UPDATE: High Speed Rail Hearing in Mountain View Tuesday Night

Updated at 5 p.m. by Claudia Cruz with information about a rally in support of high speed rail to take place in the Civic Center Plaza.

Have you been wondering what's the story with high speed rail, in general, and the plans for the San Francisco Peninsula? 

Come Tuesday at 7 p.m. to the , where State Sen. Joe Simitian (D-Cupertino) has set up a high-level briefing and a chance for the public and elected officials to ask questions.

The two-hour session includes State Senator Mark DeSaulnier, (D-Concord) chair of the Senate Transportation and Housing Committee, and State Senator Alan Lowenthal, (D-Long Beach) chair of the Senate Select Committee on High-speed Rail.

Right beforehand at 6:45 p.m. in the Civic Center's plaza, advocates of high speed rail will hold a press conference and rally in support. According to a press release, high speed rail "is needed to meet California’s growing population and mobility needs," and will create jobs while protecting the environment.

Simitian's office presented the following schedule for the Legislative Budget hearing:

• The first portion of the meeting will feature High-speed Rail Authority chairman Dan Richard and board member Jim Hartnett, will speak, followed by discussion with the senators.

• The second portion, beginning at 8 p.m. will feature Will Kempton, chairman of the High Speed Rail Peer Review Group, also followed by discussion with the senators.

• At 8:30 p.m. the session will include restimony from the Legislative Analyst's Office. Farra Bracht and Brian Weatherford from the LAO's office will participate in the discussion.

• At 9 p.m., any of the elected public officials can comment, and finally, the public can comment.

All public comments will be limited to two minutes per speaker, because of the number of speakers expected, according to Simitian's office. The hearing will go on as long as long as necessary to hear from anyone who wishes to speak.

Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts, is located at 500 Castro Street, Mountain View, CA 94040. Parking is available in the garage under the Center, and in the open lot across the street.

For those who cannot attend but want to see the procededings, Sen. Simitian's website, www.senatorsimitian.com, will stream the sesson live.