A Transit Ridersí Association for San Francisco
Box 190966, SF, CA 94119 ï 415/273-1558 ï www.rescuemuni.org
July 2, 2001
The Honorable Kevin Murray
Senate Transportation Committee
State Capitol #2209
Sacramento, CA 95814
fax 916-445-8899
July 2, 2001
Re: AB 1419 SUPPORT
Dear Senator Murray:
Rescue Muni, San Franciscoís transit ridersí association, urges you to support AB
1419, which legislates several actions to facilitate construction of a new Transbay
Terminal and Caltrain downtown extension in San Francisco. This important bill helps
fund the new terminal, crucial to the improvement of regional and statewide transit,
via the transfer of Caltrans land adjacent to the Terminal to the San Francisco Redevelopment
Agency.
We strongly believe passage of AB 1419 is crucial for improving the statewide
transportation network as follows:
1) This bill help fund the new Transbay Terminal, which is designed to be the
San Francisco terminal for a statewide network of High Speed Rail (HSR) trains, linking
major downtown areas, including San Diego, Los Angeles & San Francisco.
2) This bill will help help reduce airport congestion, because many customers of
short-haul flights will be able to use High Speed Rail once service is extended to
downtown San Francisco.
3) This bill will lay the groundwork for a new conventional rail crossing across
San Francisco Bay, which will allow for direct high-speed train access from San Francisco
to Sacramento.
4) Transit-oriented development currently planned for the land around the new Transbay
Terminal will service a model for other transit-oriented developments around the
state, helping to stimulate economic development while reducing traffic.
In addition to these statewide implications, AB 1419 will impact Bay Area transportation
as follows:
1) A huge gap in the transportation network will be closed when Caltrain is extended
to downtown San Francisco. Currently, Caltrain ends short of downtown, discouraging
many commuters because of time consuming transfers. AB 1419 is key to completing
this extension.
2) With a modernized and electrified Caltrain extended to downtown San Francisco,
BART-level rapid transit service will finally be available between San Jose and San
Francisco via peninsular communities. Modernizing the existing Caltrain and extending
it will be far cheaper and much faster than extending BART down the Peninsula to
San Jose, saving the State of California and local jurisdictions billions of dollars
and saving commuters years of waiting for high quality transit.
3) Will reduce the need for an expensive new BART tube because will enable AC Transit
to greatly expand its Transbay Bus Network to the new Transbay Terminal from the
East Bay.
4) Will improve access to regional and inter-city service for customers of San Franciscoís
Municipal Railway and other local transit systems, making regional travel without
a car much more attractive and reducing traffic in the process.
AB 1419 lays the groundwork for modernizing the entire stateís transit network while
reducing both statewide air traffic and gridlock in the San Francisco Bay Region.
With the Transbay Terminal facility in place, High Speed Rail will be more successful
and transit-oriented development will be encouraged, reducing traffic, pollution,
and sprawl.
We urge your support of AB 1419 without undue amendments, requirements or restrictions
and ask that you work for its passage through the State Senate. Thank you for your
consideration on this important state transportation and land-use bill.
Sincerely,
Andrew Sullivan
Chairman, Steering Committee
Rescue Muni
cc: Governor Gray Davis Fax: 916/445-4633
Senator John Burton Fax: 916/445-4722
Senator Don Perata Fax: 916/327-1997 & 510/286-3885
Senator Jackie Speier Fax: 916/327-2186 & 650/340-1661 & 415-557-7864
Senator Liz Figueroa Fax: 916/327-2433 & 510/413-5965
Senator Tom Torlakson Fax: 916/445-2527 & 925/602-6598
Senator Byron Sher Fax: 916/323-4529 & 650/364-2102 & 408/277-9464
Senator John Vasconcellos Fax: 916/324-0283 & 408/286-2338
Assemblywoman Dion Aroner Fax: 916/319-2114 & 510/540-3655 & 510/234-0213
Assemblyman Kevin Shelley Fax: 916/319-2112 & 415/557-1178
Assemblywoman Carole Migden Fax: 916/319-2113
Mayor Willie Brown Fax: 415/554-6160