Opponents of California's high speed train have refiled a lawsuit against state legislation that will allow money designated for the high-speed rail project to be spent on the electrification of Caltrain from south of San Jose to San Francisco.
In the new filing, opponents named California the lead plaintiff as the state of California, instead of the High-Speed Rail Authority which is in charge of the project. State Finance Director Michael Cohen was also named in the lawsuit filed on Thursday morning.
Opponents had to refile their lawsuit after a Sacramento judge rejected their arguments aimed at blocked California's $64 billion high-speed rail project. The lawsuit challenges AB 1889 which was signed into law last year by Gov. Jerry Brown. The lawsuit claims that the bill unconstitutionally allows high-speed rail bonds to be spend on Caltrain, which violates promises made to voters in 2008.
The Trump administration agreed last week to fully fund the $650 million federal grant meant for electrification of a San Francisco Bay Area train system that will help California's high-speed rail project.
The California High-Speed Rail Authority says the funding will help them complete the bullet train on time.
“This is exactly the type of infrastructure investment our country needs,” Sen. Dianne Feinstein, a California Democrat, said in a statement.