Oar Fish washes up on California Shore and San Andreas Movie’s Debut?

New reports indicate an oar fish ran ashore off the California coast near Catalina Island. The movie San Andreas is about a major earthquake in California on the San Andreas Fault. So what do the two have to do with one another? Japanese legend says an oarfish coming ashore is an earthquake indicator. This folklore goes back centuries. News reports say this oarfish has no major injuries, so why did it come up from the deep. The Japanese myth has some science behind it. The oarfish is a deep water fish and it rarely if ever comes to the surface according to marine biologists. The oarfish comes ashore because he is sick or dying, or they feel tremor under the sea. So if an oarfish swims to the surface then you should run to the hills. Now this fish may actually be sick and if there is only one found ashore then it may just indicate this one needed a doctor. But if more come ashore then we need to ask the scientists if there are tremor readings in the Pacific. “ What science tell us about warnings from the earth. The Iquisitr news article quotes: When an earthquake occurs there can be a build-up of pressure in the rocks which can lead to electrostatic charges that cause electrically-charged ions to be released into the water,” Dr. Grant explained. “This can lead to the formation of hydrogen peroxide, which is a toxic compound. The charged ions can also oxidize organic matter which could either kill the fish or force them to leave the deep ocean and rise to the surface. The geophysical processes behind these kinds of sighting can happen before an earthquake.” The oarfish found on Catalina Island was sighted on Monday. As it just so happens, the USGS reports an earthquake occurred on Tuesday within the same general area, although it was centered further north within California. Coincidence? End Inquisitr article. So the earthquake may have already happened and in this case it only affected this fish and other not seen yet. But if you live in California and or you own real estate then earthquake have to be a concern. If you own land then it is less of a problem unless it is the “big one”. Either way it is something to pay attention to and it is great free press for the San Andreas movie.

California High-Speed Rail Authority Making Its Case in Developing the Route

The high speed rail authority is make a case for the rail system based on population projections of an increase in 12 million new inhabitants in the State by 2040. They propose that the rail system will be in place from San Francisco to Los Angeles by 2029. They have only started construction on the first 29 miles of the system began in January, and the will be building their first river crossing bridge over the Fresno River soon. An AV Press article stated from an event that the alignments for the two portions of the system going through the Antelope Valley Have not been determined. They do have a plan from Bakersfield over the Tehachapi Mountains, and from there into the northern end of Lancaster still needs to be determined. They did indicate they wanted to avoid the wind turbines and any mining so at least that is a hint. They said they will run along Sierra Highway, which is where the existing railroad track is located. According to the AVPress article: There are four major routes, plus a couple of sub-routes, being looked at between Palmdale and Burbank. The original proposals paralleled the Antelope Valley Freeway (Hwy 14) between Acton and Santa Clarita, but new alternatives include underground routes proposed to tunnel through the San Gabriel Mountains with the aim of avoiding opponents in the Acton area and the Santa Clarita Valley. And then there is the cost which is estimated to be $68 Billion. The rail authority’s case against this cost is that it will cost $158 Billion if they created new highways, expanding airports, and made new roads. So $68 Billion sounds like a bargain. It maybe a tough sell either way as the costs to do nothing will likely be congestion. If you own land along Sierra Hwy at some point you may get an offer letter, but it still maybe decades away as we don’t see a system in place by 2029 from SF to LA.

California landowners Say the Ground Water is Theirs

CNBC Recent article on water in California Most landowners in California say they own the water underneath their land, while others argue groundwater is a common resource. Now with the drought in California, there's a topic many private landowners remain steadfast about: Water well metering. Without a drought the water from rivers lakes and reservoirs is ample enough to supply roughly two thirds of state water each year. Now farmers and drillers are digging deeper for ground water. According to a CNBC article groundwater can account for half of total state water consumed in drought years. This is usually not an issue, but now with a drought groundwater is everyone’s issue. In rural areas in outside Bakersfield, Tulare County ground water is the main water for residents. The Sustainable Ground water Act requires local districts to measure and report details on regional groundwater amounts. It was signed by Gov. Brown last year. The laws guidelines implies rural communities will have to monitor ground water removal which means metering. The argument is that driller may drill 1000 feet below their land but they are also tapping the neighbor’s water peripherally. It is further argued that the landowners say I own the water beneath my land and that is it, and it is not illegal to drill for water. The State and regulator want to regulate with water acquisition and they say that land is sinking because water is being pull out from other areas. The landowners say if it is my water why do I have to report what I take from my land? The State says they need to regulate how much water is being withdrawn. If there wasn’t a drought then likely there would not be an argument. CNBC’s article further reports that while the groundwater law is a place to start, the regulation includes a timeline for implementation, with a target date of 2040. End article. This will most likely affect the rural areas of Antelope Valley as Los Angeles County has been in a law suit with land owners in the Valley regarding the water basin below. This may increase the value of city land where water will be furnished by city services. It more affects farmers and rural residents in Antelope Valley, but as Lancaster and Palmdale are in the High Desert water rationing will likely be a way of life.

