After saying earlier this week that he is working with the California High-Speed Rail Authority to "get their act together," Gov. Jerry Brown this afternoon appointed an adviser from his first administration to the rail authority board.
Dan Richard, Brown's deputy legal affairs secretary and deputy assistant for science and technology when Brown was governor before, replaces Curt Pringle, the former Assembly speaker and Anaheim mayor who resigned last month from the beleaguered agency's board.
Richard, 60, of Piedmont, was previously a member of the San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District board and senior vice president of public policy and governmental relations at Pacific Gas and Electric Co. Like Brown, Richard is a Democrat.
The appointment comes as Brown seeks to push ahead with California's bid to build a high-speed rail system connecting Los Angeles and San Francisco. The project's cost and management have come under increasing criticism this year.
Brown said during a visit to Fresno on Wednesday that his administration is "working directly with the authority to get their act together."
Thomas Umberg, chairman of the rail authority board, praised Richard in a prepared statement.
"His experience and skills make it clear why he has the confidence of Governor Brown," Umberg said.
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