Source: New York Post
California’s beleaguered high-speed rail project paid more than $680,000 in dubious travel expenses to consultants connected to the project — including premium plane tickets and rideshare trips to gyms, nightclubs and an “escape room,” according to a damning new audit. A report released Tuesday by the inspector general of the California High Speed Rail Agency found the department paid some $2 million in travel payments to four consulting firms — financial, legal and track design contractors — but handed out a slew of questionable reimbursements in the process. Consultants billed the state for premium flight upgrades, prohibited international travel and rideshare trips to gyms, restaurants, a cigar lounge and more, according to the report obtained by The California Post.
