(KMJ) Assemblymember Alexandra Macedo (R-Tulare) is demanding Gov. Newsom fire the CEO of the troubled High Speed Rail project, Ian Choudri.
In a letter delivered to the Governor on Wednesday, Macedo cited Choudri’s recent arrest for domestic violence as the ultimate tipping point.
Choudri took a leave of absence after news broke of the incident at his home in Folsom. See Macedo’s letter below:
February 25, 2026
The Honorable Gavin Newsom Mr. Tom Richards
Governor Chair, The CHSR Authority Board
1021 O Street, Suite 9000 770 L Street, Suite 1160
Sacramento, CA 92814 Sacramento, CA 95814
Dear Governor Newsom and Chair Richards,
For nearly two decades, the California High-Speed Rail (HSR) project has been plagued with government waste, broken promises and mismanagement. Last week, it reached a new and unacceptable low.
The recent arrest of your hand-picked CEO Ian Choudri for domestic violence, in a case that reportedly involved abuse of a child, coupled with alarming details regarding financial ties between his fiancée and a key contractor, makes his continued leadership not only untenable, but also an insult to every taxpayer in the Central Valley and throughout the State of California.
I demand the immediate termination of Ian Choudri.
Given his arrest and the allegations against him, Mr. Choudri’s continued tenure would irreparably damage the public’s trust in their government.
Government officials are entrusted to be scrupulous managers of taxpayer dollars. Transparency leads to trust in government. For years, the $1 billion you have flushed into this failed project each year should have been redirected to more critical priorities, such as water infrastructure, wildfire prevention and the cost-of-living crisis.
California voters were promised a world-class transit system; instead, they got a series of concrete skeletons, and a leadership team mired in scandals.
The Stonehenge in the Central Valley is a monument to failure. Don’t let this scandal be your legacy.
Sincerely,
ALEXANDRA M. MACEDO
Assemblywoman, 33rd District
Asmb. Macedo recently joined Ray Appleton to discuss the problems with the long-delayed and vastly over budget project.
