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Dems ram through ‘cover up’ bill that could hide Calif. high-speed rail details — as costs soar past $200B
ny post ^ | 05/05/2026 | Titus Wu

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 ...


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; US: California
KEYWORDS: 1partyrule; boondoggle; coverup; democratcorruption; democrats; highspeedrail; hsr; onepartyrule
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1 posted on 05/06/2026 5:51:54 AM PDT by BenLurkin
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To: BenLurkin

Slush fund. They aren’t building squat.


2 posted on 05/06/2026 5:52:53 AM PDT by FreedomPoster (Islam delenda est)
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To: BenLurkin

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”.


3 posted on 05/06/2026 5:54:03 AM PDT by brownsfan (We are already on the slippery slope.)
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To: BenLurkin

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...🙄


4 posted on 05/06/2026 5:58:35 AM PDT by Nekman (The Dems are SocialistCommunistUtopianMarxists...SCUM for short...it FITS!)
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To: All
California_high_speed_rail up close.
5 posted on 05/06/2026 6:08:33 AM PDT by Liz (Jonathan Swift: Govrnment without the consent of the governed is the very definition of slavery .)
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To: Liz

Evel Knievel would be salivating.


6 posted on 05/06/2026 6:11:34 AM PDT by stevio (Fight until you die!)
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To: BenLurkin

Strange - Gavin Newsom said this was an ‘outdated talking point’...


7 posted on 05/06/2026 6:11:47 AM PDT by Republican Wildcat
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To: All

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.


8 posted on 05/06/2026 6:14:10 AM PDT by Liz (Jonathan Swift: Govrnment without the consent of the governed is the very definition of slavery .)
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To: stevio

Tailor made for Evel...../s.


9 posted on 05/06/2026 6:15:07 AM PDT by Liz (Jonathan Swift: Govrnment without the consent of the governed is the very definition of slavery .)
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To: BenLurkin

Transparency. No kings.


10 posted on 05/06/2026 6:21:04 AM PDT by Libloather (Why do climate change hoax deniers live in mansions on the beach?)
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To: FreedomPoster

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??????


11 posted on 05/06/2026 6:21:56 AM PDT by oldtech
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To: Liz

Right up there with Roman ruins.


12 posted on 05/06/2026 6:25:36 AM PDT by hinckley buzzard ( Resist the narrative. )
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To: FreedomPoster

I understand that not a single yard of track has yet been laid. Is that true?!

$231 Billion. Billion! Where did it go??


13 posted on 05/06/2026 6:25:43 AM PDT by Deo volente ("Wars begin when you will, but they do not end when you please.” -Niccolò Machiavelli)
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To: Deo volente

Green paperwork. Planning. ROW acquisition.


14 posted on 05/06/2026 6:28:11 AM PDT by FreedomPoster (Islam delenda est)
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To: BenLurkin
I Hate Myself for Voting Blue

Brilliant parody music video from a few months ago.

15 posted on 05/06/2026 6:29:46 AM PDT by mewzilla (Swing away, Mr. President, swing away! 🇺🇸 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿)
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To: hinckley buzzard

Yup


16 posted on 05/06/2026 6:31:26 AM PDT by Liz (Jonathan Swift: Govrnment without the consent of the governed is the very definition of slavery .)
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To: mewzilla

That needs some airplay time nationwide. Might wake up a few.


17 posted on 05/06/2026 6:59:32 AM PDT by curious7
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To: Liz
It takes a special genius to build a railroad like this.

18 posted on 05/06/2026 7:02:19 AM PDT by Waverunner (Torah! Torah! Torah! my favorite IDF radio code.)
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To: BenLurkin
If they were to complete the high-speed rail as initially proposed the costs would be north of two trillion dollars.
19 posted on 05/06/2026 7:04:37 AM PDT by 17th Miss Regt (Fascist, deplorable, and proud of it!)
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To: brownsfan

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]


20 posted on 05/06/2026 7:28:24 AM PDT by VTenigma (Conspiracy theory is the new "spoiler alert")
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