According to Patterson (2019)
“It turns out that the State Auditor found that many of the people who put up money for the bond measure (Proposition 1A in 2008), the HSRA allowed thousands and thousands of dollars to go out the door, when they didn’t even have the property yet,” Patterson said. “I’m stunned by this."


2016: "The authority blamed "legal maneuvers and other tactics" on behalf of those opposed to the rail project for the land acquisition delays."

[www.constructiondive.com]

Which can be verified:
"If the old philosophy was to confront and delay the project, the new philosophy might be just the opposite — ensure that “something happens on this corridor” that will benefit Kings County, said Verboon."

[www.visaliatimesdelta.com]

2016: "Tutor Perini, which already had a $1 billion contract to build the first 29 miles of the rail system, said it mobilized equipment and personnel to begin the project in 2013 as scheduled, but that the lack of necessary land purchases by the authority forced costly delays."

The authority was reacting to fed deadlines and ill-advisedly put premature contracts out before ROW was ready.

This was all common knowledge as far back as before 2016. And yet Patterson is just now stunned by this. Where's he been?