A bill to shield information about California\u2019s embattled bullet train is adding new political scrutiny to the rail project as the state grapples with a loss of federal funding.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Democratic Assemblymember Lori Wilson said her legislation would clarify what records the state\u2019s Office of Inspector General can access from the High-Speed Rail Authority.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But critics argue the bill’s language<\/a> is too broad and could allow more information to be withheld from the public.\u00a0<\/p>\n That\u2019s why Wilson said she plans on changing it.\u00a0<\/p>\n What the bill would do<\/p>\n Wilson said the inspector general currently lacks access to certain documents because it and the rail authority operate under different confidentiality rules.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThat means the High Speed Rail Authority could say, \u2018I can\u2019t share this information with you because it could result in information or physical security, or exposing how we detect fraud, or giving information about pending litigation before it\u2019s final,\u2019\u201d Wilson explained. \u201cWe want the Office of Inspector General to be able to see all of that data and not have anything withheld from them.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Wilson said her intention was to increase transparency, not limit it.<\/p>\n \u201cPeople have noted that it [the legislation] is more broad than it should [be] because it uses language \u2018included to\u2019 instead of \u2018limited to,\u2019\u201d she said. \u201cEverything we do goes through [legislative] counsel, so I\u2019m sure they\u2019ll refine it even better to match my intent.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Wilson said she will narrow the language and require the inspector general to publicly explain why any information is deemed confidential.\u00a0<\/p>\n Critics question timing\u00a0<\/p>\n The debate over shielding information comes as the rail project saw its most expensive construction change order yet at $537 million<\/a> for a Central Valley segment.\u00a0<\/p>\n Republican Congressman Kevin Kiley \u2014 who successfully pushed to cut off future federal funding for the project<\/a> \u2014 argued that existing exemptions under the California Public Records Act already protect sensitive information.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cSo why is it that all of a sudden for this specific agency, this specific project, we need to have brand new exceptions to have an even broader veil of secrecy at the very moment when you have heightened scrutiny as to where all of these billions of dollars have been going to,\u201d he said. \u201cIt just makes absolutely no sense.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n But Wilson said her bill would not shield information on unexpected costs or delays.<\/p>\n \u201cCost overruns absolutely they\u2019re going to report on because that\u2019s an accountability measure,\u201d Wilson said, referring to the inspector general.\u00a0<\/p>\n A spokesperson for the High-Speed Rail Authority said in a statement that the bill would not change its obligations under state transparency laws.\u00a0<\/p>\n Republican State Senator Tony Strickland, vice chair of the Senate Transportation Committee, said he\u2019s not confident the changes Wilson plans to make will do anything to improve transparency.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m dumbfounded that anybody would try to pass a bill to make the high-speed rail, with its history, less transparent and have less accountability because it\u2019s going to go down in history as one of the most wasteful and mismanaged projects in world history,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n The project\u2019s estimated cost has climbed from $33 billion when voters approved it in 2008 to more than $120 billion<\/a> today.\u00a0<\/p>\n Governor Gavin Newsom \u2014 who championed the extension of a $1 billion dollar annual commitment to the bullet train project through 2045<\/a> \u2014 said during a press conference earlier this week no infrastructure project in the country has been more heavily examined.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThat has been scrutinized and audited and kicked around for many, many decades, not just the last few years and I imagine will continue to be,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Newsom refused to answer questions regarding the timing of this bill\u2019s introduction following the half-billion-dollar change order.<\/p>\n Federal support shrinks\u00a0<\/p>\n