US News
California high-speed rail CEO resigns; interim CEO named amid contract investigation
CBS News reports that CEO Ian Choudri resigned, citing personal and family priorities, as reviews questioned travel and consultant billing.
The short version
- CBS News reports that Ian Choudri resigned as CEO of California's High-Speed Rail Authority, citing personal and family priorities.[CBS News]
- Joe Stephenshaw, the state Department of Finance director, was named interim CEO the next day.[CBS News]
- Inspector General Ben Belnap identified nearly $600,000 in unallowable travel costs, while a CBS News invoice review found about $2 million more billed by KPMG than its winning proposal indicated.[CBS News]
- Consultants Thierry Prate and Brent Butzin are leaving the project, but whether new leadership will pursue the pending consultant contract investigation remains unclear.[CBS News]
Key facts
- Ian Choudri resigned as CEO of the California High-Speed Rail Authority, effective immediately, citing personal and family priorities.[CBS News]
- Joe Stephenshaw, Gov. Gavin Newsom's Department of Finance director, was appointed interim CEO the following day.[CBS News]
- The Trump administration withdrew $4 billion in funding in 2024, citing the first missed trainset milestone deadline.[CBS News]
- Inspector General Ben Belnap identified nearly $600,000 in wasteful and unallowable travel expenses, including luxury rideshares.[CBS News]
- The inspector general flagged more than $76,000 in travel involving out-of-state key personnel.[CBS News]
- A CBS News review of four months of invoices found about $2 million more in billing than KPMG's winning cost proposal indicated.[CBS News]
- The Authority confirmed that consultants Thierry Prate and Brent Butzin are leaving the project.[CBS News]
What remains uncertain
- The reporting does not establish whether the resignation and the consultant findings are connected; Choudri cited personal and family priorities.[CBS News]
- Whether the interim leadership will pursue the pending investigation into consultant contracts is not yet established.[CBS News]
- The roughly $2 million billing figure is presented as a CBS News review of invoices, not as a finding attributed to an official body.[CBS News]
Sources
Outlet counts describe coverage, not independent confirmation. Reports may share a wire service or original source.