A key Democratic legislator called Thursday for the immediate resignation of the chairman of the California bullet train project, the most powerful reaction yet to a scathing audit of the $77-billion high-speed rail program that is far behind schedule and over budget.

Assembly Transportation Chairman Jim Frazier said California High Speed Rail Authority Chairman Dan Richard should step down after a hearing on the audit, which asserts the state wasted billions of dollars because of poor management.

The state financial review earlier this month faulted the agency for issuing construction contracts before it owned land, failing to document that the work it paid for was actually completed correctly and relying too heavily on costly outside consultants.

“After being assured multiple times that these ongoing issues were being addressed, it is apparent to me that the authority has been less than forthcoming,” Frazier, of Oakley, Calif., said after the hearing. “They have continually lied to us about performance.”

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