10 California Mayors Oppose $231.3 Billion Rail Funding Plan as State Weighs Local Tax Revenue
Updated
Updated · Fox News · May 24
10 California Mayors Oppose $231.3 Billion Rail Funding Plan as State Weighs Local Tax Revenue
4 articles · Updated · Fox News · May 24
Ten California mayors urged the High-Speed Rail Authority to drop a draft funding idea that could redirect local tax growth near future stations to the rail project.
The pushback targets the Authority’s 2026 Draft Business Plan, which re-estimated a full Phase 1 buildout at $231.3 billion and an optimized initial Phase 1 investment at about $126.2 billion.
Jerry Dyer of Fresno and nine other mayors called the approach fiscally reckless and legally dubious, arguing the state cannot plug a rail funding gap by tapping revenue meant for local services.
The High-Speed Rail Authority said no revenue-capture plan has been finalized and described the draft as part of ongoing talks with local jurisdictions about possible station-area funding tools.
The dispute adds to scrutiny of a project approved in 2008 at $33 billion, later hit by years of delays and the loss of billions in federal grants in 2025.
With costs soaring, will California's high-speed rail project survive a funding war with its own cities?
Billions over budget and decades late, is California’s high-speed rail dream now a financial nightmare?