Pesky environmentalists gave the thumbs up to the Pacheco Pass route for the high-speed train that will whisk Californians from the Bay Area to Los Angeles in, like, five minutes. Or something like that. Wonderful news. An according to the California High Speed Rail Authority's recently released press release:

The Authority concluded that the Pacheco Pass alignment was the fastest and most environmentally responsible option for the high-speed train system, minimizing impacts on wetlands as well as the San Francisco Bay and eliminating the need for another San Francisco Bay crossing, bridge or tunnel. At the same time, the Authority also committed to boosting regional rail commuter service in partnership with local and regional agencies and transit providers such as ACE and BART trains, via the Altamont Pass between Sacramento/Northern San Joaquin Valley and Oakland/San Jose.

Awesome, yes? Yes. Anyway, Mayor Gavin Newsom evitas that the train as "a bold step for the future of California;" the choo choo will do wonders for getting to and from Southern California without being too invasive to SF's navel-gazing population; has Kamala Harris' number-one fan Quentin Kopp acting as Authority Chair, so you know shit will get done; and -- well, it's just going to be totally rad. It is. All we need now is a majority vote come November. And you will vote on the $9.9 billion bond measure to get it rolling, won't you? (Whatever. Just vote for it. We'll pay you back.) And if voters approve, according to CBS 5, the first stages of the line's construction could begin as early as 2010.