The audit found the CHSRA approved almost $600,000 in unallowable travel expenses.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed a bill on Sept. 30 that would have increased the Office of Inspector General's oversight of California’s High-Speed Rail Authority. The bill would have allowed the office to hire more workers and sign contracts under $1 million. “Newsom’s veto comes two weeks after the investigative office released a scathing report in which its auditors found that the high-speed rail authority approved nearly $600,000 in unallowable travel expenses for its consultants,” Yue Stella Yu writes for Cal Matters.
Inspector General Ben Belnap told Cal Matters that the CHSRA “needs timely oversight right now.” The auditing agency that oversees CHSRA has never been fully staffed because of budget constraints, and Belnap said the state guardrails hinder the agency’s efficiency and cost effectiveness.
In his veto message, Newsom told the inspector general’s office to “work with what it had,” Cal Matters summarized.
Read the full story: Newsom vetoes high-speed rail oversight bill weeks after scathing audit of rail agency
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