California High-Speed Rail Authority

High-Speed Rail Authority
Agency overview
FormedSeptember 24, 1996 (1996-09-24)
JurisdictionState of California
Headquarters770 L Street, Suite 620, Sacramento, CA 95814
Annual budgetUnknown
Agency executives
  • Ian Choudri,
      Chief Executive Officer
  • Tom Richards,
      Chairperson
Parent agencyCalifornia State Transportation Agency (CalSTA)
Websitewww.hsr.ca.gov

The California High-Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA) is a California state agency established in 1996[1] pursuant to the California High-Speed Rail Act[2] to develop and implement high-speed intercity rail service, namely the California High-Speed Rail project. The CHSRA succeeded the California Intercity High-Speed Rail Commission, which was created in 1993.[3]

CAHSR Board Members

The Authority is composed of 9 regular members plus 2 ex officio members. Five members are appointed by the Governor, two members are appointed by the Senate Committee on Rules, and two members are appointed by the Speaker of the Assembly. The two ex officio members are from each of the two legislative bodies.[4]

The members appointed by the Governor have terms of office of 4 years. Per Katta Hules of the California High-Speed Rail Authority, members whose terms of office have technically expired serve until replaced. As of Jan. 2024 the Board was composed of:[5][6]

Member Appointment Term Ends
(members serve until replaced)
Tom Richards, chairperson Appointed by the Governor December 31, 2021.
Nancy Miller, vice chairperson Appointed by the Governor December 31, 2023.
Ernesto M. Camacho Appointed by the Senate Rules Committee December 31, 2022.
Martha M. Escutia Appointed by the Speaker of the Assembly Term is at pleasure of the Speaker.
James C. Ghielmetti Appointed by the Governor December 31, 2020.
Emily Cohen Appointed by the Speaker of the Assembly Term is at pleasure of the Speaker.
Henry Perea Appointed by the Senate Rules Committee December 31, 2024.
Lynn Schenk
(see also Lynn Schenk) 		Appointed by the Governor December 31, 2021.
Anthony Williams Appointed by the Governor December 31, 2022.
Hon. Dr. Joaquin Arambula, ex officio
(see also Joaquin Arambula) 		Appointed by the Speaker of the Assembly Term while in office is at pleasure of the Speaker of the Assembly.
Hon. Lena Gonzalez, ex officio Chairman of the Senate Transportation Committee;
Appointed by the Senate Committee on Rules 		Term while in office is at pleasure of the Senate Committee on Rules.

Committee Structure

The 2024 Business Plan (Final draft)[7] gives a synopsis of the committee structure of the Authority on pages 75-77. The committees are:

  • Executive Committee (EC)
  • Administrative Committee (AC, reports directly to EC)
  • Development Review Committee
  • Business Oversight Committee (BOC, reports directly to EC)
  • Program Delivery Committee (PDC, reports directly to EC)
  • Program Delivery Advisory Committee (PDAC, reports directly to PDC)
  • Change Control Committee (CCC, reports directly to EC)
  • Enterprise Risk Committee (ERC, reports directly to Finance & Audit Comm.)

In addition to these operational committees, the Board has a subset of its members who comprise the Finance and Audit Committee to monitor the finances of the project.

Inspector General

The August 2023 CEO Report to the Authority Board noted that Governor Newsom had appointed Benjamin Belnap as Inspector General of the California High-Speed Rail Authority as per SB 198. Belnap has been an employee of the State Auditor's office since 2001, and a Deputy State Auditor since 2015. He will report to the board occasionally during his four-year term.[8]

Required reports to the Legislature

By law the Authority must provide a report to the Legislature every year. There are two types of reports.

The Authority's Business Plan describes the project's goals, financing, and development plans. This must be submitted every even year to the Legislature by May 1.[9]

Every odd year The Authority is required to submit a Project Update Report. This gives a project-wide summary, as well as information for each project section, in order to clearly describe the project's status and projections for the future. This must be submitted to the Legislature by March 1.[10]

References

  1. ^ Tunnicliffe, Andrew (February 2023). "Will California ever get its high-speed rail?". Railway Technology.
  2. ^ S.B. 1420, Chapter 796 of the California Statutes of 1996
  3. ^ "The Full Cost of Intercity Travel: A Comparison of Air, Highway, and High-speed Rail – ACCESS Magazine".
  4. ^ California Public Utilities Code § 185020
  5. ^ "Board of Directors". Retrieved 2023-08-21.
  6. ^ Emailed communications from Katta Hules, California High-Speed Rail Authority, on Jan. 4 and 5, 2023.
  7. ^ "2024 Business Plan (Final)" (PDF). CAHSR Authority. Retrieved 30 April 2024.
  8. ^ Kelly, Brian (August 24, 2023). "August 2023 CEO Report". Retrieved September 7, 2023.
  9. ^ "Public Utilities Code Sections 185033 and 185033.7" (PDF). 2024 Business Plan, Appendix A. California High-Speed Rail Authority. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
  10. ^ "Public Utilities Code Section 185033.7" (PDF). 2024 Business Plan, Appendix A. California High-Speed Rail Authority. Retrieved 28 March 2024.