Amid leadership shakeup, CA High-Speed Rail Authority continues struggle with transparency

Despite preaching about the need to be more transparent, leaders overseeing the California High-Speed Rail Project would not speak to reporters after its board of directors meeting for the second month in a row.The rail authority’s board of directors on Monday unanimously voted to elect newly appointed member Steve Kawa as the chairman of the board. Kawa said during Monday’s meeting he wanted to “double down” on communication but ignored KCRA 3’s attempts to interview him after the meeting. It comes weeks after a similar situation with a different project leader in April. Project CEO Ian Choudri would not agree to an interview after a board meeting as his spokesman Peter Whippy wanted to limit the questions journalists could ask him. Choudri was attempting to avoid queries about an arrest and a relationship that launched a state investigation into him earlier this year. Choudri has since been cleared. Kawa and Choudri are the latest, key decision makers around the state’s embattled high-speed rail project that has been plagued by delays and cost-overruns. The project’s original vision of a bullet train between Los Angeles to San Francisco is expected to cost at least $126 billion and the state is short about $90 billion. In the meantime, project officials are working to complete a segment to take riders between Merced and Bakersfield by 2032. Kawa has officially replaced ex-board chairman Tom Richards, who suddenly left the board last month. Neither the governor’s office nor members of the board have been clear about why Richards is off the board. Richards’ departure was made public when Gov. Newsom announced the appointment of Kawa and another long-time political adviser, Jason Eliott, to the board of directors. Richards had been on the board of directors since 2010 and had been the board’s leader since 2020. Richards was not at Monday’s meeting. KCRA 3 has reached out to Richards for comment but had not yet head back as of Monday afternoon. Kawa has been working in politics for decades, mostly in the San Francisco Mayor’s office. He noted he has been working with Gavin Newsom for decades. Kawa has been managing the Protocol Foundation, which fundraises and helps pay for the governor’s out of state trips. It was not clear as of Monday if Kawa would continue to help manage the foundation. During his first board of directors meeting on Monday, Kawa vowed to move the high-speed rail project forward. The board voted on two major action items. The first being the approval of a $3.5 billion contract for track and systems with joint venture Kiewit, Stacy Witbeck, Herzog. The board also unanimously approved a controversial business plan that had been at the center of scrutiny last month for its lack of transparency and significant changes either made or proposed to the project. Several updates to the plan had been made before Monday’s vote but it’s not clear how much time the public had to review the updates. During the meeting, board member Jeffrey Worthe noted the new business plan did not have a release date on it.Some of the proposals in the business plan could result in the state taking land and tax dollars away from local governments to help pay for the project. Another funding proposal in the plan would allow companies to construct battery storage facilities and data centers along the high-speed rail corridor. Several board members acknowledged project leaders could do a better job of communicating with the public and local leaders what the rail authority’s actual expectations are versus its ideas. “I love this theme about communication,” Kawa said. “A lot of issues and problems are the result of two things: miscommunication and lack of communication. I know the authority, Ian, the whole staff as well as this board of directors wants to make sure we double down and triple down on communicating to our partners throughout the state of California.”At the start of Monday’s board meeting, KCRA 3 submitted a request with a high-speed rail spokesman to interview Kawa after the meeting. When the meeting ended, KCRA 3 waited for Kawa near the dais and watched as he spoke to his fellow board members. KCRA 3 tried to get his attention a couple of times. Some board members noticed and tried to help. The High-Speed Rail Authority’s Chief of External Affairs, Peter Whippy, then approached Kawa on the dais and spoke to him for several minutes before escorting him out the door. Kawa ignored KCRA 3’s calls to speak with him as he walked out. Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office has not yet commented on this story. KCRA 3 Political Director Ashley Zavala reports in-depth coverage of top California politics and policy issues. She is also the host of “California Politics 360.” Get informed each Sunday at 8:30 a.m. on KCRA 3.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. —

Despite preaching about the need to be more transparent, leaders overseeing the California High-Speed Rail Project would not speak to reporters after its board of directors meeting for the second month in a row.

The rail authority’s board of directors on Monday unanimously voted to elect newly appointed member Steve Kawa as the chairman of the board. Kawa said during Monday’s meeting he wanted to “double down” on communication but ignored KCRA 3’s attempts to interview him after the meeting.

It comes weeks after a similar situation with a different project leader in April. Project CEO Ian Choudri would not agree to an interview after a board meeting as his spokesman Peter Whippy wanted to limit the questions journalists could ask him. Choudri was attempting to avoid queries about an arrest and a relationship that launched a state investigation into him earlier this year. Choudri has since been cleared.

Kawa and Choudri are the latest, key decision makers around the state’s embattled high-speed rail project that has been plagued by delays and cost-overruns. The project’s original vision of a bullet train between Los Angeles to San Francisco is expected to cost at least $126 billion and the state is short about $90 billion. In the meantime, project officials are working to complete a segment to take riders between Merced and Bakersfield by 2032.

Kawa has officially replaced ex-board chairman Tom Richards, who suddenly left the board last month.

Neither the governor’s office nor members of the board have been clear about why Richards is off the board. Richards’ departure was made public when Gov. Newsom announced the appointment of Kawa and another long-time political adviser, Jason Eliott, to the board of directors.

Richards had been on the board of directors since 2010 and had been the board’s leader since 2020. Richards was not at Monday’s meeting. KCRA 3 has reached out to Richards for comment but had not yet head back as of Monday afternoon.

Kawa has been working in politics for decades, mostly in the San Francisco Mayor’s office. He noted he has been working with Gavin Newsom for decades. Kawa has been managing the Protocol Foundation, which fundraises and helps pay for the governor’s out of state trips. It was not clear as of Monday if Kawa would continue to help manage the foundation.

During his first board of directors meeting on Monday, Kawa vowed to move the high-speed rail project forward.

The board voted on two major action items. The first being the approval of a $3.5 billion contract for track and systems with joint venture Kiewit, Stacy Witbeck, Herzog.

The board also unanimously approved a controversial business plan that had been at the center of scrutiny last month for its lack of transparency and significant changes either made or proposed to the project. Several updates to the plan had been made before Monday’s vote but it’s not clear how much time the public had to review the updates.

During the meeting, board member Jeffrey Worthe noted the new business plan did not have a release date on it.

Some of the proposals in the business plan could result in the state taking land and tax dollars away from local governments to help pay for the project. Another funding proposal in the plan would allow companies to construct battery storage facilities and data centers along the high-speed rail corridor.

Several board members acknowledged project leaders could do a better job of communicating with the public and local leaders what the rail authority’s actual expectations are versus its ideas.

“I love this theme about communication,” Kawa said. “A lot of issues and problems are the result of two things: miscommunication and lack of communication. I know the authority, Ian, the whole staff as well as this board of directors wants to make sure we double down and triple down on communicating to our partners throughout the state of California.”

At the start of Monday’s board meeting, KCRA 3 submitted a request with a high-speed rail spokesman to interview Kawa after the meeting. When the meeting ended, KCRA 3 waited for Kawa near the dais and watched as he spoke to his fellow board members. KCRA 3 tried to get his attention a couple of times. Some board members noticed and tried to help.

The High-Speed Rail Authority’s Chief of External Affairs, Peter Whippy, then approached Kawa on the dais and spoke to him for several minutes before escorting him out the door. Kawa ignored KCRA 3’s calls to speak with him as he walked out.

Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office has not yet commented on this story.

KCRA 3 Political Director Ashley Zavala reports in-depth coverage of top California politics and policy issues. She is also the host of “California Politics 360.” Get informed each Sunday at 8:30 a.m. on KCRA 3.