Jon Coupal: Sacramento wants to hide information about the bullet train

No matter how much we wish we could avoid writing about California’s High Speed Rail Project, sometimes circumstances give us no choice. 

The vampire sucking millions of dollars out of the pockets of California every day is back in the news. Here’s the latest.

First, recall that the High Speed Rail Project is the granddaddy of all “bait and switch” ballot measures. What began as a $10 billion bond measure to fund a rail project that would travel from Los Angeles to San Francisco has morphed into America’s most embarrassing boondoggle costing hundreds of billions of dollars. 

As far back as 2008, a Reason Foundation study predicted, “The CHSRA [California High-Speed Rail Authority] plans as currently proposed are likely to have very little relationship to what would eventually be built due to questionable ridership projections and cost assumptions . . .”

Even though there is no viable plan for completing the project (it was supposed to be done by 2020), all but one gubernatorial candidate in a recent debate expressed support for continuing to spend tax dollars on this monumental failure. San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan, billionaire Tom Steyer, state Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond, former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and former state Controller Betty Yee all indicated that the project should move forward with public funding. 

In stark contrast, the only Republican participating in the debate expressed unambiguous opposition. Steve Hilton was clear stating, “They’re not even talking about completing it for another decade or so. No of course not. We can’t send good after bad. We have to invest that money in real things that help families.”

Second, as additional evidence of how flawed the project is, the legislature is considering a bill that would prohibit the public from using the Public Records Act from accessing information provided to the High Speed Rail Authority’s Inspector General. 

As reported by Yue Stella Yu writing for CalMatters, “California created an inspector general to monitor its long-delayed high-speed rail project. Now, one lawmaker wants to allow that office to withhold some investigative records from the public. The auditor of California’s High-Speed Rail Authority wants the power to keep certain records confidential, drawing concerns from transparency advocates that the agency could shield vital information about a controversial and costly public infrastructure project from the public.”

Assembly Bill 1608 would allow the inspector general overseeing the high-speed rail authority to withhold records that the official believes would “reveal weaknesses” that could harm the state or benefit someone inappropriately. This effort to throttle transparency of a project that is already the subject of international derision is incomprehensible as well as offensive to the public’s right to know.

Third, not only does AB 1608 run counter to the principles of open government, but the same language appears in a budget trailer bill. As noted in the CalMatters article, a trailer bill can serve as “a vehicle for the governor and legislative leaders to adopt major reforms swiftly with minimal public input.” Stuffing the language of AB 1608 into a trailer bill is a double whammy to the principles of transparency.

Fourth, despite the near-zero chance that the project would ever be completed, this hasn’t stopped delusional souls from looking beyond the primary Los Angeles to San Francisco project. There is new talk of connecting High Speed Rail to Yosemite National Park. (Nothing says taking a leisurely walk in the park like getting there at 200 miles an hour). 

Joking aside, the plan would simply move the Merced station to a more remote location with easier access to Yosemite. Whether serious or not, such discussion reveals that California’s High Speed Rail Project lacked a specific plan at its inception and, to this day, there still isn’t a viable plan. The only thing we know for certain is that billions have already been spent and billions more will be spent in the future until someone in a position of leadership yells, “stop the train.” 

Jon Coupal is president of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association.