StreetSmart 14.2 - The Governor's Race and High-Speed Rail

Following up on yesterday's podcast, today Damien Newton speaks with Adriana Rizzo of Californians for Electric Rail and Eli Lipmen of Move California about two major statewide issues: the California governor's race and the future of high-speed rail.

The conversation focuses on what transportation advocates should look for in gubernatorial candidates, including commitments to transit funding, affordability, project delivery reform, and standing up to federal attacks on rail and transit. The group also discusses the newly released high-speed rail business plan, potential legislative changes to funding restrictions, and the broader political and fiscal challenges facing transit agencies across the state.

A full transcript of the podcast follows below.

Edited Transcript

Damien Newton: As I mentioned in the intro, earlier this week's podcast focused on legislation specific to the organizations involved. Today, I'm back with Adriana from Californians for Electric Rail and Eli from Move California to talk about two big statewide stories: the governor's race and high-speed rail.

Before we start, a quick note: we all work with nonprofits, and this podcast is produced by a nonprofit. We won't be endorsing any candidates today. Streetsblog and Move California cannot make political endorsements, and while Californians for Electric Rail isn't currently a 501(c)(3), we're steering clear of endorsements to keep things clean.

If the first letter of every sentence we say happens to spell out a candidate's name, that's purely coincidental.

Since we're not talking endorsements, let's talk about what we should look for in candidates. Personally, I often find that when candidates share personal stories about how transit or bicycling has impacted their lives, it gives insight beyond policy statements. That's not foolproof — one of my favorite former L.A. councilmembers, Bill Rosendahl, famously hadn't ridden a bike since childhood — but it's one lens.

Eli Lipmen: That's a great segue. Part of our mission as nonprofit leaders is getting candidates onto transit and talking about it from a rider's perspective. Lived experience matters.

In this race, though, everything is being framed around affordability and the federal administration. That actually works in our favor. Transportation and housing are the number one and number two expenses for most households. Affordable housing near high-quality transit is central to affordability.

This is a kitchen-table issue. It might not dominate headlines every day, but people talk about their commute, car payments, insurance costs. We need multimodal options, and we need a governor who will champion them.

We also have a huge opportunity right now. California is building high-speed rail — something almost no other state is doing. What happens under the next governor will be critical for transportation project delivery, active transportation, and safety. Ten people die every day in California traffic crashes. That's unacceptable, and leadership matters.

Adriana Rizzo: Transit is key to affordability — and also to standing up to Trump, or at least coping with his administration.

We've seen federal transit funds clawed back. High-speed rail has long been a target. Supporting high-speed rail is a way for California to assert its priorities. When the administration announced its intent to revoke funding in early 2025, we helped organize a protest at Union Station. It was one of the first major public pushbacks, and it mattered symbolically.

Standing up for high-speed rail and making sure it succeeds is a way the next governor can defend California's vision.

Eli Lipmen: That protest definitely rattled them.

There's also an immigration angle. During ICE raids in Los Angeles, we saw a 15% drop in transit ridership in one month. Fear impacts ridership, traffic, and system operations. These federal actions ripple through transportation.

Meanwhile, Congress must reauthorize the federal transportation bill this year. Caltrans released draft principles that didn't even mention transit operations funding — which is the number one issue for agencies facing fiscal cliffs. That omission was frustrating.

Adriana Rizzo: This isn't just California. SEPTA, Chicago Transit — it's a national crisis. In California, agencies are scrambling, and the Bay Area is pursuing a ballot measure to stabilize funding. But historically, state and federal governments provided more operating support than they do now.

Since the pandemic, transit advocates have had to fight annually to get operating funds into the state budget. That needs to change. SB 1 is also up for reauthorization in 2027 — another major issue for the next governor.

Eli Lipmen: If any gubernatorial campaigns are listening: we have a questionnaire ready. We'd love candidates to talk about their relationship to transit and active transportation. We're even planning a transportation-focused debate.

This is something every Californian deals with daily — cost, congestion, safety. Candidates should treat it that way.

Adriana Rizzo: Another big issue is project delivery reform. We need new transit lines and service improvements, but costs are escalating. Tariffs, federal funding instability, permitting challenges — it's harder than ever.

Reform requires political capital. Dealing with utilities, permitting, entrenched interests — that's tough. But if we want projects delivered on time and at reasonable cost, leadership is essential.

Damien Newton: Quick note before we pivot: there's ongoing news involving the High-Speed Rail Authority CEO. We're recording March 2, and things may change before this airs, so we won't speculate. But we're not ignoring it.

Let's talk about the new business plan.

Adriana Rizzo: The big headline is that the Central Valley initial operating segment is no longer fully funded because of the loss of $4 billion in federal funds.

They're also considering removing the Merced stop from the initial segment, potentially adding it later. That will be controversial.

More exciting: they're discussing a potential Los Angeles connection by 2040, assuming funding. That includes reducing tunneling between Palmdale and Burbank and sharing more track with Metrolink, including possibly on the Antelope Valley Line.

This aligns with our push to electrify that corridor.

There's also SB 1411, sponsored by Senator Henry Stern, which would lift restrictions limiting high-speed rail spending to the Merced–Bakersfield segment. That could accelerate work in Southern California or toward the Bay Area.

It's promising — but the devil is in the details. We don't want the Central Valley segment abandoned, and we don't want funds diverted to unrelated projects.

Eli Lipmen: This is California's opportunity to prove we can still build big projects. Accelerating connections to major urban centers makes sense because that's where ridership is strongest.

We're already investing in complementary infrastructure. Aligning those investments is smart strategy.

Damien Newton: We've been at this for a while, so let's wrap. Thanks to both of you. Links to your organizations and related coverage will be included alongside this podcast. If you're not listening through Streetsblog California, head to the site for the full list of resources.

Thanks again — and I'm sure we'll talk again soon.