Gov. Jerry Brown has asked the Trump administration to reverse itself on a key decision to withhold a $647-million grant for a state passenger rail project, a request that comes two weeks after other California Democrats waded into the fray.
.Obviously, what has happened is a huge curve ball, said Jim Earp, a longtime supporter of the high-speed rail project and a member of the California Transportation Commission. I hope calmer head prevail and the funding goes through.
It hasnt helped the states case that there is not a single Republican in the Bay Area whose district might benefit from the grant.
Chaos decision in mid-February was sharply criticized by many of Californias Democrats, including Sen. Diane Feinstein and Sen. Kamala Harris. Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) said the Transportation Department was holding the project hostage in an effort to attack the bullet train. The Caltrain goes through her district.
Their protests appeared to have had no effect, and whether they were even heard is unclear.
In a handwritten note on the one-page letter that Brown sent this week, he wrote, Can we discuss this on the phone?
Browns office declined to say why he asked for the phone call, as opposed to having his staff set up such a call with Chao.