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- Written by: Caltrans
“Rail is a key part of the solution for addressing California’s transportation challenges,” said Caltrans Director Laurie Berman. “In this Rail Plan, we lay out the goals and investment strategies necessary in both the short and long-term for improving access, mobility and efficiency for both our passenger and freight rail systems, while also making a major contribution to reducing greenhouse gas emissions related to the transportation sector.”
With a vision to increase passenger rail travel by 92 million passenger miles per day, the 2018 Rail Plan presents a plan for an integrated system that will allow passengers to easily and efficiently transfer from local transit services to regional, intercity and future high-speed rail.
The outcomes described in the Rail Plan will help California achieve its ambitious GHG emission reduction targets, boost the state economy, and potentially eliminate 250 fatalities and 19,000 transportation related injuries per year by 2040.
The passenger vision will create a coordinated, statewide travel system to enhance multimodal access for residents across the state. The vision will allow people to:
– Travel seamlessly across urban, suburban, and rural areas of the state with more trains to more places more often;
– Save time with significantly faster trips;
– Enjoy the journey on modern, safe, clean, and comfortable trains;
– Transfer quickly and easily at hub stations with coordinated arrivals and departures that significantly reduce wait times;
– And plan an entire door-to-door trip and purchase a single ticket using a streamlined trip-planning portal.
The freight vision provides a customer-focused system that will eliminate rail freight bottlenecks on transcontinental trade corridors by investing in dedicated rail freight capacity and passenger improvements that support rail freight movement.
The freight component also supports short line improvements, grade-crossing improvements at a corridor-level to address community safety needs, and integrating as much service as possible.
Caltrans worked extensively with state, regional, and local partners to develop a consensus vision that supports increased efficiencies and connectivity across the state.
The Rail Plan is available at www.californiastaterailplan.com.
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- Written by: Community First Credit Union
The funding allows them time and money to pursue plans, permits and people to rebuild on the property.
Lot loans are hard to find, as not many lenders offer such products. The scant offerings usually come with high interest rates and short terms with which to pay back the loan.
“Rebuilding isn’t easy,” said Monika Besancon, chief lending officer at Community First. “Getting plans and permits can take many months. Additionally, with such a critical shortage of contractors and construction crews, it could take years before everything is hammer-ready.”
Community First’s Lot Loan is a much-needed precursor to an additional and subsequent construction loan.
Only upon completed construction would the rebuilt home then qualify for a traditional final mortgage – which would then pay off the lot and construction loans.
To keep the interest rate low on its Lot Loan, Community First amortizes payments over 30 years, much like a traditional conventional mortgage.
To give residents who are rebuilding enough time to round up all plans, permits, and construction contracts, Community First doesn’t require full repayment of the loan for 15 years.
“Sadly, more than 8,000 homes were destroyed in our market area in October of last year. In this current month, the Mendocino Complex Fire has destroyed another 140 homes. We felt we needed to do something to help the communities we serve rebuild, and to get families back to their homes. This 30-due-in-15 Lot Loan is the financial kick-starter that does just that,” said Besancon.
For more information visit https://www.comfirstcu.org/.
Gov. Brown signs 100 percent clean electricity bill, issues order setting new carbon neutrality goal
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- Written by: Governor's Office
“This bill and the executive order put California on a path to meet the goals of Paris and beyond. It will not be easy. It will not be immediate. But it must be done,” said Gov. Brown.
“In California, Democrats and Republicans know climate change is real, it’s affecting our lives right now, and unless we take action immediately – it may become irreversible,” said Sen. de León. “Today, with Gov. Brown’s support, California sent a message to the rest of the world that we are taking the future into our own hands; refusing to be the victims of its uncertainty. Transitioning to an entirely carbon-free energy grid will create good-paying jobs, ensure our children breathe cleaner air and mitigate the devastating impacts of climate change on our communities and economy.”
SB 100 advances the state’s existing Renewables Portfolio Standard, which establishes how much of the electricity system should be powered from renewable energy resources, to 50 percent by 2025 and 60 percent by 2030. It also puts California on the bold path to implement a zero-carbon electricity grid by 2045.
"California is committed to doing whatever is necessary to meet the existential threat of climate change," said Gov. Brown in his SB 100 signing message. "This bill, and others I will sign this week, help us go in that direction. But have no illusions, California and the rest of the world have miles to go before we achieve zero-carbon emissions."
To further ensure California is combatting global warming beyond the electric sector, which represents 16 percent of the state’s greenhouse gas emissions, the governor issued an executive order directing the state to achieve carbon neutrality by 2045 and net negative greenhouse gas emissions after that.
This will ensure California removes as much carbon dioxide from the atmosphere as it emits – the first step to reversing the potentially disastrous impacts of climate change.
The state will reach its goals with continued significant reductions of carbon pollution and increased carbon sequestration in forests, soils and other natural landscapes and programs focused on improving air quality and public health, especially in California’s most impacted communities.
With Gov. Brown’s order, California establishes the most ambitious carbon neutrality commitment of any major economic jurisdiction in the world – of more than 20 countries and at least 40 cities, states and provinces planning to go carbon neutral by mid-century or sooner.
This action comes days before grassroots activists, mayors, governors, heads of industry and international leaders convene in San Francisco for the express purpose of mobilizing climate action at the Global Climate Action Summit.
Late last week, Governor Brown also signed legislation to block new federal offshore oil drilling along California’s coast and announced the state’s opposition to the federal government’s plan to expand oil drilling on public lands in California.
The entirety of the state’s coast has been off-limits to new oil and gas leases for more than 30 years, and the state has not issued a lease for offshore oil or gas production since 1968.
The governor’s signing message for SB 100 can be found here.
The text of the executive order can be found here.
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- Written by: Farm Bureau
Leaders of the California Farm Bureau Federation and Far West Equipment Dealers Association signed the memorandum of understanding at an equipment dealership in Stockton.
Under the “right to repair” agreement, equipment dealers commit to providing access to service manuals, product guides, on-board diagnostics and other information that would help a farmer or rancher to identify or repair problems with the machinery.
The agreement includes restrictions. Among them: Source code for proprietary software would not be accessible, and owners would not be able to change equipment in ways that would affect compliance with safety or emissions regulations.
“Reliable farm equipment is crucial to the success of any farming operation, and farmers have long depended on their ability to make repairs quickly in order to keep their equipment running during harvest and other key times,” CFBF President Jamie Johansson said. “This agreement gives farmers the information they need to do just that, even as equipment has become increasingly complex.”
FWEDA President and CEO Joani Woelfel said the agreement “says a lot about the relationship between dealers and their customers.”
“This agreement is especially important because whenever we can resolve issues that concern us without passing laws, everybody wins,” Woelfel said. “We appreciate Assembly Member Eggman for encouraging the resolution this agreement represents.”
Earlier this year, Assemblymember Susan Talamantes Eggman, D-Stockton, introduced legislation known as the Right to Repair Act that would have ensured consumers of a wide array of electronic products would receive access to manufacturers’ diagnostic and repair information.
“Although the bill didn’t advance in the Legislature, I am very pleased that it produced some encouragement for the agreement between the California Farm Bureau and the Far West Equipment Dealers,” Eggman said. “Access to diagnostic and repair information will help farmers get their equipment back into service more quickly, saving them valuable time and money.”
Under the agreement, maintenance, diagnostic and repair information not already available will be made available for tractors and combines put into service beginning Jan. 1, 2021.
The California Farm Bureau Federation works to protect family farms and ranches on behalf of nearly 40,000 members statewide and as part of a nationwide network of more than 5.5 million Farm Bureau members.