Railbanking shifts financial responsibility to feds

A recent letter expressed annoyance that local taxpayers will be subjected to extra federal taxes due to a $17 million judgment awarded to property owners adjacent to a rail right of way in Florida.

The right of way in question was railbanked which shifts the responsibility for financial judgements from the ROW owner to the federal government. The judgment results in each federal taxpayers’ bill increasing by 0.0008%.

The SCCRTC is currently in closed session discussions with several land owners with property adjacent to our ROW. Since it is not railbanked, any financial outcome will eventually end up being paid for by county taxpayers in one form or another, not the federal government.

The letter writer also claims “No rail means no state funding ever for a trail.” A quick visit to the Rails To Trails Conservancy website reveals that they have helped organizations across the country build more than 41,400 miles of multi-use trails aided by $24 billion of Federal Active Transportation funding.

— Peter Haworth, Soquel

Why Capitola Trestle can be used for trains

A Sept. 8 letter writer opines that the “Capitola Trestle makes rail service a ‘pipe dream.’”

The author bases her argument on Measure L of 2018, which was a Greenway-sponsored ballot measure. If passed, which it did in 2018 with 52% of the Capitola electorate who voted that day, Measure L would direct city officials to preserve the old trestle for use as a trail and ban city investment in a trail detouring onto city streets or sidewalks.

However, the Capitola Trestle, as well as the rail corridor on which the trestle exists, is owned by the RTC and not by the City of Capitola. As such, Measure L can be viewed as an “advisory” initiative to persuade the City of Capitola to work with the RTC within the scope of the proposals of the measure.

However, the decision about the use of the trestle clearly rests with the RTC.

Thus, if the RTC approves and funds it, the Capitola Trestle can be used for trains today and in the future.

— Peter Gibson, Soquel

Caught in ‘outrageous’ Capitola speed trap

It’s perpetrated on careful drivers by a hidden “No right turn 10 a.m., etc.”, at Clares Street in Capitola from 41st Avenue westbound:

There is a sign stating the restriction up a phone pole on the right, far from where a safe driver would look before turning, not at eye level nor in front of the driver, where the automatic camera snaps a photo of driver and license plate.

This cost us $230 in an outrageous trap for those who otherwise make a perfectly legal and safe right turn. We know that many others have suffered this indignity and don’t have the time or energy to fight it.

— Arthur Dover, Watsonville

Enforce traffic laws on dangerous e-bikers

To Sentinel reporter Jessica York: You could write a regular column “E-bike Near Misses and Accidents This Week.”

Or get the Sentinel to get some new laws passed. No walker wants to be run over by an e-biker. And no driver wants to swipe an e-biker. Especially a pair of 12 year olds weaving through traffic and walkways. Or a dad or mom with a 6 year old on the back (or front!) speeding 28 mph down 7th Avenue. I see it happen every day and am in the midst of it every day in Santa Cruz.

Please police enforce your traffic laws.

— Charles Riegler, Santa Cruz

A prediction on result of Harris-Trump debate

In over 45 years of criminal defense practice – 13 as a public defender - I’ve defended and observed a couple of hundred criminal trials. In the relatively few of those in which an obviously guilty defendant testified, especially when against advice of counsel, I have witnessed the critical damage that can be inflicted by skilled prosecutors, when infused with and energized by their admirable primary mission to do justice, in cross examination. So I am anxious to watch the Harris-Trump debate because I predict it will result in the public evisceration Trump so richly deserves. And, because I believe he is terrified of this and of the lengthy prison sentences he also so richly deserves due to his egregious criminality, I will not be surprised if he weasels out, even though he and his handlers may believe he must risk debating due to Harris’ increasing popularity.

— Garth Smith, Santa Cruz