To: The Honorable Sylvia Ballin
Council Member
City of San Fernando
I recently read your opinion piece (“Are You Listening Governor”) published in the May 28, 2015 edition of the El Sol/San Fernando Valley Sun local newspaper.
As a three-year resident and homeowner of the City of San Fernando, I, too, am perturbed and share your dismay with the way our community is literally being ‘railroaded’ by the California High-Speed Rail Authority (HSRA), the Governor, and most of the elected officials who represent our area.
With the existence of Metrolink train tracks already traversing our community, I am virtually certain that the HSRA will counter that it will be a ‘no brainer’ to lay adjacent tracks to support the new high-speed rail line with the Governor insisting that our fellow Californians voted in favor of the ballot measure (Proposition 1A) which established this project in 2008.
If the train has literally ‘left the station’, so to speak, in order to minimize the level of disruption that the construction of this new train will cause, preserve our precious housing stock, and retain the commercial business establishments that are so vital to our local tax base, it would seem imperative that we all think ‘outside the box’ and make an effort to develop an alternative proposal which could be a ‘win-win’ for both the ‘powers that be’ and the community.
It is in this spirit that I submit for your consideration that the HSRA conduct a feasibility study to construct an elevated overpass/platform through our area in order to accommodate the new high-speed train. The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA) has constructed such an overpass along Alameda Street near the Little Tokyo area of downtown Los Angeles for the Metro Rail Gold Line. Not only has this minimized the amount of disruption to neighboring traffic, it has enhanced it, the local community, and the reputation of LACMTA as well.
Thank you for your time and attention. It is my fond hope that we with our elected representatives can reach a consensus that we all can not only be proud of, but set a standard for future generations of Californians.
Respectfully,
Garfield Moragne
cc:
The Honorable Jerry Brown, Governor, State of California
The Honorable Robert Hertzberg, State Senator
The Honorable Patty Lopez, State Assembly Member
Board of Directors, California High-Speed Rail Authority
Southern California Regional Office, California High-Speed Rail Authority
Headquarters, California High-Speed Rail Authority
Editor, San Fernando Sun