California
California’s High-Speed Rail Deserves to Be Canceled | Mint
(Bloomberg Opinion) — If President Donald Trump follows through on his recent threats to cut off federal funding for California’s long-troubled high-speed rail project, it would be better for all concerned: For all intents and purposes, this thing went off the rails (sorry) a long time ago.
Escalating costs have made it clear that no money was or ever would be available to realize the vision of a modern bullet train between Los Angeles and San Francisco. What’s under construction is a segment through California’s Central Valley, where costs are cheap compared to other parts of the system but which offers almost no economic value. The whole thing has become a zombie project that nobody with clout in state politics can either rescue or kill. A hated outsider officially ending it would let the state’s Democrats complain while also allowing them to acknowledge the reality that it’s not going to happen.
The tragedy is that the basic concept of high-speed rail for California makes a lot of sense.
Los Angeles and San Francisco are two large metropolitan areas that are about as far apart as Rome and Milan (about 380 miles). Trains between those two Italian cities have a 68% market share relative to airplanes, and the competition puts downward pressure on airfares. At this kind of distance, many passengers prefer the comfort of a train to the speed of a plane, and the convenience of train stations to airports. A train could also provide frequent service to intermediary locations such as Bakersfield, Modesto and Fresno — cities that in the aggregate have a large population, but by themselves aren’t large enough to support a lot of flights to LAX or SFO. And finally, once the core HSR line was built, spurs to San Jose and Sacramento, and an extension to San Diego, would be relatively straightforward.
These are all real benefits. But they depend on connecting Los Angeles and San Francisco with a train that is both fast and cost-effective to build.
The failure to achieve this has become a legendary case study in progressive excess, but the original sin was committed by a Republican — Michael Antonovich, then a member of the LA County Board of Supervisors — in 1999. Planners wanted the train to head north from Los Angeles along the route of Interstate 5, but Antonovich successfully pushed to detour the train through his district. That made the project more expensive and increased travel time.
Unfortunately, this set the template for almost every subsequent decision around the project. To build a fast train between Los Angeles and San Francisco in a cost-effective way, it is important to prioritize making the train go quickly between Los Angeles and San Francisco. There may be tradeoffs between expense and speed. But it should never cost more to make the train slower. Yet it happened again with another major decision to get from the Central Valley to San Francisco via the Pacheco Pass rather than the more northerly Altamont Pass.
There are many more details, complexities and decisions that went into this fiasco, but the basic story is pretty simple: They couldn’t build a cost-effective fast train between Los Angeles and San Franciso because they kept making choices that deprioritized that goal. It is of course understandable that elected officials who represent places other than LA or San Francisco would have other priorities. But regularly deferring to the wishes of those who weren’t aligned with the core goal of the project undermined it.
The way to do these things is to avoid precommitments. California should have invested a modest amount of money for a cost-effective proposal, and then asked the legislature to support it. If it said yes, great. If it said no, fine. Either way, you wouldn’t end up with a bottomless money pit — and no train.
A new high-speed rail proposal for the East Coast, from the Transit Costs Project at New York University, shows what sound planning looks like. Rather than copying Amtrak’s official proposal — which starts by asking every stakeholder what they want, then rolls it into an impossible $117 billion plan — the NYU study looks for the cheapest way to send trains from Washington to Boston in just under four hours. Its plan involves modest amounts of new construction and significant changes to commuter rail operations. But the whole thing comes in at about $17 billion, which is a very modest cost for a program with large benefits given New York’s constrained airspace, and leaves most train commuters better off.
Yes, some existing riders would lose out, as would some Amtrak customers in less populated cities. The politics of making this plan a reality aren’t simple. But the upside — especially to “in between” cities such as Baltimore, Providence and Philadelphia — would be huge. It’s an idea creative politicians should take up.
More important, politicians throughout the country should pay attention to the enormous price gap between the “do it as cheaply as possible” plan and the “accommodate as many as possible” plan, because the basic point is applicable to all kinds of infrastructure projects in all kinds of places: If something is worth doing, it needs to be made a priority. If it’s not important enough to be prioritized over other considerations, better to give up and do something else instead. Otherwise, like California’s politicians, they may be left with not much more than a lot of wasted time and money.
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This column reflects the personal views of the author and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.
Matthew Yglesias is a columnist for Bloomberg Opinion. A co-founder of and former columnist for Vox, he writes the Slow Boring blog and newsletter. He is author of “One Billion Americans.”
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A 13-year-old boy riding an electric motorcycle in Garden Grove died after veering into the center median, flying into the air and then slamming onto the roadway, authorities said.
The crash took place shortly before 10 p.m. Thursday in the area of Magnolia Street and Larson Avenue, according to the Garden Grove Police Department. The Police Department received word of the incident via a call from Life360, a family safety and location-sharing app with emergency assistance features.
The Santa Ana teen was critically wounded in the crash, police said. He was loaded into an ambulance and taken to a hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.
The boy was traveling at around 35 mph on a black E Ride Pro electric motorcycle when he struck the median and lost control of the vehicle, according to authorities. Electric motorcycles are primarily designed for off-road riding and are not legal to use on California roadways.
The teen’s death is the latest in a spate of serious collisions involving electric motorcycles and dirt bikes — some of which have led to serious injuries, death or charges for parents who allegedly allowed their minors to illegally ride the speedy devices.
