A grassroots effort to take over where organizers say the
California High Speed Rail Authority has left off has emerged in
South County.
A grassroots effort to take over where organizers say the California High Speed Rail Authority has left off has emerged in South County.
The controversial rail construction plan, intended to link the state via a 220-mph passenger train, left many South County residents frustrated after the last standing-room only community meeting held June 10 at Morgan Hill City Hall. Dozens of questions about the $45-billion project went unanswered.
“I’m on a mission to really get the public aware and let them decide. And let them write letters or make calls or come up with their own questions,” said Yvonne Sheets-Saucedo said who has organized the meeting for Tuesday night. “To not be aware of something that is this significant is just not OK.”
Officials from the High-Speed Rail Authority will start the meeting at 7 p.m. at the San Martin Lions Club, 12415 Murphy Ave., with a condensed PowerPoint presentation that focuses on South County. Sheets-Saucedo has asked that index cards be available at the start of the meeting so the community’s questions can be answered. The HSRA meetings, she said, have been “cookie-cutter” and often details have not been provided.
The high-speed rail meeting will take over the San Martin Neighborhood Alliance’s regular monthly meeting.
Next on the agenda will be Bradley Matteoni, a private eminent domain attorney from San Jose, who is volunteering her time to provide information and host an open question-and-answer session.
Sheets-Saucedo said that public awareness is her No. 1 priority and Matteoni will be a good source to inform residents of their legal rights and eminent domain guidelines. Eminent domain is the power possessed by each state to take over property for a public use, typically it’s used to construct telephone, power, water or gas lines where homes or businesses may reside. Owners are entitled to reasonable compensation or fair-market value of the property.
Public concerns in South County vary from the impact of noise of the 220-mph electric train, to the economic effect and how many privately owned properties along the proposed routes could be taken by the state.
HSRA officials prefer aligning the tracks along the Union Pacific tracks through downtown Gilroy over Pacheco Pass roughly along Highway 152 to send the high-speed train from San Jose to Merced. However, many community members prefer the route to run alongside U.S. 101 to avoid a track that could pass through town.
Interested people are asked to e-mail questions related to eminent domain in advance to [email protected].
