Brown says he will soon appoint a commissioner to fill a vacant seat on the agency's governing board, but some lawmakers want him to abandon the entire plan. They say building a high-speed rail system is too costly and would just worsen the state's finances. A Republican state senator says it's time to derail the project.
"I'm interested in stopping right now because we've only invested a tiny tip of the iceberg of what the true cost is going to be. Yes, we are probably about $600 million into it so far, but that's a fraction of a $100 billion," said St. Sen. Doug La Malfa, R-Butte.
The first portion of the high speed rail project, between Merced and Bakersfield, has already doubled in cost.
The Bay Area portion also faces a skyrocketing price tag, especially if elevated rail lines need to be built in some neighborhoods.
