State Sen. Anthony Cannella, a Republican from Ceres, has asked for $500 million in district projects before supporting SB 1, the gas tax hike. The GOP lawmaker did not comment Thursday on whether he will vote for the plan, but had previously said he might if his requests, including the rail extension, were included. The new bill also would provide $100 million through 2023 for a parkway project at the UC Merced campus. “If it's built, you can hop on a train and make your way to the Bay Area.”Aides to Brown and De León confirmed the leaders support the train extension funding bill. 12:40 pm: This post was updated to include comments from Assemblyman Adam Gray and the governor's support for the rail extension bill.

Source: Los Angeles Times April 06, 2017 19:06 UTC