Californias next governor must aggressively investigate bullet trains wasted billions

California’s high-speed rail project is a case study in lost public trust and squandered taxpayer money.It is also one of Gavin Newsom’s abject failures, one that could doom his presidential aspirations. Unbelievable as it may seem, Newsom vetoed a bill to boost oversight of the project.The measure would have allowed the Office of the Inspector General to hire highly trained workers for audits and investigations.

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What is Newsom afraid of? The next governor must give us the answer.Newsom touted the project as a job creator, but the project saw emerging jobs snatched up by well-connected consultants and contractors who had made political contributions to the bond initiative that funded the project and assisted the politicians who support it. Newsom has also consistently appointed political hacks and donors to the project — and often, they lack the necessary experience and time to oversee it properly.In 2008, Californians approved $9.95 billion of state bond funding as seed money to build a $33 billion high-speed rail system promising a 2-hour, 40-minute trip between Los Angeles and San Francisco with speeds of up to 220 miles per hour, and an expected completion date of 2020. Today, the official high-end cost estimate exceeds $231 billion; failed oversight and lack of cost accountability have undermined public trust; and full service, if it’s ever delivered at all, remains many years away.A September report by the project’s inspector general found that consultants were reimbursed for numerous questionable entertainment and travel expenses, and it uncovered deep weaknesses in oversight and approval procedures.In all, about $600,000 was reimbursed in violation of state contracting rules and travel regulations.

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