Whitman Shows True Colors on Job Creation

Opposes High-Speed Rail and Hundreds of Thousands of New California Jobs

Oakland, CA– Billionaire CEO Meg Whitman’s campaign declared yesterday that Whitman opposes the voter-approved plan to build the nation’s first high-speed rail system in California, a project supported by a broad coalition of business, labor and environmental groups.

California Labor Federation Executive Secretary-Treasurer Art Pulaski released the following statement today in response to Whitman’s opposition to California high-speed rail:

“Meg Whitman’s opposition to high-speed rail and the hundreds of thousands of jobs it would create shows how dangerously out of touch she is with the economic realities facing so many California families.

“In her glossy TV ads, Whitman says she understands the daily hardships facing our state’s unemployed, but it’s clear that’s just more campaign rhetoric. In opposing high-speed rail, she’s shown her true colors on jobs.

“California’s high-speed rail project is precisely the kind of spark our state’s economy needs. Not only would it create good-paying jobs up and down the state, it has the potential to bring manufacturing back to California.

“It’s shocking that a candidate for Governor could be so detached from the economic hardships facing our state’s families. With one in eight Californians out of work, how can we afford not to invest in the creation of hundreds of thousands of permanent, good new jobs?”

 

Background

High-speed rail is a no-brainer for California: business, labor, local governments and environmentalists all support the construction of high-speed rail in California for its economic, environmental, business and revenue benefits.

The construction and operation of a high-speed rail system is projected to create 160,000 construction jpbs and as many as 450,000 permanent jobs statewide, including in the economically depressed Central Valley.

High-speed rail will make California businesses more competitive, by speeding the movement of goods and people throughout the state, enabling businesses to attract workers, and propelling California tourism.

Voters have already declared their support for high-speed rail, approving Proposition 1A in 2008 for $9.95 billion in bonds to build high speed rail in California, more than any other state has committed to high-speed rail, and the federal government has already committed more than $2 billion.

 

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