BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — California's high-speed rail project is facing renewed scrutiny at the state Capitol, with lawmakers questioning not just the cost of the project, but who should have authority over how it gets built.
At a state Senate Transportation Committee hearing last Monday, lawmakers and officials debated how much control the legislature should have over the project, including where stations go, how it is built, and what gets prioritized first.
At the center of the debate: whether lawmakers should strictly define how the rail line is built, or let project leaders adjust as conditions change. Some say taxpayers need more transparency. Others say too much legislative control could slow the project down.
High-Speed Rail Inspector General Benjamin M. Belnap said the current plan falls short on transparency.
"My criticism is, this plan is not transparent. There is a way to do it that is transparent, and I would encourage them to do that. Which would lay out options for scope reductions in a way that would be transparent for you and your body to review," Belnap said.
That call for more transparency comes as significant questions remain about funding and whether the project can expand beyond the Central Valley.
Committee Chair Sen. Dave Cortese, D-San Jose, raised concerns about the project's financial path forward.
"If we aren't able to borrow against the GGRF money, we're not going to be able to fund Bakersfield Merced," Cortese said.
Project officials say flexibility is necessary for a job this large, since plans often change on the ground. Helen Kerstein, principal fiscal and policy analyst at the Legislative Analyst's Office, acknowledged the legislature's authority to act.
"If the legislature really cares about some specific thing, it certainly is the legislature's prerogative to memorialize that in statute as was done," Kerstein said.
No final decisions were made at the hearing, but it revealed a clear divide in Sacramento over how much control lawmakers should retain versus how much should be left to project leaders. The debate is expected to continue as new proposals move through the legislature in the months ahead.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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