Many residents and business owners from the Northeast San Fernando Valley have received letters from the High Speed Rail Authority requesting access to their property. Those who have received letters are potentially impacted by the construction and placement of the High Speed rail if it is determined to be along the selected route. Many residents who oppose the “bullet train” traveling through their community, have indicated that they will not allow High speed rail representatives onto their property. 

“I received a letter and I am ignoring it,” one San Fernando resident asking that he not be identified, told the San Fernando Valley Sun/El Sol, “I will not give them permission and I hope that by refusing, it will delay them from coming into our neighborhood.  We are a little town and they will destroy it, if we let them.

 On Tuesday, Jan 20, the San Fernando city council discussed whether or not they should request information for an alternative plan that would run the train underground, rather than above ground.  City council members Robert Gonzales and Antonio Lopez supported this request while Mayor Sylvia Ballin was vehemently against giving any perception that the City of San Fernando was willing to consider any plan from the High Speed Rail Authority. 

“The answer is  absolutely ‘No,’ “Mayor Ballin told the (italics begins)San Fernando Valley Sun. (italics ends) “We also cannot  speak for the other communities of Sun Valley, Pacoima, and Sylmar that the High Speed Rail has proposed for this same route.  The Ca    On Wednesday, Jan. 21, the Pacoima Neighborhood Council held a meeting at their community center.   A(italics begins) Pacoima resident told the San Fernando Valley Sun/El Sol,(italics ends)  “It’s really important to nail these High Speed rail people.  They think so little of our community that they want to run it through our neighborhood. I’m sure they wouldn’t want to live next door to it, but they think it’s ok, because they think we are just a bunch of poor people living in Pacoima. ”   

An alternate route in the East Valley would impact those who live in the areas of  Shadow Hills, Lake View Terrace, Kagel Canyon and the Angeles forest. Over a thousand people who disapproved of that plan attended a meeting last week at the All Nation Church. 

—Diana Martinez, Editor