Critics of California’slong-overdue high-speed rail projectare aghast after statehouse Democrats pushed through legislation that would give the rail auditor the power to shield its reports from the public.
Thebill,which passed the California Assembly on Monday and sits at the state Senate, lets the Inspector General do so if publication “would pose a substantial and articulable risk to the project or to state operations if publicly disclosed.”
The role of the Inspector General has gained even more prominencein light of new estimatesthat the total cost of the train has ballooned to $231 billion. The fantasy project, which broke ground in 2015, is far from finished.
Letting the Inspector General hide details, critics say, is the wrong move.
“$6,000,000,000 in overruns. Central Valley farmland gutted for empty promises. And now, they want to bury the evidence?” said Assemblymember Alexandra Macedo (R). “If this project is great, they wouldn’t pass laws to hide audit reports.”
Insight is needed now more than ever after analysts raised red flags with the High-Speed Rail Authority’s new business plan. A state analysts’ report warned of “several issues”, such as uncertain funding assumptions and shifting the project’s scope in violation of current state law.
If details are determined confidential, the bill would have the auditor only deliver the report to state officials overseeing the project.
The bill’s author, Assemblymember Lori Wilson (D), dismissed the criticism and said the bill actually improves transparency.
“Concerns were initially raised that this bill would keep information confidential. In fact, this bill does the exact opposite by requiring the inspector general to make its reports public, which is not required under current law,” she said Monday on the Assembly floor.
Wilson noted that she worked with the nonprofit First Amendment Coalition to improve public access to records as much as possible under the legislation. Legitimate confidentiality needs, such as those related to security, have to be balanced with the public’s right to know, she said.
Source: California Post – Breaking California News, Photos & Videos
