California's high speed rail project has been a litany of disasters. The groundbreaking for this boondoggle was in 2015, and in the 11 years since, not one passenger has been moved one inch. But the people in charge of the project have been living high on the hog, as we have documented, via various expense report shenanigans, among other things.
In the latest, the CEO of the California high speed rail authority has resigned in the face of the rising scandals.
The CEO of California’s high-speed rail authority resigned late Wednesday, saying he needs to focus on “important personal and family priorities,” according to a copy of the emailed resignation obtained by CalMatters.
“This has not been an easy decision, as leading the Authority has been one of the most meaningful and rewarding chapters of my professional life,” wrote Chief Executive Ian Choudri.
The abrupt announcement comes in the midst of a two-day meeting of the board that oversees the project, which continues Thursday. It follows Choudri’s tumultuous two-year tenure, which has been troubled by budget woes, project delays, transparency concerns and various scandals including the misuse of nearly $600,000 in taxpayer money for questionable trips by rail authority consultants.
We covered the misuse of taxpayer money scandal recently right here at RedState.
In most places, this disaster would have been shut down long ago. The federal government, which initially was on the hook to help fund this monstrosity, has, under the Trump administration, yanked funding, but California apparently seems to be all too willing to throw good money after bad.
Under Choudri, the authority also lost $4 billion in federal funding under President Donald Trump’s administration, after the agency repeatedly missed deadlines required by the funding agreement to buy trains. The state initially sued Trump for the funding but abruptly dropped the lawsuit in December 2025, blaming Trump as “not a reliable partner” and turning to private investors instead.
Choudri did not respond to an email or text from CalMatters requesting comment Wednesday night. It is unclear when his last day will be.
Private investors would be well advised to stay away from this. When a state is suffering this kind of utter failure and these dramatic displays of incompetence, to the point where even the setup and construction of a similar high speed train in Morocco, of all places, is making California look like chumps, perhaps it's time for the state to cut its losses.
But here's the thing: This train wasn't meant to be a practical solution. It was meant to be a political solution. Democrat politicians all too often look at the modern passenger rail services in places like Japan with envy, but Japan is a country the size of California with a heavily urbanized population of 122 million people, as opposed to California's 39.5 million. What works in Japan won't work in California, let alone many of the other states.
But the Left loves them some mass transit, even if it soaks the taxpayers for billions, even if they can't even be bothered to ensure the safety of passengers.
One bureaucrat, out of many, has at least woken up to reality — and may well find himself facing the music. That, in the sane world, is what we call "a good start."
Editor’s Note: Help us continue to report the truth about corrupt politicians.
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