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Friday, Mar 29, 2024

Jump On the Bullet Train?

Are you conflicted about the proposed high-speed rail system that would connect Los Angeles and the Bay Area? I know I am. Frankly, it’s hard not to be. The idea of hopping on a train that could whisk you from downtown to San Francisco at speeds over 200 miles per hour sounds appealing, or at least it did when funding was approved by a majority of state voters in 2008. Then, of course, reality set in: initial cost estimates were low; projected ridership was too high; the line would be built in bits and pieces initially using existing lower-grade track in some places that would limit trains speed; and, of course, the funding turned out to be inadequate. It all quickly started to seem like a giant boondoggle, not to mention a bait-and-switch. Once again, government couldn’t do anything right. However, proponents pushed on and a deal was reached this summer between the Legislature and Gov. Jerry Brown, the bullet train’s cheerleader-in-chief, to use carbon emission cap-and-trade funds to plug the budget hole. Now, the project is starting to have an air of inevitability despite continuing litigation over elements of it. Indeed, the front page article written by reporter Mark Madler is all about which route will be superior for the leg between Palmdale and Burbank – a tunnel through the mountains or an original proposal that would follow the 14 freeway – not if it should be constructed. Indeed, some local business groups are practically demanding the line be built, alignment aside. After all, why not high-speed rail when the county is also building out its own light-rail system? As for me, I find my position changing, and I’m not sure if it’s that I had to fly once too often this summer or just have gained a growing awareness of how much our country is falling behind. Yes, the costs per mile will be high compared to high-speed rail built elsewhere in the world. But as you look around, it quickly becomes apparent that our nation’s transportation system is falling behind that of our economic competitors. Japan has long had its bullet train, while China is building high-speed rail at breakneck speed and the European system continues to grow. I know you’ve heard this before in history class: All roads led to Rome, where in the ancient world the empire’s advanced road network was key to its longevity. Today, our interstate highway system, a marvel of the 1960s, is crumbling faster than we can repair it. And the best we can do to get from here to there fast is squeeze into 17-inch wide seats and pay $2 for a bag of pretzels. I say, bring on the high-speed rail. I’ll buy a ticket. Just don’t charge me for a carry-on. • • • I don’t want to say I told you so, because that would be too easy. But I did. And so did many others. The revelations last month in the L.A. Times that there existed a cozy relationship between Los Angeles Unified School District administrators and Apple Inc. and educational publishing giant Pearson goes a long way to explaining the thinking behind the absurd plan to spend $1 billion to outfit every district student with an overpriced iPad loaded with Pearson software. The essence of the Times investigation is about whether the two companies had an unfair advantage over other bidders as the district sought to modernize its student technology. Superintendent John Deasy has defended the district’s dealings with the companies as above board but the investigation dug up emails that appeared to give Pearson an advantage in its bid while the superintendent met personally with Apple CEO Tim Cook in Cupertino, the tech giant’s headquarters. Let’s take Deasy at his word. None of this affected the bidding process. Even so, it would explain why the superintendent would even think spending more than $700 per tablet was a good idea in a rapidly changing tech world where innovation and price drops are happening virtually every month. Yes, the district can’t wait forever because there will always be a better, cheaper product tomorrow – I know a friend who only recently bought a flat screen TV using that logic! – but it didn’t take a genius to figure out how absurd Apple’s bid was amid a glut of decent, less expensive tablets already on the market. Just a person whose judgment was not clouded by a cozy relationship. Laurence Darmiento is editor of the Business Journal. He can be reached at [email protected].

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