How Caltrain Electrification Project Got Off The Ground
MILLBRAE (KPIX) -- The Caltrain Millbrae station was full of happy politicians on Friday, all celebrating the start of a project to build a better Caltrain and create jobs in the process.
Said Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi, "In the Obama administration, we had a three-word slogan: Build! Build! Build!"
RELATED ARTICLE: Caltrain Electrification Project Groundbreaking
The Caltrain electrification project is supposed to get rid of the current diesel locomotives and use fancy new train cars that can hold more people. It will cost nearly $2 billion and is on schedule to be completed by 2021.
But the project almost didn't happen. Before shovels could hit the ground, the Trump administration had to give the Bay Area nearly $650 million. People were nervous because the President didn't have to say yes. As Gov. Jerry Brown said on Friday, "Our congressional delegation ... through some magic, pushed this through the Trump administration. I don't know how."
On Friday, we learned more about the "how."
First, Bay Area Democrats had to get the Republican-majority Congress to appropriate $647 million dollars for the project.
"The Secretary [Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao] finally said, 'I'll approve it but you have to get the money,'" explained Rep. Pelosi. "Which I did in our negotiations on the [2017] appropriations bill."
In May 2017, the House GOP was split over the budget and headed for government shutdown unless they could scare up 87 votes. That was just the leverage Pelosi needed.
"They didn't have the votes to pass the bill, so we had this [$647 million for Caltrain] as one of our requirements in order to give them our votes to pass the bill," Pelosi said.
Once the money was available, Secretary Chao still had to decide whether to give Caltrain the grant and there was serious opposition.
"We had a majority leader in the House [Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA)] that was being very parochial and, single-handedly, for a long time was trying to stop this project," said Congresswoman Jackie Speier (D-CA).
"Our U.S. Senators, both Dianne Feinstein and Kamala Harris, did what they do best: cajole, call Elaine Chao, and then start holding back on deputy administrator positions," Speier added.
Later, Speier told KPIX 5, "The rumor I heard was that some of those appointments that have to be confirmed by the Senate were conveniently put on hold."
Senator Dianne Feinstein announced that she would oppose all Transportation Department nominees until the money was released.
Speier said that California Democrats in the House of Representatives also did their part.
For example, Congressman McCarthy wants to name a post office in his district, which contains Bakersfield, after the late, great country singer Merle Haggard, who helped define the "Bakersfield Sound."
The general rule is that, in order to make such a name change, all members of the California delegation have to sign off.
"I had a hand cramp," Speier jokingly told him. "I could not sign that. I told him, I'd be happy to, at some point. And I'm happy to now."
Said Speier, "We did our job in the house and made it clear [to California Republicans in Congress] that you stay in your own district."
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