Copyright 2000 The Chronicle Publishing Co.
The San
Francisco Chronicle
JUNE 24, 2000, SATURDAY, FINAL EDITION
SECTION: NEWS; Pg. A17; JOHN KING
LENGTH: 826 words
HEADLINE:
Biding Time Until BART Gets There;
Antioch politicians push alternatives
BYLINE: John King
BODY:
Here's a word of advice to people in eastern Contra Costa hoping to see
BART's silver trains glide out to Antioch: don't hold your breath.
Local
politicians have stirred things up by saying that Contra Costa and Alameda
voters deserve longer BART lines before Santa Clara County gets a connection of
its own. But the most realistic compromise is likely to involve commute-hours
use of existing freight rail lines, not a full-bore BART
extension.
"What those of us in the underserved areas should be looking
at are interim steps," says Joel Keller, who represents much of eastern Contra
Costa on the BART board of directors. "First express buses, then
commuter rail, then a direct extension to Antioch." Why not
just stretch BART further east? Do the math: at roughly $100
million a mile, the 10 miles to reach Antioch from the current Bay Point
terminus could cost $1 billion. It might cost one-fourth that
to run part-time commuter service between Brentwood and the North Concord BART
station.
An obvious source of funds would be if Santa Clara is required
to "buy-in" to BART before entering the system. That's what San Mateo did back
in 1988, bringing $600 million to the table and helping extend
BART to Dublin and Bay Point.
Such a deal would be required under a bill
proposed by Assemblyman Tom Torlakson. Torlakson claims to have received 10,000
postcards in support of what he calls "an issue of fairness." Not
coincidentally, he's running for state Senate in a district that includes . . .
Antioch and Livermore.
"Tom has done a marvelous job putting the equity
issue on the table," says BART Director Dan Richard, whose district includes
Brentwood. And how should any "buy-in" funds be spent? "Equity issues are
important, but so is finding the fastest and most cost-effective way to relieve
congestion."
Translation: A summer of high-stake negotiations lies
ahead.
MS PRESIDENT?: Who's that local face in a set of photographs
accompanying the current Newsweek article, "Will a Woman Ever Become President?"
Why, Ellen Tauscher!
Yes, the Democrat from Alamo shares a page with
Elizabeth Dole, Hillary Clinton and Dianne Feinstein. The article gives her only
passing mention ("there are plenty of stars in Congress, including Californians
Ellen Tauscher and Dianne Feinstein"), but you can't beat the placement.
"It's great to be placed in the elite," says Jennifer Renk, who heads
Tauscher's district office, quick to follow with the obligatory, "She's still
got a race in a tough district ahead of her."
As for Tauscher's
Republican opponent, Claude Hutchison . . . maybe George W. Bush is looking for
a running mate?
ALL HAIL ROSSMOOR: By the way, both Tauscher and
Torlakson stopped by Rossmoor last Saturday to pay homage to the most ardent
Democrats around.
Officially, it was the summertime launch of
Torlakson's campaign. But in real life it was a chance for elected officials to
bow before Democrats of Rossmoor, a political club with a whopping 780 active
members.
"There's a saying in my district, If you have Rossmoor with
you, you win,' " Tauscher told a crowd that numbered 200 despite the absence of
members who were at their grandchildrens' graduation ceremonies.
"The
group is one-of-a-kind, certainly in this area," Supervisor Donna Gerber
commented after the meeting.
It's not just that members donate money --
they talk up candidates, work phone banks and roll up their sleeves for
candidates favored by the club: "If you need a mailing sent out, they can pull
people together in a snap," Gerber said. "It reminds me of traditional
activism."
Which explains the presence of Gerber. And Tauscher. And
Torlakson. And Richard. And council members from five cities. And Rep. George
Miller, D-Martinez -- who doesn't even have Rossmoor in his district.
Yes, elders still are shown respect in our society -- especially if
they've got political clout.
THE BEAR TRUTH: If you don't think that
staid suburban Moraga has a wild and woolly past, then you haven't read the
latest issue of Polar Bear Journal.
"For decades before WWII, Moraga was
a fun place, a partying place . . . you could stop and have few drinks and go
upstairs for a visit to the whorehouse," according to the journal, an anonymous
broadside that appears sporadically on the bulletin board at the post office of
Moraga's tiny rustic neighbor, Canyon.
Alas, "Now there are sundry items
available in Moraga, but there is no bar and no whorehouse. I can understand
about the whorehouse, the law being what it is, but no bar?," the writer
exclaims in wonder. "That's what happens when you get too many Republicans in
one place, and you have a lawn and order' mentality with a good dose of suburban
paranoia thrown into the mix."
So there, neighbor!
You
can reach John King at (925) 974-8354; by writing The Chronicle at 2737 N. Main
St., Suite 100, Walnut Creek, Calif. 94596; or by e-mail at kingj@sfgate.com.
LOAD-DATE: June 28, 2000 
