Abandon means having to pay multiple billion$ that the state doesn't have back to the feds. So the fiction of it being needed and working must be maintained. That doesn't mean the continuation must be done in the way it started, and the committees must be convinced of that.

The SoCal politcos might have a chance, since they represent a lot of people (still half the population of the state?) and campaign contributions, and their local ox feels like it's being gored by all the work being north of the Tehachapis. Which it is (local losses, northern work). However, in the real world, they won't get the Bakersfield-Palmdale segment for any amount of money that might seem reasonable, even if the engineering is downgraded to accommodate simply high speed rather than ultra-high-speed. And that's not really what they want anyway (other than possibly for a few who want a commuter train to Bakersfield and Fresno). Anything worthwhile (visible and usable by the actual voters) would have to be south of Palmdale, e.g.:

* Is the LAUS run-through tracks project still alive?
* With the Del Mar Tunnel project sitting comfortably north of a billion$, where's the HSR contribution? Sea Level Rise mitigation as well as "connecting" service improvement.
* If HSR can spend money on EIRs that are Tier 1 at best, because the construction money for the segments studied just isn't there, why not on something to solidify a project to move the San Clemente beach tracks inland? Bigger job than Del Mar, so even more in need of state contribution.
* I'm sure Metrolink has some ideas for improving speeds on the AV line. Even for electrification (hurrr diesel emission reduction in the South Coast Air Basin!). As with Caltrain electrification for part of a "blended" system, I'm sure some study money if not more could be justified for that.

????

BTW, I agree that legislative committee hearings are usually theater, not actual information gathering or serious discussion of alternatives. And sending in a comment can get one on some "interesting" mailing lists (remember, public comments are, ahem, PUBLIC). But they are still useful occasions for making statements that, if not themselves affecting public policy, provide information and talking points for the insiders that do. And the old line is still true: if you want a policymaker to change their views on something, you have to tell them about it. Flapping virtual lips here doesn't matter - actual policymakers don't visit.