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California mayors revolt over Newsom bullet train plan they warn could ‘raid’ local tax bases

California City leaders are increasing opposition to the state’s high-speed rail project over fears that the Golden State could tap local taxpayer funds to shore up its troubled rail system after nearly two decades of delays.

“This proposal in the 2026 Draft Jobs Plan is fiscally reckless, legally vulnerable, and fundamentally unfair to the communities expected to host High-Speed Rail facilities. It would weaken local governments, destabilize public services, and undermine constitutional protections that California voters have repeatedly approved. Simply put: the state cannot solve the state’s funding problem by raiding local tax bases,” Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer wrote in the letter obtained by Fox News Digital, along with nine other mayors.

In an April letter to the chief executive of the High Speed Rail Authority (HSRA), mayors criticized a tax and planning proposal that would help fund the railway, which has been under construction since 2008.

The mayors urged the state to pursue voter-approved bonds or dedicated state revenue sources rather than “trying to redirect local tax increases through a legally dubious plan.”

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Ten California mayors are demanding the end of a draft proposal that would use local tax funds to finance high-speed rail.

(Reuters Photos)

The proposed plan was first included in the California High-Speed Rail Authority’s 2026 Draft Business Plan. While the plan re-estimates the cost of full Phase 1 construction of the line at $231.3 billion, the Authority’s optimized approach shows that the initial Phase 1 investment will be approximately $126.2 billion.

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The proposed funding for high-speed rail would not create a new tax, but would redirect tax revenues near future High-Speed Rail stations to the project, local Fresno Bee news outlet reported.

A spokesperson for the California High-Speed Rail Authority pushed back on the mayors’ characterization, saying there is no finalized plan to raise local revenues.

“There are no proposals. Through the 2026 Draft Business Plan, the Authority continues to engage in discussions with local jurisdictions and stakeholders about potential tools that could support station area infrastructure and long-term system deployment,” a spokesperson for the California High Speed Rail Authority said.

President Donald Trump and other administration officials have repeatedly called out Newsom and other California leaders for the time and money spent on the project since it was approved in 2008 with an initial price tag of $33 billion, before expected costs rose to more than $200 billion.

“A small train from San Francisco to Los Angeles is operated by Gavin New-scum, the governor of California,” Trump said on May 6. “Have you ever heard of Gavin Newsom? He took that train; the worst cost overrun I’ve ever seen. It’s like it’s completely out of control.”

“For the state of California to come in and take these sales tax dollars for a purpose other than supporting local government is not constitutionally acceptable in California,” Dyer said.

He added that the mayors did not meet with HSRA officials, were left out of the discussions and were uncertain about what the tax would be.

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The other nine mayors who signed the letter represent the cities of Anaheim, Lancaster, Riverside, Bakersfield, Gilroy, Merced, Burbank, Hanford and Stockton.

Mayors called the plan to indiscriminately collect tax revenue a “legally dubious scheme” that “sets a dangerous precedent statewide.”

MPs and local officials criticized the project for not showing deliverables and Looks like they’re wasting taxpayers’ fundsWhile project leaders insist it will be completed.

Rep. Vince Fong, R-Calif., said, “California’s high-speed rail has become a slow-moving train wreck, a case study in government waste and mismanagement, with billions of dollars spent, deadlines blown, and still nothing to show for it.” He wrote in X in April. “No finished tracks. No trains. Just broken promises. Years later, taxpayers are still footing the bill.”

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At a conference in Washington, D.C., HSRA CEO Ian Choudri said high-speed rail would be completed “within our lifetime,” SFGate reported.