Conflicts of Interest on the CA High-Speed Rail Authority Under Investigation

The beleaguered plan to build a bullet train to connect Northern California and Southern California suffered a public relations setback last month when it was revealed that a boardmember was under investigation for a conflict of interest.

October 13, 2019, 1pm PDT | James Brasuell | @CasualBrasuell

California High-Speed Rail Authority

"The state Fair Political Practices Commission is investigating allegations that Ernest Camacho, a board member of the California High-Speed Rail Authority, has a conflict of interest — the second such investigation the watchdog agency has launched involving the bullet train," reports Ralph Vartabedian.

"Patterson alleged that Camacho’s routine financial disclosure form indicates that his firm, Pacifica Services, has contracts with Tutor Perini and Jacobs Engineering, both of which the rail authority hired to perform major work," according to the article. Camacho was appointed to the board in 2017.

According to Vartabedian, the probe responds to allegations made by State Assemblymember Jim Patterson (R-Fresno), "a long-time opponent of the project."

Another Fair Political Practices Commission launched this summer into potential conflicts of interest for another high-speed rail boardmember, Roy Hill, deputy chief operating officer for the California High-Speed Rail Authority and a senior executive at the lead consulting firm WSP. Details of that investigation are found in an article by Vartabedian from June 2019.

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California high-speed rail board member under investigation for potential conflict

Published on Wednesday, September 25, 2019 in Los Angeles Times