:33:02,320 Speaker 4: places like San Francisco. 591 00:33:03,280 --> 00:33:09,320 Speaker 3: Under the current system, San Francisco essentially subsidizes car owners 592 00:33:09,400 --> 00:33:12,560 Speaker 3: and building owners by allowing them a free strip of 593 00:33:12,680 --> 00:33:15,920 Speaker 3: public right of way. That is the sloped curb that 594 00:33:16,080 --> 00:33:21,520 Speaker 3: leads to the driveway you see between the street and 595 00:33:21,560 --> 00:33:24,680 Speaker 3: you're the main part of your driveway is the little cutaway, 596 00:33:24,920 --> 00:33:27,680 Speaker 3: little ramp. So they want one hundred bucks for that 597 00:33:27,800 --> 00:33:28,240 Speaker 3: every year. 598 00:33:30,840 --> 00:33:35,320 Speaker 2: This is really crazy to a homeowner. 599 00:33:35,400 --> 00:33:37,960 Speaker 3: They right, It might seem brazen for a city to 600 00:33:38,080 --> 00:33:40,760 Speaker 3: levy a new charge on private property because that's what 601 00:33:40,800 --> 00:33:43,560 Speaker 3: it is. You're not charging them for the little cutout. 602 00:33:43,560 --> 00:33:45,760 Speaker 3: You're charging them because the cutout leads to the driveway. 603 00:33:45,760 --> 00:33:47,960 Speaker 3: I didn't have the driveway, that wouldn't be a cutout exactly. 604 00:33:48,840 --> 00:33:51,920 Speaker 4: And that's what I'm saying. You're already being charged property taxes. 605 00:33:51,960 --> 00:33:52,960 Speaker 4: This should fall into that. 606 00:33:54,800 --> 00:33:57,720 Speaker 3: Well, they have blown in San Francisco. I hear so 607 00:33:57,920 --> 00:34:01,680 Speaker 3: much money on the drug addicts and the vagrants and 608 00:34:01,720 --> 00:34:04,000 Speaker 3: the mental patients that they're they're trying to come up 609 00:34:04,040 --> 00:34:05,880 Speaker 3: with highly imaginative ways. 610 00:34:06,120 --> 00:34:08,200 Speaker 4: You know, one day there's not gonna be a single 611 00:34:08,200 --> 00:34:12,000 Speaker 4: person living in California. Maybe just homeless people. Yeah, because 612 00:34:12,040 --> 00:34:14,400 Speaker 4: no one is going to be able to afford it 613 00:34:14,520 --> 00:34:15,759 Speaker 4: or be want to live here. 614 00:34:17,200 --> 00:34:21,440 Speaker 3: According to the City Control Controller Greg Wagner, he was 615 00:34:21,480 --> 00:34:24,279 Speaker 3: in charge of this group, there were many rounds of brainstorming. 616 00:34:24,640 --> 00:34:27,360 Speaker 3: As is often the case, some ideas were more feasible 617 00:34:27,400 --> 00:34:32,239 Speaker 3: than others. Wow, they would have had their heads got off, 618 00:34:32,280 --> 00:34:33,719 Speaker 3: that's what made it unfeasible. 619 00:34:34,200 --> 00:34:37,560 Speaker 2: But some idiot Los Angeles just heard this. Oh yeah, 620 00:34:37,719 --> 00:34:39,920 Speaker 2: they're on the city council and they'll say it. What 621 00:34:40,480 --> 00:34:41,440 Speaker 2: don't say anything wrong with that? 622 00:34:41,520 --> 00:34:43,400 Speaker 4: Oh no, no, John, They'll put it on the ballot and 623 00:34:43,480 --> 00:34:44,040 Speaker 4: voters will. 624 00:34:47,719 --> 00:34:49,920 Speaker 3: We've got all right, We got to talk about Trump 625 00:34:50,200 --> 00:34:53,600 Speaker 3: and Musk coming up next, because this is a few 626 00:34:53,680 --> 00:34:56,839 Speaker 3: that is shaking America. Here and Debora Mark is live 627 00:34:56,880 --> 00:34:59,359 Speaker 3: in the CAFI twenty four hour newsroom. Hey, you've been 628 00:34:59,400 --> 00:35:02,120 Speaker 3: listening to the on Cobalt Show podcast. You can always 629 00:35:02,120 --> 00:35:04,839 Speaker 3: hear the show live on KFI Am six forty from 630 00:35:04,840 --> 00:35:07,560 Speaker 3: one to four pm every Monday through Friday, and of course, 631 00:35:07,600 --> 00:35:10,320 Speaker 3: anytime on demand on the iHeartRadio app.