California Taxpayer Money Funded Nearly $600,000 In Reimbursements For High-Speed Rail Consultants To Uber To Bars, Investigation Finds

The United States is built on the concept of rugged individualism, from the glorification of the image of the lone cowboy in the early 20th century to the glorification of the image of the "self-made" trillionaire in the present. But the harsh reality of these concepts leaves the vast majority of Americans behind to struggle in solitude, and this is made clear by our aversion to public transportation — particularly high-speed rail — since there's not a lot of headroom for individual profit in these areas.

California has put up the front of investing in building a high-speed rail line since 2008, but the project that was originally slated to be complete by 2020 has resulted in nothing but setbacks, budget increases, and controversy. On Tuesday, the office of the inspector general of California's high-speed rail released an investigation that found that California's High Speed Rail Authority (HSRA) used nearly 600,000 taxpayer dollars to reimburse high-speed rail consultants for "travel expenses" including Uber rides to gyms, a nightclub, a tiki bar, a cigar lounge, and an escape room over a two-year period. In case you were wondering, no tracks have been laid for the high-speed rail yet.

The crux of the issue is that the HSRA greenlit at least $685,500 in payments to four consulting firms without first approving travel and expenses. CalMatters reached out to the four consulting firms that were reimbursed for the suspect expenses, which include KPMG LLP, AECOM-Fluor Joint Venture, and SYSTRA/TYPSA Joint Venture, yet none responded for comment.

Examples of the concerning reimbursements include unauthorized international travel; suspicious rideshare rides including premium rides to and from a restaurant, bar, and nightclub between 9:40 p.m. and 2:30 a.m.; and repeated trips to Planet Fitness gyms even after a supervisor wrote that "the state does not cover ride share to gyms." The contracts signed by the consultant firms explicitly barred international travel, and yet the HSRA reimbursed $118,000 in international travel.

A bill that would strengthen the inspector general's oversight of the HSRA is due to get Governor Gavin Newsom's approval or veto by September 30, but the inspector general's office made several recommendations to help the HSRA enforce its travel policies and expense policies. According to CalMatters, "But the authority insisted it didn't need to justify each consultant's trip, prompting the inspector general to reply: 'We explained to the Authority that this interpretation is fundamentally incorrect.'" The office will conduct another evaluation of the HSRA's finances after next March.