The boondoggle that is California's high-speed rail project continues.
The project was initially approved in 2008 for a cost of $33 billion. Now, 17 years later, this writer has a child preparing to graduate high school and California might complete the project by 2033 -- after this writer's youngest son is halfway through college.
Oh, and the cost also ballooned to $128 billion.
But even that's not enough, and the project needs an additional $7 billion by next summer.
NEW: California’s High-Speed Rail project needs $7 Billion by next summer, lawmakers learned today.
— Ashley Zavala (@ZavalaA) March 27, 2025
“We have no plan, we have a good likelihood it's going to get worse, and we have a short time to solve the problem,” said Democratic Asm. Steven Bennett.https://t.co/oX1afY9rrO
Just insane.
California's embattled high-speed rail project will soon need at least $7 billion in order to move forward.
During a budget hearing focused on transportation in the State Assembly on Wednesday, Helen Kerstein with the California Legislative Analyst's Office told lawmakers the project faces a $7 billion budget gap and the funds need to be secured by next June. If not, Kerstein said it will create yet another delay for plans to finish the project's first segment between Merced and Bakersfield.
'There is no specific plan to meet that roughly $7 billion gap, we also think there is some risk that gap could grow,' Kerstein said. 'This isn't a way out in the future funding gap. This is a pretty immediate funding gap.'
Wednesday's hearing on the project was brief, as the High-Speed Rail Authority submitted an incomplete project update to lawmakers in time for the hearing. Officials said the update would be ready sometime later this summer, which irked lawmakers.
Where did all that money go?
Lawmakers on the Assembly’s budget subcommittee focusing on transportation learned about the budget gap in a hearing this morning.
— Ashley Zavala (@ZavalaA) March 27, 2025
That hearing happened hours after Gov. Newsom released his latest podcast episode, in which he spends a chunk of time defending the project.
Oof.
Newsom is one of the worst governors in the nation.
The High-Speed Rail Authority is required to submit an annual report to lawmakers. By the time this hearing happened, the report was incomplete.
— Ashley Zavala (@ZavalaA) March 27, 2025
Democrats on the committee were irked to know this money is needed without a full update from project leaders.
Are we shocked by any of this?
Project leaders told the panel the new CEO wanted to look over everything and needed more time.
— Ashley Zavala (@ZavalaA) March 27, 2025
Right now lawmakers are expecting the update late this summer.
“The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again.” Asm. @AsmCottie told project leaders.
This is the literally definition of insanity.
But at least you’ll be able to quickly get from Merced to Bakersfield by the middle of next decade pic.twitter.com/Yu4cgzKeco
— Enguerrand VII de Coucy (@ingelramdecoucy) March 27, 2025
Wheeeee!
The solution is to kill the project.
— David Gaw 🇺🇸🇺🇦🇮🇱 (@davidgaw) March 27, 2025
Put it out of its misery.
I had no idea it could be so expensive to not build anything.
— Destin (@destin_nation) March 27, 2025
Grift isn't cheap.
— [Object object] (@StevenJBurns) March 27, 2025
This writer gigglesnorted.
“Come on, is that really a problem? Can’t Washington just print some more money?” pic.twitter.com/4ax5sO5max
— Shooting News Weekly (@SN_Weekly_) March 27, 2025
Gavin Newsom, probably.
https://t.co/Ey9TOdnUcx pic.twitter.com/QFVLp0ynqz
— David Burge (@iowahawkblog) March 27, 2025
California in a nutshell.
The enduring problem of liberalism is its inability to deliver the fantasy it promises. https://t.co/yTx3p2my11
— Michael Duncan (@MichaelDuncan) March 27, 2025
That's one of the many problems of liberalism.
LOL. https://t.co/HqrPErs0MJ pic.twitter.com/S9giVzRLVr
— Grateful Calvin (@shoveitjack) March 27, 2025
Keep burning that cash, guys.
The “problem” is that we keep shoveling taxpayer funds into this useless pet project. Think of how much good $7 billion could do for students, for road improvements, for health care access. https://t.co/0EAv20wkIR
— Kate Sanchez (@KateSanchezCA) March 27, 2025
Or rebuilding Los Angeles and fixing wildfire prevention infrastructure.
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