California High Speed Rail Authority CEO Ian Choudri has resigned, leaving the agency after an inspector general report questioned travel reimbursements, according to a report on his resignation. The board announced his departure Thursday in Anaheim, California, during a meeting that also named an interim chief executive.
Choudri had led the authority since 2024. In an emailed resignation letter, he said he was leaving to focus on “important personal and family priorities,” according to CalMatters, which obtained a copy. His resignation came late Wednesday, during a two-day board meeting.
California High Speed Rail Board Names Interim CEO
The authority’s Office of Inspector General found that the agency paid $592,900 in consultant travel expenses that were unallowable under state travel rules, consultants’ contracts, or both. Republican legislators had called for Choudri to resign after the report.
At Thursday’s meeting, the board named Joe Stephenshaw interim CEO. Stephenshaw has served as director of the state Department of Finance since 2022, following a brief period as Gov. Gavin Newsom’s senior counselor on infrastructure and fiscal affairs.
Before joining the finance department, Stephenshaw was staff director for the Senate Budget and Fiscal Review Committee from 2017 to 2022. He also held other legislative staff positions from 2008 to 2017, according to the report.
A representative of Newsom said the governor welcomed the leadership change as “an important step” toward accountability. The statement noted Stephenshaw’s four years guarding the state budget as finance director and said Newsom was confident he was the right person to oversee the authority in the interim.
Board Chair Steve Kawa said the resignation “reflects the board’s commitment to accountability and transparency, consistent with the governor’s mandate.” He added: “Californians deserve a project they can trust,” CalMatters reported.
Rail Project Advances Alongside Leadership Change
The board also approved a $772.1 million contract with Siemens Mobility for the system’s first three trainsets. The board also approved up to $63.7 million for import duties and tariffs. State Transportation Secretary Toks Omishakin called the approval “a historic step forward in building the nation’s first high-speed rail system.”
In another project decision, the board approved the environmental document for the Los Angeles-Anaheim segment. That action completed environmental clearance for the 494-mile Phase 1 system between San Francisco and Los Angeles/Anaheim.
Related reporting covers scrutiny of executive authority and leadership changes. The rail board’s contract limits and another report on California CEO contract dispute also involved boards restricting chief executives’ contract authority. A different organization’s CEO leadership change shows how scrutiny can precede executive turnover.
The authority’s board has installed an interim CEO while the approved trainset contract and segment clearance move the project forward.