An Orange County mother was charged with involuntary manslaughter last week after authorities said an 81-year-old Vietnam veteran died from injuries he suffered when her 14-year-old son slammed into him while riding an e-motorcycle, then fled the scene.
In April, a Yorba Linda father was charged with felony child endangerment after authorities alleged his son ran a red light and was hit by a car while riding a modified e-motorcycle capable of reaching up to 60 mph.
Last week, a 19-year-old riding an e-motorcycle was arrested on suspicion of felony evading police and felony reckless driving. He was accused of leading sheriff’s deputies on a speedy chase through a residential area of Oceanside, blowing past multiple red lights and knocking a deputy off a motorcycle.
Electric bikes, motorcycles and dirt bikes have surged in popularity in recent years and are especially popular among teens. However, while e-bikes generally top out at 28 mph and are legal to ride on the street, many e-motorcycles can go twice as fast and are generally not street legal.
Anyone who witnessed Thursday’s crash in Garden Grove or has a video of the incident is asked to contact Investigator Lang via phone at (714) 741-5823 or email at mlang@ggcity.org.
Top moments from CNN California governor debate recap
Breaking down key takeaways, highlights, and analysis from the CNN California governor debate, including standout moments and candidate contrasts.
Gov. Gavin Newsom announced that newborn babies in California will start receiving free diapers as part of a new “first-in-the-nation” initiative to support families across the state with the rising cost of living.
Newsom, along with state leaders, met in San Francisco on Friday, May 8 to unveil California’s new partnership with Baby2Baby, a national nonprofit that provides diapers to children in need, and to explain how this new program will provide families with 400 “high-quality” diapers before they leave the hospital.
Over the last six years, families have seen the average cost of diapers increase by 45% or “thousands plus dollars a year,” which has made raising a family unattainable for some, Newsom said during the press conference.
“Every baby born in California deserves a healthy start in life — and that means making sure parents have the basics they need from day one,” Newsom said. “One out of four families skip meals in order to pay for diapers.”
“The biggest problem defined universally, in our cities, our state and our nation, is the issue of affordability. This is what affordability looks like; it’s not a slogan, it’s a box. A box of diapers,” Newsom added.
This new effort will be known as Golden State Start, as California uses its bulk purchasing power to obtain 40 million high-quality diapers in hopes of easing financial strain for families and supporting infant health by helping parents maintain an adequate supply of clean diapers.
“The first days at home with a newborn should be focused on the love, connection, and joy of an expanded family, not stress about affording diapers,” said Kim Johnson, secretary of the California Health and Human Services Agency. “This program helps ensure families can begin that journey with greater stability and peace of mind.”
The program is expected to start at the beginning of this summer in participating California hospitals. The list of participating hospitals was not released at the time of publication, but Newsom noted that the state was in talks with at least 60 hospitals across California.
During the first year of the program, CalRx and Baby2Baby noted that they would prioritize hospitals that serve large numbers of Medi-Cal patients to ensure low-income families benefit early from the program. The state plans to scale the program to additional hospitals and birthing centers over time.
Newsom noted that this program is expected to grow: In 2027, the state is set to purchase 80 million diapers from manufacturers, with the goal of eventually purchasing up to 160 million.
“California families deserve to feel supported during one of life’s more exciting, yet vulnerable transitions,” Jennifer Siebel Newsom, the first partner, said in a press release. “Golden State Start will deliver immediate relief, allowing parents to focus on what matters most — caring for their newborn. Together with Baby2Baby, we can ease the financial burden on California parents while supporting healthier outcomes for babies and their mothers.”
Noe Padilla is a Northern California Reporter for USA Today. Contact him at npadilla@usatodayco.com, follow him on X @1NoePadilla or on Bluesky @noepadilla.bsky.social. Sign up for the TODAY Californian newsletter or follow us on Facebook at TODAY Californian.
Nordstrom Rack will open two new Southern California stores next year.
The discount outlet said on Wednesday that it will open new stores in Marina del Rey in the spring of next year and in Torrance later that summer. The locations join 69 Nordstrom Rack locations already operating in the state.
“We’re excited to grow our footprint in the Los Angeles market and introduce new customers to the Nordstrom experience,” Gemma Lionello, president of Nordstrom Rack, said in a news release.
Nordstrom Rack is an outlet version of the upscale retailer Nordstrom, offering merchandise from top brands at a discount.
Bargain retailers have expanded in California recently, benefiting from increasingly cost-conscious customers, who are motivated to spend less by economic anxiety and inflation.
Discount outlets such as Ross, T.J. Maxx and Dollar General have capitalized on the tough economic times and experienced accelerated growth. Ross reported record sales in 2025, up 8% from the year prior.
Bargain retail stores have acquired a larger supply of discounted products by buying unsold merchandise from struggling high-end stores. Customers who feel destabilized financially by tariffs and global conflict have used the stores to try to find lower prices.
The new Nordstrom Rack storefronts will be in Marina Marketplace in Marina del Rey and Rolling Hills Plaza in Torrance.
“The Los Angeles retail market continues to see growth from retailers like Nordstrom looking for anchor space in vibrant areas,” Scott Burns, senior managing director for the company that manages Marina Marketplace, said in a news release.
The bargain outlet boom comes as department stores and malls struggle. Nordstrom, the upscale retailer, closed a Santa Monica location in July. Macy’s shuttered two California locations this year and will reduce its footprint by 30% in 2027.
Shopping malls across Southern California have also struggled to bring sales back as immigration raids continue to scare customers away.
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