California Legislature: Nothing to See Here, Move Along

If there is one thing you can say about Gavin Newsom, it is that he is exceptional at failing upward. 

Perhaps it is his looks—you have to admit, he is a good-looking guy in a slick sort of way—but I think it has more to do with the fact that he has been superb at leveraging his connections on the inside, and gaslighting voters on the outside. 

For all his “aw-shucks, I grew up a poor black child” persona, Newsom began his career by leveraging his connections with the Getty family, and he has made himself a rich owner of a winery (I think it is a law that grifting California politicians own wineries), a “successful” politician, and a credible candidate for President of the United States. 

A billion dollars a year from the “Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund” goes toward building the boondoggle high-speed rail project. The money that goes into that fund comes from higher prices for gasoline, diesel fuel, electricity and everything made or moved in California. Idiocy. https://t.co/7xgHmXjbVG

— Susan Shelley (@Susan_Shelley) February 16, 2026

For all that, everything he has touched has turned into a big pile of disgusting human excrement. Quite literally, in some cases. He was the Mayor of San Francisco, after all, where they have poop maps. 

One of the projects Newsom is most proud of is the California High Speed Rail. 

Gavin Newsom says he’s getting started on California’s high-speed rail — the same project he said he was starting back in 2010..

More fraud incoming. pic.twitter.com/shSxAsl3Cf

— American AF 🇺🇸 (@iAnonPatriot) February 5, 2026

It’s impossible, unless you have followed the project from the beginning, to grasp the scale of the waste and fraud embodied in this project. They say everything is bigger in Texas, but that really isn’t true; California is where the truly gargantuan government abuse reins supreme. 

The high speed rail in Gavin Newsom’s California will go down as the biggest case of taxpayer fraud in American history.

Voters were promised a high speed rail from Los Angeles to San Francisco in 12 years at a cost of $33 billion. Now the project is a train from Bakersfield to… pic.twitter.com/LBqRtrLoPK

— Kevin Dalton (@TheKevinDalton) February 3, 2026

Planning for the project began almost 30 years ago, but it really kicked into high gear two decades ago, when the first tranche of funding was secured. Ever since, the promises have become grander, along with the budgets, which now have ballooned 300% to 400%. In that time, not one single mile of track has been laid, and the planned completion of the first leg of the project is 2033. 

Over $800 million American taxpayer dollars were spent to NOT WORK on the California High Speed Rail

“There’s a clause in High Speed Rail called non-execution of contract where contractors are owed $170,000 a day if there are any delays whatsoever. We’ve been able to find out… pic.twitter.com/DkbPmTw3Zu

— Wall Street Apes (@WallStreetApes) January 13, 2026

Over $800 million American taxpayer dollars were spent to NOT WORK on the California High Speed Rail

“There’s a clause in High Speed Rail called non-execution of contract where contractors are owed $170,000 a day if there are any delays whatsoever. We’ve been able to find out that over $800 million has been paid out on that clause, which means they paid $800 million for ZERO WORK to be done.”

That leg goes from one modest-sized city in central California to another modest-sized city in the center of the state, where few people live, and nobody wants to go. 

Still, Newsom is talking up the project, and why wouldn’t he? It has been a massive success for him and his cronies, who have been pocketing billions of dollars for doing…nothing. 

Hours after Gavin Newsom celebrated a major made up milestone for California’s criminally over budget and delayed high speed rail, it caught on fire…

Fortunately, no tracks were destroyed in the blaze, but that’s only because none have been laid in 16 years. https://t.co/8saGsfmzns pic.twitter.com/X2HqxMg7Bf

— Kevin Dalton (@TheKevinDalton) February 6, 2026

As a construction project, it is a dumpster fire. As a graft machine, it has excelled. While not as perfect a grift as the Medicaid scams we have seen of late, you have to give the man credit for exploiting the tools he had at the time. Construction projects were the vehicle of choice before it became so easy to rip off the federal government, and California politicians and developers maximized the graft. 

A new state bill aims to shield certain information about California’s High-Speed Rail project from the public. Full Story: https://t.co/eSfghE6NiD pic.twitter.com/wVu6A61BFG

— KTLA (@KTLA) February 17, 2026

Now that Newsom is almost officially in the running for the Democratic nomination, and as a frontrunner at that, covering up that graft has become imperative. Californians may have a high level of tolerance for this scale of graft, but in other states, it may still be considered a bad look. 

So the legislature is considering a bill to make key information about the project private. 

California high-speed rail has been a huge success for some. Those tens of billions of dollars didn’t disappear. They went into the pockets of individuals and organizations. This is only a failure if you wanted high speed rail.https://t.co/CYJeKzSDsE

— Keith Humphreys (@KeithNHumphreys) February 12, 2026

It’s the same sort of move that Blue states are making with their voter rolls. They are so dirtied up, and in quite an illegal way, given the requirements of the Help America Vote Act passed after the 2020 election, that they are making their voter rolls impossible to examine and refusing to share them with the federal government. 

Exact same vibe. pic.twitter.com/DwJkjENZKp

— 🇺🇸🇺🇸 America First 🇺🇸🇺🇸 (@2APewPew) February 17, 2026

Given the current political environment and the massive fraud being uncovered, California politicians want to make it illegal to see basic information about the project. Information such as audits, contracts, and lawsuits. 

Here’s yet another one of Newsom’s projects ballooning in cost.
I don’t see many people mention it. pic.twitter.com/9bJvAPdXci

— The Anonymous Alcoholic (@BalzakInc) February 17, 2026

If something is a bad look and might land you in hot water or even jail, short of destroying the evidence, the best thing one can do is hide it. 

And, in the fine tradition of Democrats, they are selling the move as an attempt to maximize transparency. Because nothing says transparency more than telling people to ignore that man behind the curtain. 

ADDENDUM: Baltimore is doing the same thing. As the Inspector General of the city started finding waste, fraud, and abuse in the COVID relief programs, the city cut off access to the records:

Baltimore got $641 MILLION in COVID relief.

Over $500,000 went to Artscape performers.
$26,000 went to a mayor’s VIP reception.

Now the city is blocking its own Inspector General from accessing records. What are they hiding? https://t.co/HziEVYEjc0

— Open the Books (@open_the_books) February 17, 2026

Editor’s note: If we thought our job in pushing back against the Academia/media/Democrat censorship complex was over with the election, think again. This is going to be a long fight. If you want to join the conversation in the comments — and support independent platforms — why not join our VIP Membership program? Choose VIP to support Hot Air and access our premium content, VIP Gold to extend your access to all Townhall Media platforms and participate in this show, or VIP Platinum to get access to even more content and discounts on merchandise. Use the promo code FIGHT to join or to upgrade your existing membership level today, and get 60% off!