Do not underestimate the power of California Farmers. They are the money behind much of the state's politics, going back to the days of " The Octopus " vs. " The People's Road " ( SF & SJV RR aka Santa Fe ). California Farmers, not urban Southern Californians, were the force behind the California Aqueduct Project in the early 1960's, and they raised quite a fuss when their cheap water allotments were reduced in favor of increased supplies for new SoCal construction. As a native of SoCal, I had never heard of George Deukmejian ( sp ? ) before California Farmers' money put him in the Governor's office. I can see California Farmers giving the CA - HSR project quite a tough time for years to come, if they choose to.