It's not just a story about the mismanagement of the 125 toll system...

It's about the revealed history of the depth of incompetence, mismanagement, and illegal practices engaged in at SANDAG....

Firing auditors for not signing off on fraudulent documents is pretty interesting, but not unusual for the former Executive Director of SANDAG...

But, the big "bombshell" in this story is of the ongoing Federal investigation into SANDAG by the US Department of Justice (note "NOT" the USDOT IG or FTA/FHWA auditors...????), which, for those of you who understand the "pecking order" in these agency scandals, is a likely indication of a criminal probe.

SDUT Story on SR125 scandal and Federal DOJ investigation of SANDAG

How this investigation by the Department of Justice has impacted FRA funding decisions and recent announcements in the funding for Amtrak for SANDAG's Del Mar bluffs bypass is anyone's guess.

I have been very surprised by the lack of any sign of activity at the Federal level regarding "Build Back" funding for LOSSAN, which despite the problems with SANDAG is a much needed and useful project, if one wants to see a truly first world standard intercity rail passenger corridor between LA and SD.

But having talked or been in contact with several of these reporters covering the SANDAG "audit" findings, over the last three years, I have noted that some of the issues raised would be illegal contracting violations or even fraud under Federal law, if Federal funds were involved in some of these shady practices revealed by the now multiple SANDAG audits.

Any hint of actual "criminal" conduct, and these new revelations of more incompetence at SANDAG, are however, not cerrtainly very helpful to instilling confidence at the Federal level.

Sometimesm the impacts of the failures from incompetence and/or corrupted practices can occasionally have lasting and real consequences... Unless, of course, you're the CAHSRA.....