Ian Choudri resigned Wednesday night as chief executive of the California High-Speed Rail Authority, citing personal and family priorities in an emailed letter obtained by CalMatters, as the agency's board continued a two-day meeting^1,2. Board Chair Steve Kawa told the board on Thursday that the resignation was effective immediately⁵.

Choudri, hired in August 2024, led the state agency building a planned high-speed line between the Bay Area and Southern California^1,3. KCRA said he was paid about half a million dollars as CEO⁵. He did not respond to CalMatters requests for comment Wednesday night¹.

The departure followed an inspector general inquiry last month into consultant travel billed to the state^1,2,3. Investigators found consultants flew first class and billed trips that included a nightclub, cigar lounge and restaurants, sometimes at Choudri's request, according to CalMatters¹. KTLA, citing that reporting, put questioned consultant travel at nearly $600,000².

KCRA reported the authority said California taxpayers spent more than $250 million from 2024 to 2026 on four consulting firms at the center of the inquiry — KPMG, Nossaman LLP, Systra-Typsa and AECOM-Fluor — and that the inspector general analyzed less than $2 million of that spending⁵.

The board this month limited Choudri's contracting authority after the probe, requiring in-house legal counsel to sign off first on contracts under $25 million, CalMatters reported^1,5.

The Los Angeles Times reported the resignation came ahead of a scheduled board consideration of environmental clearance for a 33-mile Anaheim-to-Los Angeles segment³. On Wednesday the board unanimously approved a $772.1 million contract with Siemens Mobility to design, build and test three seven-car high-speed trains by 2030, CalMatters reported¹.

The authority's latest business plan put full project costs between $126 billion and $231 billion, with a 171-mile Merced-to-Bakersfield segment under construction and a full buildout expected by 2040¹. KCRA cited a $36 billion projection and a 2033 completion target for the Bakersfield-to-Merced line⁵.

The Times said the project lost federal funding during Choudri's tenure and that gubernatorial candidate Xavier Becerra had told KCRA he would remove Choudri if elected³. The Times also reported Choudri was arrested earlier this year on suspicion of domestic battery, took a voluntary leave, and later returned³.