‘Sustainable’ Sonoma-Marin SMART Train: Environmental or Autocratic?

As of 2018, Petaluma-based Cornerstone Properties, which specializes in commercial real estate, entered into a purchase agreement with the Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit commuter system for the 5.31-acre property adjacent to the downtown train station. The Petaluma-based commercial developer paid $6 million for the vacant tract zoned for housing and retail space, after completing a final review of the 5.31-acre property. According to The Petaluma Argus Courier, “For going on a decade, the commuter rail agency tried to sell the downtown parcel, which comes with it a complex mishmash of land easements and possible soil contamination from its history as a former Union Pacific Railroad right of way. Two previous agreements fell through with would-be buyers, before Cornerstone emerged with a winning bid.”

Cornerstone’s interest in the vacant property was curious, given that former California Congressman Doug Bosco was an attorney for the firm, as detailed in his 2018 statement of economic interest filed with the Fair Political Practices Commission. In addition, Mr. Bosco is a tight knit colleague of Mr. Darius Anderson,  the lobbying mogul and buddy to Governor Newsom. Mr. Anderson owns Platinum Advisors, Sonoma Media Investments, Kenwood Investments and a multitude of other high profile businesses. Mr. Bosco is the General Counsel to Sonoma Media Investments and Co-owner to The Press Democrat, a publication produced by the aforementioned media giant. Ironically, Platinum Advisors was utilized by SMART for state legislative advocacy from 2015-2020.

As cited in The Marin Post, “On May 20, 2020, the SMART Board authorized the purchase of freight-related assets of the Northwestern Pacific Railroad Co. (NWP Co). NWP Co. is a privately held company whose owners include its general counsel, former Congressman Doug Bosco, now part owner of the Press Democrat.” Because Mr. Bosco has simultaneously held the title of Chair to the California Coastal Conservancy since 2003, one may inquire if any overlap in motives are present regarding the Conservancy’s proposed State Climate Adaptation Plans. With Mr. Bosco also an attorney for Sierra Pacific Industries, the general public may share concerns regarding potential conflicts of interest in the transportation sector.

As of 2021, SMART has officially entered the trade of freight hauling. The public comments and supporting documentation included with the November 17, 2021 SMART Board of Directors packet raise some rather concerning matters. It appears that A.G. Spanos Corporation, Mr. Bosco, Mr. Anderson and Poppy Bank were largely involved in backdoor negotiations for easement sales regarding the SMART freight takeover.

The PacificSun reported:

“Public records reveal that lengthy negotiations between the Spanos corporation and two state-created rail transportation agencies for ownership of the rights of way preceded breaking ground for the construction project. One right of way was owned by a passenger line, Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit district — SMART. A second right of way was owned by a state-owned freight line, North Coast Railroad Authority (NCRA). Both railway agencies saw the sale of the easements as potential cash cows. In April 2017, Spanos reached an agreement with the two agencies, shelling out $2.4 million for the right to remove the track. But that is not the end of the story. Millions of taxpayer dollars have been deployed to bail out and close down the NCRA, which leases the right to use its rails to a private company called Northwestern Pacific Railroad Company, or NWP Co.”

Within the PacificSun article, a paragraph subtitled “Amnesia” stated:

“Despite Bosco and Anderson’s overlapping business interests, no one at SMART, the NCRA or Poppy Bank appears to have complained about the conflict of interest during the negotiations which resulted in windfalls for SMART, NCRA and NWP Co. Astoundingly, SMART now claims to have forgotten why Anderson was involved in the negotiations”. “Bosco wrote, ‘Neither NWP Co nor I personally received any compensation from this transaction. I have no idea what, if any, relationship Spanos had with Poppy Bank or what benefit, if any, accrued to the bank… the bank was not a party to this or any other railroad related transaction.’”

Mr. Bosco’s statement regarding Poppy Bank raises skepticism as he possesses over $1M of stock with the monetary tycoon. A case has been opened with the FPPC for clarification as to if these endeavors present malfeasance.

I recently authored an article in The California Globe, regarding the global demand for critical minerals lithium and cobalt to power electric vehicles. “Tesla vehicles are largely powered by batteries which operate using cobalt as a key ingredient.”

According to Financial Times:

“Glencore is the world’s largest listed trading house and biggest producer of cobalt through its mines in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Australia and Canada.”

Just last year, Tesla and Glencore were holding discussions for the electric vehicle manufacturer to hold stake in the natural resource entity:

“However, the discussions ended with no deal reached. Tesla had concerns over whether Glencore’s extensive coal mining business was compatible with the carmaker’s environmental goals, and was reluctant to take a minority equity stake. The rise of electric vehicles has prompted concern among carmakers and battery makers about securing supplies of raw materials such as cobalt, lithium and nickel that are needed to manufacture batteries.”

The Council on Foreign Relations expresses grave concerns surrounding cobalt mining practices. This rare element is not only used to power electric vehicles, but computers and cell phones as well.

According to the Council:

“More than 70 percent of the world’s cobalt is produced in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), and 15 to 30 percent of the Congolese cobalt is produced by artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM). For years, human rights groups have documented severe human rights issues in mining operations. These human rights risks are particularly high in artisanal mines in the DRC, a country weakened by violent ethnic conflict, Ebola, and high levels of corruption. Child labor, fatal accidents, and violent clashes between artisanal miners and security personnel of large mining firms are recurrent.”

It is evident per the 2020 Form 990 recorded for the Siebel Family Charitable Foundation that financial interests were held in Glencore PLC. The Foundation represents Jennifer Siebel Newsom, Governor Newsom’s wife, and her immediate family members.

On April 2023, Fox News shared a piece titled “California takes aim at freight train emissions, bans non-electric train engines:”

“Under the regulation, California will ban any locomotive engine that was constructed more than 23 years ago by 2030. And the rule would require all new switch, industrial and passenger locomotives to be zero-emissions while in California beginning in 2030 and 2035 for freight line haul. There is no clear path to zero emissions locomotives, the Association of American Railroads said in a statement after the regulation was approved. Mandating that result ignores the complexity and interconnected nature of railroad operations and the reality of where zero emission locomotive technology and the supporting infrastructure stand, it continued.”

Conservatives have been labeled “conspiracy theorists” when sharing concerns surrounding Agenda 2030. It seems possible that an agenda disguised as a global sustainability effort will direct where you live, how much water you can use, and how and where you can travel. Given that our nation has recently been subjected to initiatives such as vaccine passports, water usage reductions and electric blackouts contrived by the Biden Administration, the conspiracies could be considered factual.

As quoted from Professor Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum, “The pandemic represents a rare but narrow window of opportunity to reflect, reimagine, and reset our world.”