While confessing I do some work in this area, and the usual suspects will question my motives, I support Carol, this is something we will need and that we can successfully build.

I find the real problem is that the current structure, planning processes, and oversight of the CHSRA has been lacking due to the poorly thought out enabling Legislation, This has lead to ineffective and incompetent project management. It has resulted in useless or incomplete "business plans". And, it has resulted in a lack of credibility with most potential private sector partners.

The California High Speed Legislation is so poorly written, that no proper analysis of markets or alternatives could really be done, because a priori specifications, regardless of costs, or a viable business plan, are still driving the outcome, rather than a proper planning and analsysis of user needs and cost benefit.

The Legislation is also so poorly written, that they apparently cannot even hire a new Executive Director, now that Morshed is finally retiring. Years of poor planning and bumbling political incompetence have left us still without a real business plan, or the proper preparatory planning work, to design and implement such a system.

Another clear problem is that the State has a California Rail Plan, and the State has a competing separate HSR "Plan". These two dueling rail plans are not integrated, nor are these properly integrated with the regional rail plans in California's metro areas along the proposed corridors. All of these are being planned in a vacuum, resulting in more waste and duplication of efforts.

The Legislature needs to get its act together and rewrite the current HSR Legislation to require proper planning of HSR, to allow for a competent management process accountable to the taxpayers, and set clear guidelines requiring this system is built with minimum operable segments, that are consistent with and integrated with our local transportation plans and investments.

I would also urge the Legislature to consider a review or oversight of the project by an independent panel to review the current assumptions, various needs and opportunities, how others have successfully built existing HSR systems, and what lessons we should apply to this project. Such an oversight panel should be able to make recommendations for modification of the project to assure a more realistic, benefecial, and cost effective outcome.