California high-speed rail gets green light Madera to Bakersfield

California lawmakers gave the green light to start building the nation’s first dedicated high-speed rail line, a multibillion dollar project that will eventually link Los Angeles and San Francisco. This first link is proposed to be from Madera to Bakersfield, Ca. Madera is just north of Fresno, Ca. Madera has a population of 60 thousand, Fresno with 500,000 and Bakersfield a population of 350,000 according to 2010 census. This is certainly not a lot of traffic for an $8 billion project that will run along Hwy 99. The overall project once San Francisco and Los Angeles are connected will be $68 billion, a massive amount for a state that is operating in the red. The vote was along party lines with approval from labor and Governor Brown, yet no Republican voted for approval as they site the massive costs. The Los Angeles Times reported at the same time a French firm SNCF which operates high speed rail in France offered to assist in the construction, but organizers and lawmakers declined the offer as self serving. Governor Brown has pushed for the massive infrastructure project to accommodate expected growth in the nation's most populous state, which now has 37 million people. State and federal officials also said high-speed rail would create jobs. The bill authorizes the state to sell nearly half of a $10 billion high-speed rail bond that voters approved four years ago under Proposition 1A. In addition to financing the first segment of high-speed rail, it allocates a total of $1.9 billion in bonds for regional rail improvements in (Caltrain) Northern and the Metrolink in Southern California. A number of Democrats were not in favor of this project as there are no guarantees for future funding from Federal or private sources. All this aside what does it mean for the land investor? Well initially if you own land between Madera and Bakersfield then you have a potential buyer in your home or land. It also become a target for land and real estate speculators who will target to buy land along potential or proposed routes in the Central Valley and in the Antelope Valley. There are freight rail lines along this route which is more or less along Hwy 99. Most of this land now is less expensive land then land within the San Francisco Bay Area , or Greater Los Angeles. If you wanted a green light to speculate on land in the Central Valley then you have got a track to follow.

LA County Approves First Solar to Continue Installation at AV Solar Ranch One Project in Antelope Valley’s West Side

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Works and First Solar, Inc. (Nasdaq: FSLR) have reached an agreement on the installation of solar modules at the Solar Ranch One photovoltaic (PV) power plant currently under construction in the Antelope Valley. Construction of the AV Solar Ranch One plant had been suspended during a permitting dispute with county officials over building codes. Installation of the modules had been delayed while First Solar and Public Works worked to achieve agreement related to the module code certifications. The project is partially funded by a $646-million U.S. Energy Department loan guarantee and is expected to be completed next year. First Solar has sold the 230-megawatt Antelope Valley plant in September to Exelon Corp for $75 million according to company filings. Excelon has indicated that they will invest $700 million into the project. Although it is sold to Excelon, First Solar will operate it and maintain it. The agreement with Los Angeles County will enable First Solar to continue construction activities of the 230-megawatt power plant that, which is scheduled for completion in 2013. It will generate enough electricity to power 75,000 homes. The $1.4 billion project is one of the largest in LA County. The 2,100-acre property is located in the northern part of the county and situated on land previously used for agriculture and without threatened or endangered species, according to First Solar

Cowboys and Aliens in Antelope Valley’s Elizabeth Lake

A recent episode of Ancient Aliens on the History Channel 2 detailed the story of Lake Elizabeth being a Alien site. Indians called it Devils Lake, and they spoke about a Thunder Bird or “rocket plane”? Ancient Alien hosts described it as potential plane, since Indian legend describe it as a bird with fire (ThunderBird). Many ranchers in the past have complained about missing and mutilated cattle over the years. The first sighting of this monster is said to have been by a rancher named Francisco “Chico” Lopez who raised cattle and sheep around Elizabeth Lake in the 1860s. The stories say the monster ate Lopez’ cattle, so he sold out in 1883 to another rancher Leonis, who tolerated the beast no more than he tolerated squatters. In a book by S.E. Schlosser’s 2005 retelling of the legend in “Spooky California,” Leonis later sold the ranch himself because the monster had been raiding his cattle and scaring off his workers. When Leonis’ ranch hands reported the monster was stealing cattle, he camped beside the lake and waited for it to emerge from the water. The rancher attacked the monster and the monster then retreated to allegedly Tombstone, Arizona where according to an April 1890 article in the Tombstone Epitaph two cowboys shot to death a creature like a giant crocodile with wings that stretched 160 feet. Was it the Lake Elizabeth Monster? If the Thunder Bird of Devils Lake is real or not there isn’t any concrete evidence, but it makes for an interesting story. We bring this up because areas need places of interest to get tourism, and people to visit. Antelope Valley currently lacks that attraction which can help bring alternative commerce to an area. Presently Antelope Valley has technology in the Stealth Bomber, Wind and Solar, spring poppy reserve and lower priced homes and land, but there isn’t anything like an out of this world experience to attract people traffic.Antelope Valley needs a legend, a phenomenal occurrence, hiking trail or something exquisite to attract visitors. Mybe there is hope that SpaceX or private space exploration craft will launch from Edwards in the future. To read more about the legend of Lake Elizabeth you can read 1930 book, “On the Old West Coast,” by Horace Bell, or S.E. Schlosser’s “Spooky California,”

