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Commentary by Andrew G. Fried
| Saturday, Apr 25, 2015
Andrew G. Fried

Andrew G. Fried

If you don’t like the idea of the state bulldozing your home or church to clear the path for a high-speed train, then now is the time to be heard.

The city of Santa Clarita is encouraging residents of Santa Clarita, Acton, Agua Dulce and the San Fernando Valley to attend an emergency community meeting 7 p.m. Monday, April 27, in the gymnasium at Canyon High School, 19300 Nadal Street, in Santa Clarita.

Safe Action for the Environment Inc. advocates that residents speak up now, before it is too late. SAFE is a nonprofit organization that advocates for safe air, water and environmental conditions for local residents, domestic animals and wildlife. While we have primarily focused our efforts on the battle to prevent the Cemex mine from being developed in Soledad Canyon, we also advocate on other quality-of-life issues such as this one.

And make no mistake: The California High Speed Rail Authority’s bullet train could put a bullet through our communities’ quality of life.

hsr_meeting042715The high-speed train is planned at a cost well into the tens of billions of dollars to connect San Francisco to Los Angeles. Two of the routes under consideration could result in the removal of schools, churches, homes and businesses in our local communities, not to mention the additional impacts of having a high-speed train zipping through town in close proximity to whatever hasn’t been bulldozed.

SAFE joins Santa Clarita Mayor Marsha McLean and the city, the Agua Dulce and Acton town councils, the organization “Acton-Agua Dulce Against High Speed Rail” and a myriad of other groups, associations and individuals in advocating for an “east corridor alignment” that would not negatively impact neighborhoods and communities. But you can’t wait any longer: In order for the California High Speed Rail Authority to hear our communities’ voices, we must act now.

Attending the emergency community meeting on Monday is a great way to start by sending the message to the governor and the California High Speed Rail Authority that we will not sit idly and be bullied by the bullet train.

 

Andrew G. Fried is president of Safe Action for the Environment Inc.

 

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19 Comments

  1. Can you please post a map of the proposed route. Thank you!

  2. Brad James says:

    It was voted on by the people. Bring the train.

    • No Brad, what is now happening isn’t what we voted for. It is going to cost a whole lot more…read more of our tax dollars…and it isn’t going to go as fast. The private sector isn’t stepping up to be a part of the funding, as was purported. Nothing is as what we voted for.

    • Brad James says:

      That may or may not be the case John but that’s not what this thread is about if you read the commentary above.

  3. We need water and schools .

  4. That time this is done we will all be 80

  5. Dave Warburton says:

    The political leaders in the valley have gotten folks in a lather over HSR. The number of people directly affected would be rather small — far less than the 14 freeway would hit if it were being built now. Whether or not you favor the HSR project, the uproar over this is too much. No one in the direct path of the route will be in favor of it so that is a given. however, society recognizes the occasional need for infrastructure improvements to be made and that just compensation must be paid to those who have to sacrifice their property for the greater good.

    Keep the discussion on the merits of HSR and not on the small footprint it will make

  6. Sara Jones says:

    We need rain and a snow pack, those are the items that produce water not legislation.

  7. I’d like to see a map of the route too please and thanks

  8. I’d like to see a map of the route too please and thanks

  9. Mark Natzke says:

    we dont need a train and who really voted for this BS we do need water or to quit building because there is not enough water for the homes we already have here in LA

  10. Ken Pricher says:

    Don’t reroute it, scrap it!

  11. Kristin says:

    “Safe Action for the Environment Inc.” Really?

    The biggest environmental crime would be to allow any of the East Corridor routes to be built, so one has to wonder at the complete hypocrisy of this author.

    • SCVNews.com says:

      SAFE has been around for a couple of decades. It has led the successful (so far) effort to block a sand & gravel mega-mine.

  12. Cesar Medina says:

    Send it. Build the infrastructure. Tax base and update the community.

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