Democrats bailing on high-speed rail---finally

Senators Steinberg and Leno in 2012

Even Democrats who have supported the high-speed rail project are now having second thoughts, since they are questioning Governor Brown's proposal to throw $300 million from the cap-and-trade program into that bottomless money pit.

At the end of the story in this morning's Chronicle:

Brown's proposal to spend $300 million on the embattled high-speed rail project using cap-and-trade revenue will receive scrutiny on both sides of the aisle. State Sen. Mark Leno, D-San Francisco, said he supports high-speed rail but questions spending a few hundred million on the $68 billion project. "I would prefer to see the $300 million invested elsewhere until a spending plan is in place," Leno said. "It's not a wise investment."

Senator Steinberg voiced similar doubts this morning on the California Report, as he called for "a credible plan" to pay for the next phase of the project.

Steinberg and Leno successfully pushed high-speed rail funding through the State Senate in 2012.

See also Kathy Hamilton on the dubious cap-and-trade proposal, which is her 200th story on the California high-speed rail project. See all of her stories here.