On February 25, 2025, Inland Action met with LaDonna DiCamillo, Southern California Regional Director for the California High-Speed Rail Authority.
LaDonna DiCamillo was appointed Southern California Regional Director for the California High Speed Rail Authority (Authority) by Governor Gavin Newsom in October 2020. She oversees the planning and delivery of the high-speed rail program within 4 of the 10 largest cities in the state. She has led the Southern California Regional team to environmentally clear three of the four Southern California Phase 1 project sections, allowing for advance design work to begin. LaDonna shared information about the new CEO, Ian Choudri, who began his role in August 2024.
LaDonna’s presentation included additional information about Phase I (San Francisco to LA) and Phase II (additional connections to Sacramento and San Diego). With over 14,000 construction jobs created and 833 small businesses employed for the program, the funding to complete this project is not secured. Proposition 1A provided 20% of the funding needed, a fact that most Californians do not realize. This impacted on the ability to forecast completion of the various phases. The next logical step may be to complete the 119 miles in the Central Valley as this is currently under construction and can provide proof of concept. The high-speed projects must get into one of the population centers to maximize ridership, so establishing a partnership with Brightline is another key next step.