In 2018 Newsom, when running for Governor, said he would end the train to nowhere. Upon election, he demanded the Feds finance the scam—today he is begging the Feds for tens of billions of dollars to payoff unions, donors and corporations for the Democrat scam.
So, when Katie Porter, the former Socialist member of Congress says she is opposed to the scam, why should we believe her? She supports racism, protects illegal aliens so they can make more victims, loves higher taxes—your typical out of touch Democrat of our time.
““Increasingly, the evidence is showing that this project is not going to be able to be completed remotely on budget or remotely on time. I think we’re already past those benchmarks,” explained Porter to KTLA this week. “That’s why I don’t think we should BS California voters. They have noticed that we don’t have a high-speed rail. And they have noticed we’ve spent money on it.
“If this high-speed rail project can get done, then let’s get it done. If it can’t get done, then stop.”
That is NOT an opposition to the scam—jus word salad meant to pretend she questions the scam. Once a Democrat, always a lying Democrat.
Gubernatorial Candidate Katie Porter Announces Opposition to California High-Speed Rail
Porter is now the first major Democrat candidate to suggest ending the HSR system
By Evan Symon, California Globe, 5/9/25 https://californiaglobe.com/fr/gubernatorial-candidate-katie-porter-announces-opposition-to-california-high-speed-rail/
In a KTLA Inside California Politics interview this week, former Congresswoman and current 2026 gubernatorial candidate Katie Porter came out against the current state of the California High-Speed Rail (HSR) system, even suggesting that the state end the project should they continue to not be on budget.
“Increasingly, the evidence is showing that this project is not going to be able to be completed remotely on budget or remotely on time. I think we’re already past those benchmarks,” explained Porter to KTLA this week. “That’s why I don’t think we should BS California voters. They have noticed that we don’t have a high-speed rail. And they have noticed we’ve spent money on it.
“If this high-speed rail project can get done, then let’s get it done. If it can’t get done, then stop.”
Porter’s new stance comes as a surprise, as she is the first major Democrat in the race to come outright against the high-speed rail system. This includes former Los Angeles Mayor and fellow 2026 candidate Antonio Villaraigosa who has been a huge supporter of the system since inception, even going so far as to criticize then Lt. Governor Gavin Newsom in 2017 for him saying that funding for the project was iffy and that it would be hard to attract private funding. In addition, Newsom named Villaraigosa his infrastructure advisor in 2022, overlooking some spending for numerous projects, including high-speed rail.
Now distanced from fellow Democrats on the issue, Porter is now more aligned with GOP candidates. In particular, she is closer in terms of HSR views now to Riverside County Sheriff and fellow candidate Chad Bianco. Bianco has said that he is in favor of ending the high-speed rail project, calling it a waste of state spending.
“Once again, our leaders are failing us. The train to nowhere is a total waste of taxpayer funds. Let’s end this madness once and for all,” said Bianco of California high-speed rail in March.
Porter’s shifted stance of HSR
Originally estimated to cost $33 billion in 2008 with a San Francisco to Los Angeles line to open by 2028, the California high speed rail system has since ballooned to $128 billion, then $135 billion+, with an estimated partial completion somewhere in the late 2030’s. And last year, CHRSA actually confirmed that the system still needed $100 billion to link up San Francisco and Los Angeles. The true cost may also be much higher than anticipated, with some estimates during the Governorship of Jerry Brown putting that figure at around $350 billion. While the $13 billion already spent on the project has come through voter approved bonds and the cap-and-trade program, about a quarter has come from federal sources.
President Trump announced in February he would be launching an investigation into California’s High Speed Rail Authority, fulfilling a promise his administration made to look into the system. Specifically, he noted that the high cost of the program was mind-boggling, echoing decades of criticisms within California that the project has been nothing more than a boondoggle. That promise came true a few weeks later, with Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announcing a compliance review of funding for the CHRSA, with $4 billion of federal funding currently at stake for California. This was compounded in March by the California Legislative Analyst’s Office telling lawmakers that California High-Speed Rail needs $7 billion in funding by June 2026 or else the first Bakersfield to Merced leg of the system could be delayed further into the 2030’s, with costs rising as a result as well. Even worse for the CHRSA, the state is now out of bond money.
Last month, high speed rail authorities confirmed that private funding would be needed to fill the $7 billion-$11 billion funding gap, with President Trump conversely confirming earlier this week that the project would no longer receive any federal funds.
With all of this surrounding HSR going on, it currently leaves Porter in a unique position. Should Kamala Harris not run for Governor and Porter not drop out as she promised to do if Harris did run, it would leave her as the only Democrat to hold such a stance. While it means little when going up against a Republican who is also against the project, it could be a deciding factor for many should the June 2026 primary have two Democrats emerge as the Gubernatorial candidates. As many Republican and independent voters might be discouraged from voting in such a two-Democrat scenario, as seen by the drastically lower turnout in the two Democratic candidate 2018 U.S. Senate race between then Senator Dianne Feinstein and then state Senator Kevin de Leon, a candidate holding a few stances on issues aligned with with their political beliefs could be enough for getting votes.
However, Porter’s new stance on HSR is only one such issue, with other stances remaining staunchly liberal. Nonetheless, it proves that the HSR project in California is becoming less and less popular, with fellow Democrats now starting to back away from and even denounce the high-speed rail plan. Porter is just the latest to see what Republicans have seen since 2008 – a boondoggle with ever increasing spending with little-to-nothing to show for well over ten billion being spent in 17 years time.
