City Council Agenda Report
Meeting Date: March 21, 2023
From: Daniel S. Wall, P.E., Director of Public Works
Department: Public Works
Submitted by: Lissette Melendez, Project Engineer
Subject
Agreement with the State of California High Speed Rail Authority for the High Speed Rail Project Recommendation
A. Find that approving the Standard Agreement is categorically exempt from California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) review, in accordance with CEQA Guidelines Section 15262 because the project only involves feasibility or planning studies for possible future actions which the City has not approved, adopted, or funded; and
B. Adopt Resolution No. 2023-02 approving and authorizing the execution of Standard Agreement No. HSR22-34 by and between the City of Vernon and the State of California High Speed Rail Authority for the High Speed Rail Project.
Background
The California High Speed Rail Authority (Authority) is responsible for the planning, design, construction, and operation of the first high-speed rail system in the nation. The California highspeed rail system will connect the mega-regions of the state, contribute to economic development and a cleaner environment, create jobs, and preserve agricultural and protected lands. When it is completed, it will run from San Francisco to the Los Angeles basin in under three hours at speeds of over 200 miles per hour. The system will eventually extend to Sacramento and San Diego, totaling 800 miles with up to 24 stations.
The Authority is proposing that the segment from Los Angeles to Anaheim be constructed along the existing Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) corridor which passes through the City of Vernon. In 2016, Resolution No. 2016-35 approved Agreement No. HSR15-191 between the City of Vernon and the High Speed Rail Authority for this project. In 2019, the agreement was amended by Resolution No. 2019-22. Since the amended agreement expired in January 2021 but the project is still in progress, a new agreement needs to be executed. The proposed agreement will ensure that the City of Vernon continues to be provided an opportunity to perform a technical engineering review of the proposed alignment, identify potential conflicts with the City of Vernon’s transportation infrastructure and coordinate communications with the Authority as the project advances. The Authority will reimburse the City up to $100,000 for staff time to review the impact of the High Speed Rail Project on the City of Vernon.
The proposed agreement has been reviewed and approved as to form by the City Attorney’s Office.
Fiscal Impact
Approval and execution of this agreement will result in up to $100,000 in additional revenue to the General Fund to cover 100% of the staff time costs related in reviewing the impact of the High Speed Rail Project on the City.
Attachments
1. Resolution No. 2023-02