PRESS RELEASE: Hilton, Morgan, Romero, and Gates Announce Plan to Halt California High-Speed Rail Payments Until Taxpayer Protections Are Restored
- Nicolette Mangubat
- 4 days ago
- 2 min read
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 26, 2026
Media Contact:
Nicolette Mangubat
619-306-6956
Hilton, Morgan, Romero, and Gates Announce Plan to Halt California High-Speed Rail Payments Until Taxpayer Protections Are Restored
Republican statewide slate says voters were promised one project, but taxpayers are funding another
SACRAMENTO, CA. — Republican statewide candidates Steve Hilton (Governor), Herb W. Morgan (State Controller), Gloria Romero (Lieutenant Governor), and Michael Gates (Attorney General) today announced a unified commitment to stop future taxpayer-funded payments for California’s High-Speed Rail project unless the state can prove the current project complies with Proposition 1A — the measure approved by voters in 2008.
California taxpayers are continuing to bankroll a dramatically scaled-back rail project that no longer resembles the system voters were promised.
“Californians were sold an 800-mile statewide high-speed rail system that would pay for itself, not a massively over-budget, permanently subsidized train,” said Steve Hilton, candidate for Governor. “The political establishment keeps changing the rules and sending billions more taxpayer dollars into a project that clearly no longer matches what voters approved. It needs to stop.”
According to the California High-Speed Rail Authority’s own 2026 Business Plan, the current Merced-to-Bakersfield segment is projected to operate at an annual deficit of between $110 million and $140 million, despite Proposition 1A’s prohibition on operating subsidies under Streets and Highways Code §2704.08.
Hilton and the other candidates for office argue that continuing to authorize payments under the revised scope raises serious legal and fiscal concerns because the project has fundamentally changed from the original statewide system approved by voters.
“As State Controller, I will not rubber-stamp payments for a project that fails to meet the legal safeguards voters demanded,” said Herb W. Morgan, candidate for State Controller. “The Controller’s office exists to protect taxpayers and ensure public funds are spent lawfully and responsibly. If the project no longer complies with Proposition 1A, the money stops.”
If elected, Morgan pledged to halt future High-Speed Rail disbursements effective January 1, 2027, pending:
Full certification that the revised project complies with Proposition 1A;
Resolution of projected operating subsidy conflicts; and
Clear demonstration that the project is financially and legally viable.
The candidates encouraged Californians to review the project data and transparency materials available at Herb Morgan’s “Radical Transparency Review” site: https://urban-portal-vxv7.here.now/
About Herb W. Morgan | X: @Herb4Controller
Herb W. Morgan is a San Diego-based businessman, fiscal watchdog, and candidate for California State Controller. As the innovator behind California Radical Transparency (CRT), an initiative focused on delivering modern, decision-grade fiscal accountability and public oversight across California government, Morgan's campaign is centered on restoring honest, independent oversight of California's finances, exposing waste, fraud, and abuse, and ensuring every taxpayer dollar is transparently accounted for.
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