As part of this year’s budget process, Governor Jerry Brown is expected to ask state lawmakers to approve 2-point-7 billion dollars in voter-approved state bonds. They would go towards the first phase of track in the Central Valley. In a recent interview with Capital Public Radio, High-Speed Rail Authority Board Chair Dan Richard suggested that amount might go up. “It might. It might well. But I think at this point, that makes sense," said Richard.
Richard said the extra bond funds would be for regional rail projects in the Bay Area and Los Angeles that would benefit high-speed rail too, thus completing the project less expensively and more efficiently. After the interview aired, Richard sent state lawmakers a letter clarifying his comments: Any extra bond funds for the regional projects would be asked for in future years, not this one.
