The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a motion that will have the county join a new High Desert Corridor Joint Powers Agency (JPA) to identify funding and facilitate the continued planning, development, and construction of the High Desert Multipurpose Corridor project – the first phase of which will connect high desert cities in Los Angeles and San Bernardino Counties through a new high-speed, intercity rail alignment.
The 54-mile-high speed rail project is part of a larger vision to connect Los Angeles to Las Vegas and will provide a new transportation mode for some of the fastest growing areas in Southern California, increase access to affordable housing stock, spur job creation and economic development, help the State achieve its climate goals, and invest in Equity Focus Communities which comprise most of the project’s alignment, according to Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger.
“The new High Desert Corridor Joint Powers Agency maintains our commitment to our federal, state, tribal, and private sector partners and stakeholders, as well as the voters of Los Angeles County who approved this as a priority project under Measure M,” Barger said. “This is a transformative project for our High Desert communities. Having multiple partners at the table ensures a collective vision is ultimately realized.”
This new JPA will become the successor agency to the long-running High Desert Corridor Joint Powers Authority, which is set to expire on July 1. Los Angeles County joins the cities of Lancaster and Adelanto who have already approved their membership. The cities of Palmdale and Victorville, and the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority will vote on their membership in the coming weeks.
The motion also defines Los Angeles County’s roles and responsibilities, naming Supervisor Barger and, in future years, the Supervisor of the Fifth District, as the Board Director for the High Desert Corridor JPA, the Treasurer and Tax Collector as treasurer of the agency, Auditor-Controller as auditor of the agency, and County Counsel as legal counsel for the agency. View the motion here.
[Information via news release from the office of Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger.]
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Tom says
Just another reason to raise our taxes. We will never see this in our lifetime. This was a sales pitch in the 80’s to get new homeowners in the AV.
Rightminded says
What a complete WASTE of money!!!
Stinger says
Why do you say that?
Loampounder says
Let me see if I get this straight – the old Joint Powers is expiring without fulling it’s goal, so they form another one to keep at the same old thing? I suppose someone has to spend our tax money.
Tim Scott says
I think it fulfilled the goal. It accumulated land along the transit corridor, reducing the amount of development that would end up blocking the way and making the eventual land acquisition that much more expensive “for the taxpayers.” Whether we get the rail project going or just improve route 138, either way that will reduce the ultimate costs, and the effort needs to be maintained. To say “oh, yeah, go ahead and build stuff that will eventually have to be torn down” would be short sighted, to say the least.
Of course Wrecks and his gang would love to see that since they want 138 to be rerouted out along the north side of Lancaster so Palmdale is cut off completely. All it would really take is one development blocking our route for them to say “our route is much less expensive, all it takes is buying the undeveloped land that my cronies have coincidentally been buying up for pennies over the years.” Are you perhaps a Wrecks crony?
Stinger says
Fortunately, Palmdale has developed a better transportation hub and support than Lancaster has, making it a centralized point for pretty much all transportation development for the AV. This supersedes the Lancaster Mafia from their normal routines.
I’ve been watching this project develop over the decades. I support the concept as it will strengthen the AV in many ways not currently possible.
Districts in Lancaster Now says
Just like everything else that is going to Lancaster. Wrecks is in complete control of Palmdale’s council and you ain’t seen nothing yet.
Bill Gibson says
Same as it ever was. Apparently sustainable as a concept has not really landed yet.
I think it was Bertie Russell who noted that all of our current problems are the result of our solutions to our previous problems.
What should be added is that the many species threats are the direct result of the one problem we are failing to address or even acknowledge: over population. That is if you don’t include elementary school and grocery store shootings.