California’s high speed rail project has received fresh scrutiny on its latest proposed business plan. The Legislature's non-partisan budget analyst released a new report today that questions how the project will be funded. Ben Bradford reports from Sacramento.
Instead of opening the first segment of the high speed rail line in Southern California, the High Speed Rail Authority announced last month it would start with a less-costly northern section from San Jose to Kern County. The authority says it has the funds to get that portion of the system up-and-running, because the governor has pledged a quarter of all cap-and-trade proceeds to the project. But Jessica Peters with the Legislative Analyst's Office says those funds aren’t certain.
Peters: "Our understanding and reading of the statute is that it is not explicitly authorized beyond the year 2020."
The report also questions the new plan’s southern terminus—without federal assistance, the initial line would end just north of Shafter, California—population: 18,000.
In a statement, the High Speed Rail Authority points out the LAO report finds starting the rail line in the North has “some merit.”