High-speed rail board puts off vote on $9-million contract

California's high-speed rail commission today postponed a vote on a $9-million public relations contract that appeared headed to a company led by the governor's top political advisor and his former campaign manager.

A panel of three commission staff members recommended that the rail board give the business to Mercury Public Affairs, where Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s political strategist Adam Mendelsohn is a partner. Another partner is Steve Schmidt, who managed the governor's 2006 reelection effort.

Two members of the panel are former Mendelsohn colleagues.

Several rail board members demanded more information about the selection process and the winning bid, calling the staff panel’s report inadequate and saying they might want to hear presentations from the runners-up.

“The staff report and recommendation here wouldn’t be adequate in kindergarten,” said Richard Katz, a board member.

Jeffrey Barker, a member of the staff panel and deputy director at the California High Speed Rail Authority, said Mercury’s bid scored 91, the runner-up 90.

Commissioner Lynn Schenk said that was “awfully close – within the margin of error of subjectivity.” And she raised questions about the “formal and informal, professional and other relationship with members of the selection team” and Mercury.

A vote was postponed until the rail board’s October meeting.

--Shane Goldmacher in Sacramento

Comments

[Jason]

Typical of the sort of cronyism that goes on in government. I'd love to be a fly on the wall in the room where they judge and score these proposals.

[Morris Brown]

Having just attended the meeting, it was very interesting that the Board never mentioned the article from Shane which appeared in today's LA Times, but they all obviously knew about it. It was the not mentioned elephant encompassing everything -- so they managed to not embarrass their staff or themselves to anyone who was unaware of the disclosure that Shane had revealed.

Great piece of journalism.

Of course the Board never mentioned the Lawsuit filed by Atherton and Menlo Park, the ruling of which might well set back the project for a considerable time in the Bay Area and which would then affect stimulus funding. They just went ahead and were allocating how much in funds to ask for various segments, even though the Bay Aras segment, may very well not be qualifed to get anything because of this court ruling the very possible delay it maght impose.