Desert Tortoise Bighorn Sheep and Environmentalists get bypassed by California Legislators Bill SB 226 in favor of Calico Solar Project

The Los Angeles Times reports that under this bill SB 226, which was approved by the Senate in March and passed 56 to 10 in the Assembly, Calico Solar may now go directly to the California Energy Commission with its application for approval. The bill is expected to be approved by Governor Brown as the administration lobbied for the bill. K Road acquired the project from Tessera. It was planned to be an over 8000 acre 850 megawatt project but has since been reduced to 4600 acre 663 megawatt project 37 miles east of Barstow, Ca. It is just north of Hwy 40. The project needs quick action as it faces a June 30 deadline for approval from the Energy Commission. Funny enough according to the LA Times Calico Solar doesn’t have a power purchase agreement with an energy company, nor financing and it doesn’t even have a construction date. The Times reports that with the California government approval, the project will be an acquisition target for a solar firm. Today, Calico Solar has no power purchase agreement with a utility, no financing and no construction start date, and it faces a lawsuit by environmentalists. But with the Energy Commission's approval, the project could become an attractive acquisition for a big solar developer. Environmentalists have since filed a suit over the project. It is perplexing how this project has moved along so fast, since at the same time the Dept. of Fish and Game instituted mitigation cuts. The California Department of Fish and Game (DFG) announced in March that budget cuts had temporarily stopped the agency’s ability to review and approve new mitigation banking proposals statewide. The State budget cuts have created a backlog and the Department has slowed the process. The Desert Tortoise, Nelson Bighorn Sheep, and ground squirrel are all endangered species and live in San Bernardino County and on the Calico Project. The tortoise was removed before from Bright Source Ivanpah, Ca. Project already. This is strange timing with the reduction in mitigation approvals and this solar projects bill passing. California is clearly a Blue State and they have pushed for alternative energy for years. But this also pushes out endangered species and environmentalists which have been a political talking point on California Democratic Campaigns. It goes against the Democrats policies, and they have full control California State Government. We have been helping a number of firms in acquiring mitigation land in Los Angeles and San Bernardino Counties. This would have clearly been a mitigation land site. There is vast available land in Northern Los Angeles County and San Bernardino County where solar projects can thrive along with the tortoise. We can help pinpoint locations where mitigation and solar can co-exist.

Lancaster and Palmdale and Victor Valley Projected Population Growth

The population in the Antelope Valley is now about 440,000 and about 360,000 in Victor Valley. The projected population for the Antelope Valley (including Southern Kern County) is to increase in 2030 to 880,000 while the population at Victor Valley during this period is to grow to 700,000 as both areas rank among the fastest growing in Southern California. The plan for the High Desert Corridor through mid 2013 is to continue the meetings and then to begin the engineering which is projected to begin construction in 2016 and then to complete the roadway in 2020. The tremendous growth in these areas will make this roadway an absolute necessity based on the projected population projections. The City of Lancaster 2000 population was an estimated 118,718 persons, representing a 22 percent increase over the 1990 population of 97,291 persons. As of January 1, 2007, the City’s population was an estimated of 143,818 persons. Population growth is expected to continue in Lancaster, with SCAG estimating that its population will reach 168,032 persons by 2010, 191,912 persons by 2015, 215,468 persons by 2020 and 259,696 persons by 2030.3 This projection would represent a population growth of approximately 80.6 percent between 2007 and 2030. Similar estimates are targeted for Palmdale, Ca also reaching 270,000 by 2030. LA Counties population is projected to increase to 10,718,007 persons by 2010 and 11,501,884 persons by 2020. The sources on population growth are SCAG’s, GAVEA, and Antelope Valley 2030 General Plan. The largest area for Los Angeles County to grow is the Antelope Valley as it hold 49% of the available vacant land in the county. An estimated 1 million population expansion in the next ten years can only take place in Lancaster and Palmdale with any significance. The Population growth alone will increase the demand for housing and land resources. If the Vacant land investor is looking for a 20 year buy and hold then with this growth and inflation then buying land now at current low rates is a great strategy for long term gains. Contact us today for low priced land via our site vacantlanddeals.com 213 500-9578 and view our current inventory.

