You can abuse taxpayer funds, but be warned: You won’t get away with it for more than a decade or two.
Last month, the inspector general for California’s High-Speed Rail Authority reported that consultants on the state’s much-delayed bullet train project had used hundreds of thousands of dollars in state funds to pay for “trips to gyms, a nightclub, an escape room, a tiki bar and a cigar lounge.” Traveling on taxpayer dollars, consultants also “flew first-class and were reimbursed without questioning, in violation of contracts and state policies.”
Last week, accountability arrived. Well, sort of. In an October 9 special meeting, the board that oversees the High-Speed Rail Authority sharply limited the ability of CEO Ian Choudri to personally approve contracts on the project.
If you dig into the details, though, the accountability part becomes fuzzier. Board member Lynn Schenk said she was outraged to learn about the improper use of public funds. Also, Schenk has served on the oversight board since 2003. Read these details from a report on the news website CalMatters carefully:
Board member Henry Perea suggested the travel payments are so egregious that the state should end its contract with the firms right away, something Gov. Gavin Newsom has also floated. However, Perea said he worried that doing so could set back the long-delayed rail project even further.
“I’d terminate these four (contracts) tomorrow or today, but I understand there’s a question of operational needs that we have with these folks,” he said.
These contractors have abused us in an outrageous manner, and what a shame it is that they’re going to continue serving as our contractors.
Also, as CalMatters put it, “the board did not grill the authority’s top executives for failing to catch the behavior.” Money was misspent, so don’t do that again. Anyway, moving on…
At the board meeting, Choudri walked away from reporters who tried to ask him questions. In a state with frequently complicit and docile legacy media, California journalists are pursuing this story with considerable seriousness, prompting state officials to run and hide.
But you can watch Choudri’s statement to the board, and this is where things get especially interesting.
