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Phil Matier: Brown More Receptive To Public Needs On High-Speed Rail

SAN MATEO (KCBS) – High-speed rail on the Peninsula isn't the only controversial segment of the route that will someday connect every major California city. KCBS political insider Phil Matier said that the High-Speed Rail Authority is now revising the route between Fresno and Bakersfield, after some spirited opposition.

"There was a real sort of attitude problem with the authority set up to build this rail," said Matier. "Whether it was in the Peninsula, or in the Los Angeles area, and now we're seeing it in the Central Valley. They had a kind of, 'our way or the highway' attitude."

KCBS and Chronicle Insider Phil Matier Comments:

Matier said that since Jerry Brown has taken over as governor of California though, he decided to try to fix that attitude by changing board members, and talking to the public about their needs.

He said that the issue in the Central Valley is indicative of what we'll see all over the state, now that the public is having a say on the project.

(Copyright 2011 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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