COBB
Cobb Council hears concerns over road maintenance
At the Cobb Area Council Meeting, on Thursday, some residents aired their frustrations. The people of Cobb were mainly critical regarding road maintenance and a lack of quality infrastructure. Even though the topic was not on the agenda, it was successfully added after a motion. The critiques ranged from poor road quality over the past 40 years to recent maintenance being lackluster. Some of the public speakers at the meeting referred to recent work as “Band-Aids” as road crews try to patch parts of a road versus proper foundational work. Reportedly, actual chipseal road maintenance would require every three years of focus. But for one attendee, there wasn’t any proper care provided.
Other comments from the public concerned matters like road durability for vehicles like heavy trucks, or about the high number of cars being driven in poor conditions.
The Cobb Area Council, in addition to Lars Ewing, Interim Public Works Director, did their best to address concerns, inform, and respond where they were able. From explaining the current status of what kind of road construction and maintenance was being done, to the history of the situation, to explaining what a chipseal was. Ewing expressed after his introduction that there was disorganization in the department and he was adjusting to his new position. Despite a 10-year experience elsewhere, Ewing had only served as interim for the past 20 or so days. He said it will take time to work through matters.
Ultimately, the council meeting was fruitful to some. Speakers were able to express their issues in the hopes of a solution being found regarding the roads. This was a boon for Ewing who said he wanted to find a solution to the current problem facing the residents. In other matters, the Cobb Area Council discussed fire season preparation and funding for FEMA.
—Chandler Roberts
SACRAMENTO
California sues to stop Trump’s politically motivated attack on high-speed rail
Gov. Gavin Newsom today announced the High Speed Rail Authority is suing the Trump administration over its politically-motivated termination of $4 billion in federal grants to the project.
The lawsuit alleges that termination of the agreements is petty, political retribution, motivated by President Trump’s personal animus toward California and the high-speed rail project, not by facts on the ground.
Thursday’s action comes as the project enters the track laying phase, is actively building across 171 miles, has built more than 50 major railway structures – including bridges, overpasses, and viaducts – and completed over 60 miles of guideway.
In the last year, high-speed rail has marked significant progress – with all environmental reviews spanning 463 miles from Los Angeles to the Bay Area complete, the electrification of Caltrain complete, trainset selection underway, station and track construction on deck, continued work with partner rail systems to create a southwest regional high-speed rail network, and more than 15,000 good paying jobs created. Passenger service is expected in the coming years, between 2030 and 2033.
High speed rail is a key part of Governor Newsom’s build more, faster agenda delivering infrastructure upgrades and creating jobs throughout the state.
—Submitted
WASHINGTON
Thompson statement on Congressional Republicans’ Bill to Rip Funding from Public Media, Foreign Aid: ‘An Attack on Public Safety’
Rep. Mike Thompson (CA-04) released the following statement after the passage of Congressional Republicans’ bill to take back federal funding from public media stations and foreign aid programs that was already approved by Congress and signed into law:
“Make no mistake: These clawbacks are an attack on public safety. Our public radio and TV stations, especially those in rural communities, are often the only trusted local news source. Publicly funded media stations are the ones covering our kids’ high school sports games, providing high-quality educational programming to our kids, and distributing essential public safety information during natural disasters. To slash this funding is to attack these important services.
“At the same time, Congressional Republicans are pulling funding from Ukraine and other allies. When our allies are unsafe, we are all unsafe. Cuts to foreign aid undermine our national security.
“Congressional Republicans’ claims that this is about saving money are laughable considering they just passed a bill that will add nearly $5 trillion to our national debt in order to give tax breaks to their billionaire donors who don’t need the help. They are pulling the rug out from under our allies and our local news stations. The American people will pay the price.”
—Submitted
