http://www.sacbee.com/2011/05/22/3644578/california-bulks-up.html
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California High-Speed Rail Authority
An artist’s conception of a high-speed rail car traveling in California.
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* What others are saying about state's high-speed rail
Capitol and California - State Politics
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California bulks up high-speed rail lobbying ... but is it working?
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By Michael Doyle
[email protected]
Published: Sunday, May. 22, 2011 - 12:00 am | Page 3A
Last Modified: Sunday, May. 22, 2011 - 10:24 am
WASHINGTON – The California High-Speed Rail Authority has bulked up its
lobbying efforts even as some lawmakers question its effectiveness.
Facing a skeptical Congress, the Sacramento-based high-speed rail group
this year enlisted a Republican who learned the ropes alongside former
House Majority Leader Tom DeLay.
The Republican lobbyist, Drew Maloney, augments a Democrat, Mark Kadesh,
who once served as chief of staff to Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein.
Both have their work cut out for them.
For high-speed rail, the questions are sharp, the competition is
motivated, and the money is tight.
"With the Federal Railway Administration being our major project and
funding partner, we think it important to have representation in D.C. to
interface with the administration and with members of Congress," said
Jeffrey Barker, the high-speed rail authority's deputy executive director.
Barker said Kadesh and Maloney, while registered lobbyists, are serving
as "our actual federal policy advisers," augmenting a 20-member
California staff. He said they keep federal officials "informed about
the status of our project (rather) than … advocate."
Still, lobbying and other disclosure records shed light on how much
money is being spent in California and beyond to reach lawmakers.
California's competitors include the Western High Speed Rail Alliance,
with dreams of building a system connecting Arizona, Colorado, Nevada
and Utah. It paid its chief lobbyist $120,000 last year, records show.
In a similar vein, the Texas High Speed Rail and Transportation
Commission paid its lobbyists $40,000 last year.
Florida High Speed Rail followed suit in January, hiring lobbyists who
formerly worked for Florida lawmakers. The American High Speed Rail
Alliance has paid its lobbyist $70,000 since hiring the firm in October.
"It's a tough environment," Kadesh acknowledged Friday. "All major
projects are under the microscope … but, we have the strongest and best
ally, who is the president of the United States."
So far, the Obama administration has provided California nearly $3.5
billion for a high-speed rail system whose initial route would stretch
from Bakersfield to near Chowchilla.
For fiscal 2012, the Obama administration has requested $8.2 billion in
national high-speed rail funds. Separately, lawmakers will write a
transportation bill this year that could include a high-speed rail
section. Both the appropriations and public works bills are traditional
catnip for lobbyists, but both will also be particularly difficult to
pass this year.
The California High-Speed Rail Authority first hired Kadesh in June
2007, disclosure records show. Last year, he was paid $100,000 by the
rail authority.
Kadesh served as Feinstein's chief of staff for seven years. Two of his
lobbying associates likewise formerly worked for Feinstein.
In January, when the House shifted to Republican control, the California
High-Speed Rail Authority hired the Republican Maloney as well.
The California rail group paid Maloney's firm, Ogilvy Government
Relations, $30,000 during the first three months of 2011, records show.
Ogilvy Government Relations is a subsidiary of Ogilvy Public Relations
Worldwide, which has a multimillion-dollar contract with the rail authority.
Kadesh targets Democrats and Maloney targets Republicans. It's a
standard tactical division of labor, though it can sometimes seem
schizophrenic. Some California congressional offices on both sides of
the rail debate say they haven't yet been contacted by Maloney or the
Ogilvy team.
"I wouldn't recognize him if he walked down the hallway," said
Democratic Rep. Jim Costa of Fresno, a longtime high-speed rail
advocate. "I've been frustrated, and I've questioned the authority
several times about (Ogilvy's work)."
A lost opportunity, Costa said, occurred recently when the California
Legislative Analyst's Office released a scathing 28-page critique of the
high-speed rail project. No one tried to coordinate a unified Capitol
Hill defense, he said.
Costa, while praising his fellow Democrat Kadesh as "effective," said
that the California High-Speed Rail Authority "ought to save themselves
some money" and consider ending the Ogilvy contract.
Katherine Strehl, the high-speed rail project lead for Oglilvy
Government Relations, responded Friday that the Republican lobbyists
were brought in "due to their strong relationships with incoming members
and leadership," and said they have worked successfully.
"They have conducted significant outreach to California members and
those who make transportation-related decisions on both sides of the
aisle," Strehl said.
Seen another way, the dispute underscores just how politically delicate
the high-speed rail lobbying issue has become.
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