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Certain regulation provisions laid out by California cities and counties on building, zoning and other matters will no longer apply to the Tri-Valley/San Joaquin Valley Regional Rail Authority, after Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a new law designating the authority as a rail transit district last week.
In addition to clarifying that the authority can operate the Valley Link project, Senate Bill 548 also resolves that the project may be planned to connect with the Altamont Corridor Express rail system “at its most optimal location,” officials said in a statement. The bill was unanimously approved by both the State Senate and Assembly before being signed into law on Sept. 22.
Dublin Mayor Melissa Hernandez, who also serves as vice chair of the Regional Rail Authority’s Board of Directors, called SB 548 “truly a significant step toward streamlining project delivery.”
“Valley Link will not only connect people to work but also create jobs — an estimated 22,000 during construction, and when operational, support 400 jobs per year,” Hernandez said. “It is vital to our economy given the recovery needs we are now facing.”
The bill was also co-authored by State Senator Steve Glazer (D-Orinda) and Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan (D-Orinda), both whom Tracy Mayor and Board Chair Veronica Vargas publicly thanked last week for their efforts, along with several other elected officials including lead author State Senator Susan Eggman (D-Stockton).
“The legislation will enable fast and efficient project delivery for an urgently needed project that will fundamentally change the lives of more than 98,000 Bay Area workers who now commute daily through the Altamont Pass,” Vargas said on Sept. 22.
According to Vargas, so-called “super commuters” can spend upward of three hours commuting each day “as they travel from affordable housing in San Joaquin County to prevailing wage jobs throughout the Bay Area.”
In turn, Vargas said this hurts the environment, economy, and “this hurts our communities and our families.”
The Valley Link commuter light rail project is expected to close a “critical gap” by connecting those commuters in the San Joaquin Valley to BART in the Bay Area, along with nearly 500 miles of commuter and intercity rail, and “equitably serve” households and communities experiencing some of California’s highest poverty rates by connecting them to high paying jobs in the Bay Area.
An estimated 33,000 daily passengers are expected to be served by Valley Link’s 74 daily round trips in 2040, eliminating 141 million vehicle miles traveled per year and up to 42,650 metric tons of GHG emissions.
