Republican state Senator Jeff Stone of Riverside County has introduced Senate Bill 340, which is intended end funding of California's high-speed rail project.
"California's High-Speed Rail is nothing more than the construction of an unsustainable and unachievable boondoggle dream," said Stone. "Voters approved this project with the hope of funding economic transformation. The state has instead mismanaged billions of dollars to deliver what is nothing more than a train track that may sometime connect Merced with Bakersfield.
The bill will prohibit the state of California from selling any more bonds connected with the voter approved Safe, Reliable High-Speed Passenger Train Bond Act for the 21st Century, according to Stone. It will also require any unspent money go toward paying off existing debt from the issuance and sale of the outstanding bonds.
"The Governor has rightfully admitted the promises made to voters in 2008 when they narrowly approved Proposition 1A have been broken, and it seems clear now is the time to cut bait and admit the fantasy has failed," Stone said. "We should stop throwing taxpayer dollars down the drain."
Stone's bill is currently awaiting referral to the proper Senate policy committee for consideration.
Meantime, Republican Assemblyman Vince Fong from Bakersfield is siding with President Trump in the feud over federal dollars for the High-Speed Rail project. In fact, Fong wants Governor Gavin Newsom to scrap the scaled-back plan to complete a line from Bakersfield to Merced. The lawmaker says they already spent 2.5-billion-dollars that the president wants California to return should be diverted to other state transportation projects.