ROAD FUNDS FACING DETOUR FEDERAL HIGHWAY BILL UNRESOLVED WHILE SENATE FIGHTS OVER FILIBUSTER.Byline: Eugene Tong Staff Writer SANTA CLARITA Santa Clarita, city (1990 pop. 110,642), Los Angeles co., S Calif., suburb 30 mi (48 km) NW of downtown Los Angeles, on the Santa Clara River; inc. 1987. Situated in the Santa Clara valley and nearby canyons, Santa Clarita includes the former towns of Canyon Country, - The Senate filibuster filibuster, term used to designate obstructionist tactics in legislative assemblies. It has particular reference to the U.S. Senate, where the tradition of unlimited debate is very strong. It was not until 1917 that the Senate provided for cloture (i.e. showdown has been a wild card in the passage of the federal highway bill, with some $7 million at stake for local road projects including the city's much-touted Cross Valley Connector. While a last-minute deal may have been struck to avoid a possible vote today by the Republican-led Senate to outlaw endless debate on federal judicial nominations, local officials warily watched the unfolding political drama. ``That's the wild card,'' said Michael Murphy Michael Murphy may refer to:
Senate Democrats had threatened to slow government if opponents change a rule Democrats used to derail de·rail intr. & tr.v. de·railed, de·rail·ing, de·rails 1. To run or cause to run off the rails. 2. 10 of President George W. Bush's nominees during his first term. Meantime, the federal highway bill is months overdue, with the latest extension set to expire May 31. Delays on the highway bill would complicate the city funding process for the connector, said Robert Newman Robert Newman can refer to:
2. Whether a street which is not a thoroughfare is a highway, seems not fully settled. fees and developer fees, he said. Murphy believes Congress will enact another highway-funding extension until late June, with the bill approved and signed by Bush before the July 4 recess - unless the filibuster battle complicates things. ``Between now and next Tuesday, some kind of an action needs to take place,'' he said. A version of the federal highway bill now in negotiation in Congress allocates about $5 million for Santa Clarita to finance a connection between Newhall Ranch Road and Golden Valley Road - part of the 8.5-mile, $245 million Cross Valley Connector. The long-planned east-west route cuts across the valley to connect Interstate 5 with the Antelope Valley Freeway The Antelope Valley Freeway is a freeway in Los Angeles and Kern counties in southern California. It is signed as California State Highway 14 along its length. It connects Greater Los Angeles to the rapidly developing Antelope Valley. . The $284 billion spending bill approved in March by the House of Representatives also includes $2 million for car-pool and truck bypass lanes on both sides of I-5 from the Antelope Valley Freeway to Calgrove Boulevard and for improvements to The Old Road, which parallels the I-5. Congressional leaders are negotiating to merge the House bill with one the Senate approved last week - a $295 billion highway bill that does not include allocations for local projects and exceeds White House-imposed spending limits. U.S. Rep. Howard P. ``Buck'' McKeon, R-Santa Clarita, who put the local projects into the House bill, is pushing to keep them in the final version. ``The congressman is a very strong advocate of the projects,'' said Vartan Djihanian, a spokesman for McKeon. ``He's going to work closely with the members of the conference committee to make sure those projects are included in the final bill that makes it to the floor of the Congress and eventually to the president's desk.'' Murphy was optimistic op·ti·mist n. 1. One who usually expects a favorable outcome. 2. A believer in philosophical optimism. op the allocations will survive with the backing of U.S. Sens. Dianne Feinstein Dianne Goldman Berman Feinstein (born June 22, 1933) is the senior U.S. Senator from California, having held office as a senator since 1992. She is a member of the Democratic Party. and Barbara Boxer Barbara Levy Boxer (born November 11, 1940) is an American politician and the current junior U.S. Senator from the State of California. A member of the Democratic Party, Boxer was first elected to the U.S. , both California Democrats. ``The signals we've gotten back from both Senate offices is these projects are important to both senators, and they're on their radar screens,'' he said. ``It's really a matter of holding on to what we've got.'' Aides to McKeon and Feinstein declined to discuss how the filibuster battle may affect developing legislation. But Murphy believes public distaste for the conflict may temper both Republicans and Democrats. ``The political reality is there is going to be little tolerance for that,'' he said. Eugene Tong, (661) 257-5253 eugene.tong(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): map Map: CROSS VALLEY CONNECTOR Daily News |
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