SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A state budget agreement passed last week releases the final $4.2 billion in bond funds for California’s high speed rail project, while also creating a new inspector general position to provide oversight for the troubled project.
The San Jose Mercury News reports the budget deal allows the 171-mile Central Valley section of the project to move ahead. It also increases state funding for other rail projects to $3.65 billion and earmarks $4 billion for transit infrastructure through 2025. Funding for all those projects is aided by a $97.5 billion budget surplus.
The inspector general position for the high speed project will be an independent position appointed by the governor from a list of candidates selected by a legislative committee.
The non-profit news site CalMatters reports the new office will have full access to project records, the authority to review contracts and change orders, and issue subpoenas for witnesses and records, among other powers. While the new office does not yet have a budget, it will pay the inspector general the same as the inspector general for the Bureau of Prisons and Rehabilitation, who has a salary of $192,382 and oversees a staff of 212.
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