California High-Speed Rail Fails to Accomplish Most of Its Legislative Goals for 2026
Only SB 1425 advanced, while other proposals to speed work and protect funding stalled in the Legislature, officials said.
- California's High-Speed Rail Authority failed this year to pass most of its legislative agenda, securing only one of several proposals needed to keep the 171-mile Merced-to-Bakersfield line on schedule.
- Chief Executive Ian Choudri sought legislation to expedite utility relocations and court disputes, yet most pitches remained "concept-level ideas" that the agency never fully developed into written proposals.
- Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 1425 into law Sunday, allowing the authority to grant permits on its land; however, local governments opposed other proposals fearing diverted tax revenue.
- Sen. Henry Stern's Senate Bill 1411 died in a "suspense file" hearing in May, leaving the project facing estimated costs between $126 billion and $231 billion.
- An Office of Inspector General review issued in July warned the project's 2033 completion timeline relies on "overly optimistic" assumptions that lawmakers will approve legislative priorities "almost immediately.
15 Articles
15 Articles
California high-speed rail fails to accomplish most of its legislative goals for 2026
California’s High-Speed Rail Authority failed this year to push through most of the state legislation it deemed necessary to keep construction of the 171-mile rail line connecting Merced and Bakersfield on its current schedule.
Most CA high-speed rail reform bills failed this year
California's high-speed rail project hit another roadblock this year after the state's High-Speed Rail Authority failed to pass most of the legislation it said was critical to keeping construction on schedule. Of the several proposals aimed at cutting red tape…
California high-speed rail sought help from lawmakers. Its priorities stay mostly unmet
CALIFORNIA’S HIGH-SPEED RAIL AUTHORITY failed this year to push through most of the state legislation it deemed necessary to keep construction of the 171-mile rail line connecting Merced and Bakersfield on its current schedule. In August 2025, authority Chief Executive Ian Choudri urged state leaders to commit stable state funding and cut red tape that […]
California high-speed rail fails to accomplish most of its legislative goals for 2026 • The Mendocino Voice | Mendocino County, CA
California’s high-speed rail authority wanted state lawmakers to cut red tape and raise more revenue to keep the train project on track. Only one of the policies it advocated became law this year.
California high-speed rail accomplishes only one legislative goal in 2026
California high-speed rail accomplishes only one legislative goal in 2026 Zachary Whalen Thu, 10/01/2026 - 07:00 Primary Image Primary Image Caption Voters first approved a high-speed rail line from San Francisco to Los Angeles in 2008. All but one of the legislative proposals that the California High-Speed Rail Authority deemed essential to keeping the construction of the rail line bridging Merced and Bakersfield on schedule failed to become …
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