Assemblywoman Fiona Ma

High-speed rail, education
California's workforce and businesses pioneered the technological revolution through innovation that has transformed the way we live our lives. From computers to medicine, our state has engineered the world into the 21st century. However, high-speed rail is one area where we have not kept up.

Europe and Japan have been using the technology for decades, helping passengers travel long distances in a timely fashion. One of my top priorities this year will be to ensure that budget funding is restored for the California High-Speed Rail Authority.

With the leadership of Judge Quentin Kopp, who serves as the chair of the authority, we finally have a chance to deliver this critically needed project. Unfortunately, the governor's proposed budget this year cuts the funding of the authority to a mere $1.2 million, which is down from $14 million last year and far short of the $104 million the authority needs to begin planning, engineering and buying rights of way for a high-speed rail system.

In addition, the governor wants to indefinitely delay the high-speed rail bond set for the 2008 ballot. After already being delayed twice and with the cost of construction continuing to rise at a rate much higher than inflation, it is imperative that the bond remains on next year's ballot.

The economic, environmental and other quality-of-life benefits of high-speed rail are enormous. Studies show that such a system in California will save 5 million barrels of oil and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 10.4 billion pounds per year, while creating more than 450,000 permanent jobs.

The system will carry 68 million passengers annually between Sacramento and San Diego. A trip on the train, which will travel 220 miles-per-hour, from San Francisco's Transbay Terminal to Los Angeles will take two hours and cost about half the price of a plane ticket.

Outdoor Education - Currently, less than 15 percent of our state's students are participating in outdoor education and this number drops even lower in urban areas like San Francisco. Many city kids, who live just miles away, have never experienced our area's outdoor educational laboratories, such as Lake Merced, Ocean Beach, the Randall Museum and San Bruno Mountain.

In addition, the incidences of obesity have more than doubled in the last 30 years due in large part to an inactive culture.

This year, I am working with state Sen. Alex Padilla and the Sierra Club to help remedy this problem as the principal co-author of SB 207, a bill that establishes the California Outdoor Education and Recreation Program. The program will be funded by both public money and private donations and will award grants to school programs and non-profit organizations that provide these opportunities.

A recent study by the Department of Education found that children who participated in outdoor education raised their science scores by 27 percent and improved their self esteem and motivation to learn. Conflict resolution and problem-solving skills also improved.

The 62nd Grand National Rodeo will be held April 6-14 at the Cow Palace and marks its inaugural year on the pro rodeo tour. Tickets are available at the Cow Palace at (415) 404-4111.

Interns and Volunteers - I am still looking for interns and volunteers from the community to participate in the office in a wide variety of ways, both in Sacramento and San Francisco. If you are interested, please contact my district office at (415) 557-2312 or capitol office at (916) 319-2012.

Assemblywoman Fiona Ma is the majority whip of the California Assembly.