In the strongest challenge to the California bullet train project in the past decade, a majority of the California Assembly has co-sponsored a resolution directing the state rail authority to defer awarding a contract this year to build a partial high speed system between Merced and Bakersfield.
The action this week comes amid growing concerns by lawmakers that Gov. Gavin Newsom’s plan to build the system for $20.4 billion will not deliver the greatest possible ridership and reductions in highway travel and greenhouse gas emissions.
The Assembly resolution does not signify that the Legislature as a whole wants the project changed, given that Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins (D-San Diego) has stayed silent on a proposal to shift fundsfrom the Central Valley to the Bay Area and Southern California. Atkins and her staff did not immediately respond for comment Friday.
Nonetheless, it reveals that most of the Assembly is now ready to confront Newsom and the California High-Speed Rail Authority during a critical moment.
Read the full story on LATimes.com.
