Ralph Vartabedian
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Ralph Vartabedian is a former national correspondent at the Los Angeles Times. He joined the newspaper in 1981 and has covered many technical subjects, including aerospace, auto safety, nuclear weapons and high speed rail. He has won two Loeb awards and was a Pulitzer finalist, among many other career recognitions.
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In 2018, L.A. County voters approved Measure W, a massive tax aimed at protecting beaches and improving water supply through storm water capture. Yet only $95.5 million has been disbursed for projects out of $556 million collected.
Hollywood Burbank Airport filed a lawsuit seeking to block approval of an environmental report for the California high-speed rail project.
In a new draft business plan, the California High-Speed Rail Authority acknowledged that costs have risen roughly $5 billion.
BART orders a key partner, San Francisco-based engineering firm PGH Wong, to stop all work pending a conflict of interest review.
Local officials warn of impacts from California high-speed rail project on Hollywood Burbank Airport and Burbank’s water supply.
A state appeals court has affirmed that the bullet train project did not violate the California Constitution with its segmented planning approach.
Amtrak is likely to be the biggest rail winner, getting the lion’s share of $66 billion to upgrade the northeast corridor from Boston to Washington.
The California High-Speed Rail Project pledged to minimize impacts on low-income people, but many say the project has run roughshod through their communities.
The state’s High-Speed Rail Authority faces at least $1 billion in more cost overruns from its contractors, at a time when its finances are highly complicated.
Officials in Needles feared the city could go dry but state officials have come through with a $2 million bailout.