The $77 billion California high-speed rail just keeps getting messier and messier...
Now, a top consultant for the project is under investigation after modifying a multi-million dollar contract that involved a company he might have held stock in.
The investigation, led by the Fair Political Practices Commission, was launched last week into the California High-Speed Rail Authority deputy chief operation officer Roy Hill. Hill is a senior executive at the lead consulting firm WSP, but according to the Los Angeles Times, he could have owned more than $100,000 stock in Jacobs Engineering, which is part of his firm's team.
State Assemblyman Jim Patterson requested the investigation, and will join the John and Ken Show this afternoon to discuss the latest.
“This calls into question just how deep and just how corrupt this project has become,” Patterson said. “My office has heard from former High-Speed Rail Authority employees and even former contractors who are disgusted by what they believe is corrupt behavior. Unfortunately, the High-Speed Rail Authority doesn’t do the right thing until they’re caught red-handed.”
“We hold ourselves to the highest ethical standards,” Denise Turner Roth, chief development officer for WSP USA, said in a statement. “We take these allegations seriously, and will cooperate fully with the investigation. Mr. Hill has been temporarily suspended while this matter is reviewed.”
Hill will stay suspended by WSP until the investigation is over.
The latest estimated has the failing high-speed rail to be completed around 2033. We'll keep you updated.
Listen below to hear John and Ken speak with Assemblyman Jim Patterson on the scandal.