Ian Choudri resigned as chief executive of the California High-Speed Rail Authority, effective immediately, board Chair Steve Kawa said Thursday, KCRA reported⁵. Kawa said Choudri cited personal and family reasons; Joe Stephenshaw, director of the Department of Finance, will serve as interim CEO⁵.

A resignation email obtained by CalMatters and published by LAist said leading the authority had been a meaningful chapter and that the decision was not easy⁷. The message came during a two-day board meeting^5,7.

An inspector general review found consultants billed the state for questionable travel, including first-class flights and visits to a nightclub, cigar lounge and restaurants, sometimes at Choudri's request, LAist reported⁷. Figures in coverage range from nearly $600,000 in flagged trips to a wider look at consultant spending^7,5.

The board earlier this month limited Choudri's contracting authority after the probe^5,7. Authority staff said consulting firms have repaid nearly $1.3 million⁷. Choudri's pay this year was more than $534,000, LAist reported⁷.

Under his tenure the project lost $4 billion in federal funding after missed deadlines; the state dropped a lawsuit against the Trump administration and sought private capital⁷. Cost estimates for a San Francisco-Los Angeles system now run from $126 billion to $231 billion, with the Merced-Bakersfield segment still under construction⁷.

The board on Wednesday approved a $772.1 million Siemens contract for three trainsets⁷. Choudri wrote that he had turned the program around; the inspector general has warned of cash-flow risk by December 2027⁷.