CalHighSpeedRail Says Train Will Cost Under $100Billion and Launch Sooner With Revisions

HighSpeedRail recent New Conference: Promising "improvements" to the state's controversial bullet train plan, the new head of the project told a Senate hearing in Silicon Valley on Tuesday he now believes building high-speed rail would cost less than the alarming estimate of nearly $100 billion. "I believe the number's coming down," Dan Richard told a packed auditorium Tuesday night. "Obviously the $98 billion was sticker shock for a lot of people." Using existing tracks like Caltrain and speeding up the construction schedule would bring down the costs of the project, Richard said in defending the much-criticized plan that Gov. Jerry Brown has appointed him to revive. He also promised quicker upgrades to Bay Area and Los Angeles commuter lines that would share the track and upgrading the initial leg of track in the Central Valley. Richard said the project's first segment in the Central Valley -- dismissed by some as a $6 billion "train to nowhere" will be tweaked to offer more "immediate benefits," but he offered no specifics. He also vowed to spend some $750 million in state funds in the next few years to help electrify the Caltrain line (SFBay Area commuter train) and $1 billion for similar commuter rail upgrades in Southern California, laying the foundation for bullet trains in those regions. The state's new plan will call for launching train service sooner by breaking the 520-mile line into "bite-sized" segments that can be built quicker. Previous estimates had delayed full service between Richard did not shed light on the fact that California does not have about 85 percent of the funding needed to build the train. "I don't think we'll be able to look (the Legislature) or the public in the eye and tell them that we have any greater clarity about the funding today," Richard said. He did, however, defend estimates that enough passengers will ride the train to turn a profit. Richard testified before key Senate Democrats and a packed house at the 600-seat Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts during a rare Silicon Valley hearing on the project. The California High-Speed Rail Authority in the next two weeks will release a final business plan that will give a more detailed look at everything from costs to funding to rider estimates. Major changes are expected after the preliminary plan included huge cost increases and steep drops in expected rider counts. That led to a slew of criticism from nonpartisan analysts and a drop in support in polls among a majority of likely voters. The Legislature will debate the plan over the following two months before voting in June on whether to spend $2.7 billion to match $3.3 billion in federal funds to start building in the Central Valley early next year. Lawmakers would have to approve spending on the upgrades in the Bay Area and Southern California in future years. Democratic Sens. Joe Simitian of Palo Alto, Alan Lowenthal of Long Beach, and Mark DeSaulnier of Walnut Creek, asked pointed questions but could not get Richard or fellow project board member Jim Hartnett of Redwood City to offer specifics on the forthcoming plan. The Legislative Analyst's Office said Tuesday that it is still concerned about the lack of funding, the need for upgrades in major metro areas and that officials haven't accurately compared the huge cost of the bullet train to alternative investments. Will Kempton, who leads the project's independent peer review group, said the state should start building in the Bay Area and Los Angeles, not the Central Valley. That way, if California receives no more funding, it could at least upgrade popular commuter lines. "Those investments will not be lost," Kempton said. But Richard disputed that. "The words 'train to nowhere' may have escaped my lips before I" came on the board, Richard said. "But I believe today that it's the right place to start." Dozens or potentially hundreds of people were expected to speak late Tuesday into Wednesday morning to slam or tout the project. Construction workers held signs touting the project and were opposed by naysayers armed with "kill high-speed rail" fliers.

Mitigation Banking Has Been on the Rise in the Antelope Valley Just as California Department of Fish and Game Temporarily Halts Mitigation Program

As of March 14, 2012, the California Department of Fish and Game (DFG) announced that budget cuts have temporarily stopped the agency’s ability to review and approve new mitigation banking proposals statewide. The State budget cuts have created a backlog and the Department has slowed the process. DFG did acknowledge in their press release and website that mitigation banking is an important environmental tool and hopes the pause in mitigation land banking activities is short-lived. They will sign and complete bank agreements that are close to being completed, yet they didn’t indicate what it considers “close.” DFG will not, however, be approving new banking programs and stated it may not have the capacity to process major amendments to existing agreements.

This creates a great problem for smaller and new mitigation banking firms, which lack the capital to process and buy longer term. Some of the smaller mitigation bankers may have spent larger sums of capital on areas where the environmental benefits are not in delicate ecosystems for endangered plants and animals. These land bankers were buying larger parcels of land in the hopes that developers will buy the land to fulfill the environmentalist concerns. These smaller bankers will have to sell some of their land now to more deep pocket competitors or investors to stay afloat.

The mitigation business is similar to land banking business, where you buy vacant land and hold the land for buyers who need the land for later development. In mitigation banking the future buyers are developers who develop near cities growing areas and must buy “credits” to satisfy environmentalist and the state in order to develop their land today. An example would be a Mall developer, a solar or wind farm will have to buy large swaths of land and donate it to the state to preserve the land forever. Most of these parcels are in endangered animal and plant habitats like that of the desert tortoise, ground squirrel, and Joshua tree woodlands in Southern California.

We at vacantlanddeals.com have been working with several mitigation bankers who are buying land for current developers, or buying land now to mitigate bank it for future developer plans. We have hundreds of land owners on our list of potential sellers who can benefit from this mitigation wave. Contact us and we can help introduce your land to the larger mitigation bankers. Lancaster and Palmdale areas of Antelope Valley, and San Bernardino County are large target areas for land banking and mitigation banking needs. Some of the larger mitigation bankers can wait until the DFG completes its backlog or hires more employees to handle the traffic.