Gov. Gavin Newsom has vetoed a bill meant to give the watchdog over California's high-speed rail project more muscle, just weeks after that watchdog found the rail authority had approved nearly $600,000 in travel expenses for consultants that shouldn't have been allowed.
Assembly Bill 1608, by Assembly Transportation Committee Chair Lori Wilson, a Suisun City Democrat, would have let the high-speed rail Office of Inspector General skip the state's lengthy job reclassification process to hire qualified auditors and investigators. It also would have given the office authority to sign contracts under $1 million without drawn-out contracting rules, according to CalMatters and other outlets.
What the audit found
The veto came about two weeks after the inspector general's report on consultant travel. According to CalMatters, auditors found consultants had flown first class, taken luxury rides and visited a nightclub on taxpayers' money. The finding has already led the rail authority's board to strip some contracting power from its CEO.
Newsom's reasoning
In his veto message, Newsom said his office has supported the inspector general "through targeted actions" and urged the office to work within the system. "The Office should continue working with the appropriate state agencies to address its operational needs through existing processes rather than receive broad, permanent exemptions from generally applicable statewide administrative safeguards," he wrote.
Newsom also noted that parts of the bill already went through in the state budget. Those include a provision letting the inspector general shield sensitive records and whistleblower information from public disclosure, which Republicans have criticized as anti-transparency.
Wilson said she got "a significant portion of the bill into the budget," including more purchasing power for the office, and that the hiring piece is what was vetoed. She said she looks forward to working with the next governor on it.
The bill had broad support. CBS News reported that it passed the state Senate in August without a single no vote, and that the inspector general had called its tools "absolutely essential" for holding the rail authority accountable.
Why it matters here
The high-speed rail line is meant to eventually link San Francisco and the Bay Area to Los Angeles, but the first segment under construction runs through the Central Valley. Oversight fights like this one shape how much the public learns about where the project's money goes. Lawmakers can try again with a new governor next year.