Posted on 05/06/2026 5:51:54 AM PDT by BenLurkin
Critics of California’s long-overdue high-speed rail project are aghast after statehouse Democrats pushed through legislation that would give the rail auditor the power to shield its reports from the public.
The bill, which passed the California Assembly on Monday and sits at the state Senate, lets the Inspector General do so if publication “would pose a substantial and articulable risk to the project or to state operations if publicly disclosed.”
The role of the Inspector General has gained even more prominence in light of new estimates that the total cost of the train has ballooned to $231 billion. The fantasy project, which broke ground in 2015, is far from finished.
Letting the Inspector General hide details, critics say, is the wrong move.
“$6,000,000,000 in overruns. Central Valley farmland gutted for empty promises. And now, they want to bury the evidence?” said Assemblymember Alexandra Macedo (R). “If this project is great, they wouldn’t pass laws to hide audit reports.”
Insight is needed now more than ever after analysts raised red flags with the High-Speed Rail Authority’s new business plan. A state analysts’ report warned of “several issues”, such as uncertain funding assumptions and shifting the project’s scope in violation of current state law.
If details are determined confidential, the bill would have the auditor only deliver the report to state officials overseeing the project.
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
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Slush fund. They aren’t building squat.
It’s beyond my comprehension that politicians in blue states and cities can openly lie and hide information, and the voters still stick with their “team”.
I wonder when the left will figure out when you keep passing bills whose only intent is to CYA,you are admitting there is rampant malfeasance and your side is perpetrating it. Then again it’s California so there is that...🙄
California_high_speed_rail up close.
Evel Knievel would be salivating.
Strange - Gavin Newsom said this was an ‘outdated talking point’...
Ca’s $8/gal gasoline can easily shoot way higher. The rest of the country
will see these costs added on to Ca-made products, and will share the agony.
It takes about 2 months for oil to reach Ca from the Persian Gulf. Even if the
strait opens today, Ca will face severe issues before the first tanker can arrive.
Tailor made for Evel...../s.
Transparency. No kings.
How long are Democrats going to be allowed to get away with this? Results are L O N G past overdue. Funds were wasted in the past on this fiasco & now I question where any new funding would come from??????
Right up there with Roman ruins.
I understand that not a single yard of track has yet been laid. Is that true?!
$231 Billion. Billion! Where did it go??
Green paperwork. Planning. ROW acquisition.
Brilliant parody music video from a few months ago.
Yup
That needs some airplay time nationwide. Might wake up a few.
It’s because no one takes them to task for their misdeeds. There should be and immediate class action filing to enjoin this legislation based on the violation of the California Public Records Act, specifically this part.
Most of the exemptions under the CPRA are set forth under Section 7921 and are specific as to certain records or types of records, but under Section 7922 a general exemption exists where, on the facts of the particular case, “the public interest served by not making the record public clearly outweighs the public interest served by disclosure of the record”.[11] In reviewing the propriety of an agency decision to withhold records, a court is charged with ascertaining whether nondisclosure was justified under either of these statutes.[12]
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