Propositions 28 and 31 are the easiest ‘yes’ votes on the California ballot. They both benefit kids and California’s economy, and they will be important factors in the battle over funding to build a bullet train from San Francisco to Los Angeles.
By a 52/48 margin, California voters approved Propositions 28 and 31 in November, which both pledge to spend an additional $2.5 billion each over the next six years to build a high-speed rail system that would connect high-speed rail to the region’s existing rail network. While the money will benefit children, it is meant to pay for the high-speed rail system that Governor Jerry Brown pledged to build last year.
The $2.5 billion in spending was on top of $3 billion approved by the Legislature last month. Proponents of Proposition 28 say the extra funding will go toward the bullet train from San Francisco to Los Angeles, but critics of the measure say it won’t go anywhere near what’s needed to start the project. Proponents of Proposition 31 say this money will go toward building out the high-speed rail system connecting San Francisco to Los Angeles.
Proponents of both propositions said California’s high-speed rail network is critically underfunded.
Here are links to the details of Proposition 28 and Proposition 31. There are also links to stories about the voters’ actions, arguments from both sides, and video of the measure’s impact.
Voter Support and Effects on California High-Speed Rail
Support for Proposition 28 by the California High-Speed Rail Authority was 89.1 percent on Nov. 6. This is a significant increase because Proposition 28 was supported by only 40.9 percent of voters in 2013.
Proposition 31 passed by 52.7 percent of voters on Nov. 6, while Proposition 13 passed by 55.5 percent of voters on Nov. 6.
The California High-Speed Rail Authority’s campaign to pass Proposition 28 is not directly related to the California high-speed rail program established in Proposition 1A. Instead, this campaign was initiated by the California High-Speed Rail Authority