A sudden change at the High-Speed Rail Authority board means the end of prominent Fresno developer Tom Richards’ longtime position overseeing the controversial transportation project.

On Friday, Newsom announced appointments for close political allies Jason Elliott and Steve Kawa, filling vacancies left by outgoing board chair Richards and board vice chair Nancy Miller.

Richards was appointed to the board in 2010 and became board chair in 2020.

Newsom brought Kawa on as his chief of staff in 2003 when he was mayor of San Francisco. Politico in 2024 described Jason Elliott as the governor’s “closest and longest-serving adviser.”

Deputy Communications Director Anthony Martinez, with Newsom’s office, said the two have extensive experience in major projects. Martinez described Kawa and Elliott as “trusted advisers and innovative leaders who combined bring over 50 years of experience navigating large-scale projects through demanding political and fiscal landscapes.”

Richards Helped Create 16,000 HSR Jobs: Costa

High-Speed Rail CEO Ian Choudri said the program is transitioning “from major civil construction into track laying and rail system delivery.” He thanked Richards and Miller for their service.

“Their stewardship helped guide the Authority through a critical period of progress and positioned the program for the next phase of delivery and expansion,” Choudri said in a statement Friday.

Rep. Jim Costa, D-Fresno, is a leading high-speed rail advocate. He said that Richards’ “critical role” helped advance one of the region’s “most transformational infrastructure projects.”

“Tom Richards provided the tenacious leadership to help create more than 16,000 jobs, strengthen local economies, and advance the next level of high-speed passenger rail service for California,” Costa said in a statement.

Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer also praised Richards.

“I commend Tom Richards for his many years of dedication and service as chair (of the authority board),” Dyer said. “Tom has been a strong advocate for the Central Valley and for bringing the first High-Speed Rail station to downtown Fresno.

“His ability to navigate the political landscape at the state and federal levels has been nothing short of miraculous.”

Merced Station Relocation, HSR Private Investment

Former Fresno County Supervisor Henry Perea, who sits on the authority board, credited Richards with hiring Choudri and helping the agency turn a financial corner.

“There’s no question that it was under his guidance that we initiated a very aggressive recruitment and secured our current CEO as a new leader who brought an entirely new vision to high-speed rail, and that just didn’t happen by accident,” Perea said.

Perea said the project has begun attracting private investors and in June, discussions will begin about those investments.

He said between Choudri and Richards, they’ve helped bring costs down. One discussion involved relocating the Merced station from the downtown area to an area closer to UC Merced, potentially saving $1 billion, Perea said.

Under Choudri, the authority allocated $500 million to begin buying its own materials to lay track rather than relying on contractors who would buy at a premium.

“A lot of this happened because of the vision that Tom (Richards) and Ian (Choudri) were able to put together,” Perea said.

$231 Billion to Run Train from San Francisco to LA

The announcement comes as the authority’s latest cost projections peg completion costs of a San Francisco to Los Angeles route at $231 billion, a stark departure from the original $33 billion estimate presented to voters in 2008.

At the same time, Assembly Bill 1608 would give the Office of the Inspector General the power to keep spending audits confidential.

A vocal critic of the project, Assemblymember Alexandra Macedo, R-Tulare, said the bill is about “protecting the governor and the High-Speed Rail Authority from embarrassment.”

“By sharing confidential audits only with committee chairs while excluding vice chairs, the majority party is making oversight a partisan privilege,” Macedo said in a statement. “Preventing the misuse and abuse of taxpayer dollars should be a bipartisan mission.”