Land Investment is an Ideal hedge Increased Federal Rising Interest Rates and Coming Inflation

The global central banks have been printing money as a means to stop the most recent financial crisis. The biggest three money printing central banks have been the Federal Reserve, Japan and the European Central Bank. Gold has diminished in value instead of increasing the last five years during the QE (Quantitative Easing) era. The US Federal Reserve has ended qualitative easing and will increase rates soon likely in months according to experts. Higher interest and all this money printing to avoid deflation will likely soon cause inflation. The US debt is so large that other countries may also move away from the dollar as the sole reserve currency. There are recent news reports that outline this. These factors will all lead to inflation, and likely very high inflation. Gold is usually a very popular investment to combat inflation as it appreciates in value against a currency during inflationary times. Real estate is also a great investment at any time, and it is even better during times of rising inflation. Real Estate housing prices will likely drop with higher interest rates as the cost to buy a home will be more. The limited availability of land and rising population growth will increase housing demand and hence real estate in general has the potential to beat inflation in the long term. A reason why land is a good inflation investment hedge is because it will not lose value to zero like a stock can. Land doesn’t go bankrupt If you buy land in cash then the value may go lower, but overall will have value if it was a decent purchase price in an area that will see growth with future development. It doesn’t mean all land has value. If a person overpaid for land then the value may take decades to generations to produce a return on investment. Precious metals like Gold and Silver can increase dramatically in inflationary periods so your investment can profit much more than land. But buy land at a good price and the investment can hold its value in inflation. You can also sell it as other may want it as their inflation hold in such an environment.

Rail Versus Kit Fox

Environmentalists say the $68 Billion rail maybe unended by the Kit Fox? There are lots of animals in this trains path. Kit Fox today burrowing Owl tomorrow. The Fresno Bee reported that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service say the California Higher-Speed Rail Authority and Federal Railroad Administration are out of compliance with environmental commitments for creating the bullet-train line in the Fresno-Madera area. The contractor Tutor Perini Zachry Parsons which sounds more like a law firm infringed on the Kit Fox’s habitat. The Kit Fox is an endangered species since 67. Biologist say the Kit Fox den was not active last summer, so the Fox didn’t product kits. The Kits Fox is a very small animal about the size of a cat. What do Californians love more than Global Warming, no I mean Climate Change is an Endangered species. We are will the fox on this one as the project has been a bad idea since the beginning. Way too expensive and way too unnecessary. The Hyper Loop looks to be the way to go if you need long haul transports. Stay tuned for more on this issue in coming months.

Kinkisharyo agrees to Continue Work on new Metro Light Rail Vehicles

Back in 2012, Kinkisharyo was awarded a contract for a base order of 78 new light rail vehicles plus contract options for additional vehicles for Los Angeles Metro., Kinkisharyo agreed to assemble light rail cars at a new facility in Palmdale, but late last year unions fought the agreement and Kinkisharyo decided to move on and back to Arizona. Since then the LA Mayor Eric Garcetti and the Metro Chair announced an agreement between Kinkisharyo and the unions The mayor was quoted in Nov. 2014 “Last month, the lines were drawn in the sand and we were going to see jobs that could be in L.A. County go somewhere else. But because we brought both sides back to the table to grind out night and day negotiations with my office, L.A. County is going to see new middle class jobs and an expansion of our manufacturing base,” Mayor and Metro Chair Garcetti said. “As I oversee the nation’s largest public works project as Mayor and Metro Chair, it’s critical to me that our economy benefits from our $36 billion transportation build out, and this agreement makes that happen. Creating good, local jobs as we strengthen our local infrastructure is key to my back to basics agenda for L.A.” Now according to news reports Kinkisharyo will expand the current light rail car assembly and testing operations at its existing site in Palmdale to include manufacturing tasks, which will create up to a total of 250 jobs. The 175 cars being worked on at the facility will be put into service on the Crenshaw, Exposition and extended Gold lines. The agreement includes a neutrality agreement, as well as a commitment to explore additional skills training and assistance for disadvantaged L.A. County workers. This is an opportunity for more jobs in the valley to go along with further progress at Plant 42, and BYD’s Electric Bus in Lancaster.

HyperLoop Test Track in California

Elon Musk has has pushed the Hyperloop forward from a dream to a test track. The Hyperloop train is a proposal to move people and cars at super speeds (760 mph) via a tube system. You could move from San Francisco to Los Angeles in under 45 minutes and drive your car right away. It appears that Elon Musk’s “hyperloop” system will build a test track in Texas. Another developer is proposing to build a test track in Quay Valley in Kings County. Quay Valley has been a proposed sustainable community, or a modern 21st century town from the ground up. It runs along Hwy 5 in central California. Quay Valley is not unlike Centennial in Antelope Valley has proposed. This proposed hyperloop track will be slower and shorter than Musk’s Loop in Texas. This slower system will allow engineers to study the system to load and unloading people and movement of the system. They have the land and they indicate they have the money also. We continue to bring this up as a Hyperloop would be a less expensive alternative to the CalHighSpeed Rail.