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California’s former bullet train boss snatched up cigars from a local store Thursday — hours after torching his future as the state’s top transit boss in charge of the $231 billion transit disaster.
The California Post spotted Ian Choudri gripping a box of expensive Cohiba Red Dot cigars in his right hand as he peered down at his phone while walking out of a Folsom Total Wine & More.
He sported comfortable attire — a green zip-up jacket with black pants and sneakers.
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Choudri resigned from his position as the chief of the California High-Speed Rail Authority on Wednesday, effective immediately, citing “important personal and family priorities.”
“This has not been an easy decision, as leading the Authority has been one of the most meaningful and rewarding chapters of my professional life,” Choudri wrote in a resignation email obtained by Cal Matters.
Choudri took a leave of absence in February after he allegedly intervened in a domestic dispute between his wife and his daughter.
Police arrested him on suspicion of domestic violence, but the Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office declined to prosecute.
And in another wacky turn, Choudri’s rail authority paid out $592,900 in “unallowable” expenses incurred by consultants, including rideshare trips to Tiki bars and an “escape room” and first-class flight upgrades, according to a bombshell Inspector General audit.
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Currently, the project is set to run out of money in 2027 without ever having laid a single piece of track.
The authority hopes to find enough private investment funds to fill the gap left by the lack of federal funding. The rail authority expects the project to cost between $126 billion and $231 billion.
Choudri’s compensation had been set at more than $534,000 this year, agency spokesperson Annie Parker told Cal Matters.
He has been on the hot seat for the authority’s mishandling of the big transport project. The outlet reported Choudri had been facing disciplinary action, including possible termination, for the authority’s misspent money.
Department of Finance head Joe Stephenshaw has been appointed interim CEO of the project.
The governor’s office believes Stephenshaw is the “right person” for the job.
“Joe Stephenshaw has spent the last four years guarding the state’s budget as Director of Finance. The Governor is grateful for that service and confident Joe is the right person to oversee the Authority in the interim,” Newsom’s office said in a statement to The Post.







