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• • RESOLUTION NO. 23-04 A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE TOWN OF LOS ALTOS HILLS SUPPORTING THE CALIFORNIA HIGH-SPEED RAIL AUTHORITY'S USE OF ONE OF TWO ALIGNMENTS INTO THE SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA FOR THE STATE'S HIGH-SPEED RAIL SYSTEM WHEREAS, a high-speed rail line connecting northern and southern California would relieve highway and air traffic congestion between the Bay Area and Los Angeles, which is one of the busiest air traffic corridors in the nation. WHEREAS,the California High-Speed Rail Authority,the organization responsible for planning, designing, constructing, and operating the state's high-speed rail system,plans to run the first leg between Los Angeles and San Francisco through San Jose. Ultimately,the line would be extended to Oakland, Sacramento and San Diego. WHEREAS,the California High-Speed Rail Authority is recommending two alignment options through the Pacheco Pass or a series of tunnels through the Diablo Range to bring high-speed rail into the San Francisco Bay Area through San Jose. The line would then split,with one set of tracks paralleling the Caltrain Commuter Rail Corridor up the Peninsula to San Francisco and the other set running up the East Bay to Oakland. WHEREAS,the California High-Speed Rail Authority concluded that entering the Bay Area from the south would offer faster travel times; more frequent service to San Jose, San Francisco and Oakland; higher ridership; and more revenue. WHEREAS,the California High-Speed Rail Authority considered and rejected one other Bay Area alignment,the so-called Altamont Pass alignment. Following this route, the high-speed rail trains would enter the Bay Area over the Altamont Pass to Union City. From Union City,the trains would then split into three lines—one south to San Jose, another north to Oakland and a third to San Francisco over a new bridge across the bay. WHEREAS,the California High-Speed Rail Authority concluded that the Altamont Pass alignment would be problematic from an operational and environmental standpoint. According to the authority, splitting the service into three, rather than two, lines would reduce train frequencies and ridership, while substantially increasing operating costs. In addition, the authority noted that the costs of building a new rail bridge across San Francisco Bay and the environmental hurdles that would need to be overcome to do so make the Altamont Pass alignment impractical.