Lt. Gov. Breaks With Brown And Says He No Longer Supports Bullet Train
SACRAMENTO (AP) — Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom, once a strong supporter of California's high-speed rail project, says he has changed his mind and no longer backs it.
Newsom's comments Friday make him the most prominent Democrat in California to publicly split with Gov. Jerry Brown on the project, one of the governor's top priorities.
Newsom was asked about the $68 billion plan during an appearance on the Ben Shapiro Show on Seattle's KTTH radio.
He says he supports taking $9 billion in voter-approved bonds from the rail project and redirecting it to "other, more pressing infrastructure needs." He also says he's one of only a few Democrats willing to speak publicly against it.
Brown has continued to back the bullet train even as questions grow about how the state will pay for it.
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