LaMalfa: High-speed rail money could help shore up state’s drought-related problems

U.S. Rep. Doug LaMalfa wants the federal government to backtrack on a $3 billion commitment for high-speed rail in California.

Instead, LaMalfa said Tuesday that the money should be used instead for water infrastructure improvements that could help stave off drought threats in California in the state.

LaMalfa, R-Richvale, said that while Congress is “wrestling over every billion,” a total of $3 billion that the federal government has earmarked for the Bay Area to Southern California high-speed rail line should not be paid out.

“That (money) is captive,” LaMalfa said Tuesday in an interview at his North Auburn office. “Everyone tells me Congress cannot go after that money. We’ve authorized a letter to President Obama saying ‘Mr. President, you’ve come to California and stood there in a field with a farm family – Please re-operate the high speed rail money into water infrastructure, especially for people in the Central Valley.’”

Rail and water infrastructure politics have stuck with LaMalfa after a jump from the state Senate to his election in 2012 as 1st District congressman from Northern California.

In January, LaMalfa joined all other Republican members of California’s congressional delegation in introducing a bill to suspend federal funding for the high-speed rail project.

LaMalfa was serving as an assemblyman in 2008 when a statewide vote narrowly approved a $33 billion high-speed rail expenditure under Proposition 1A.

The cost is now an anticipated $68 billion.

“It’s double what voters approved and it’s illegal under Prop. 1A,” LaMalfa said. “The voters approved an S.F. to L.A. train in two hours and 40 minutes. One official said you can technically fulfill that by having one train a day go nonstop. The rest will have to stop at little burgs along the valley where votes were drawn from state legislators.”

LaMalfa said he has made a valley “milk run” by Greyhound bus.

“It’s not so high-speed anymore when it makes those stops,” LaMalfa said. “It’s not that much faster if the train is slowing down and speeding up all the time.”

With $3 billion in federal stimulus funding added to the $9.9 billion available from a state bond issue, funding currently falls far short of the amount estimated to complete the line, LaMalfa said.

With a drought in California, LaMalfa said the $3 billion in federal funding could be better allocated to find better storage options in California for water.

“If your house is on fire and your pool is leaking, you would want to put the fire out,” LaMalfa said. “Do you give California a railroad no one can afford to ride or help with things that are going to give everybody water, whether it’s environmental water, city water or ag water?”