A Central Valley Republican is demanding that California's high-speed rail chief lose his job, and she's putting the pressure squarely on Gov. Gavin Newsom to make it happen.
Rep. Alexandra Macedo sent a letter dated Feb. 25 to Newsom calling for the resignation of California High-Speed Rail CEO Ian Choudri, citing a domestic violence arrest and swirling conflict-of-interest questions that she says make his continued leadership untenable.
Choudri, 57, has been on leave since last week after it emerged that he was arrested on Feb. 4 over a domestic violence dispute involving his fiancée, Lyudmyla "Mila" Starostyuk, and his teenage daughter at his home in Folsom. According to people familiar with the incident, a neighbor called police just before midnight after an argument spilled into the front yard. Choudri allegedly tried to intervene in a fight between Starostyuk and his teenage daughter and was later arrested on suspicion of domestic battery.
He is not facing any charges in the incident. But the arrest is only half the story.
Starostyuk was hired last month by KPMG, a firm that holds a $24 million contract with the High-Speed Rail Authority. That detail transforms a personal crisis into a governance scandal. When the CEO's fiancée draws a paycheck from one of the project's key contractors, the questions write themselves.
Choudri's attorney, Allen Sawyer, pushed back on the connection:
"Ms. Starostyuk's position is not affiliated with the high speed rail authority or any other rail authority in any capacity. Her role at her job is unrelated and concerns a completely different sector of business."
Maybe so. But "different sector of business" inside a firm that holds a $24 million contract with the agency your fiancé runs is the kind of distinction that evaporates under public scrutiny. Taxpayers don't parse org charts, they see the money trail.
Macedo, who represents parts of the San Joaquin Valley, the region where high-speed rail construction is actually happening, did not mince words in her letter. She framed the situation as a dual crisis of personal misconduct and financial entanglement:
"The recent arrest of your hand-picked CEO Ian Choudri for domestic violence, in a case that reportedly involved abuse of a child, coupled with alarming details regarding financial ties between his fiancée and a key contractor, makes his continued leadership not only untenable, but also an insult to every taxpayer in the Central Valley and throughout the State of California."
"Hand-picked" is doing a lot of work in that sentence, and it's aimed directly at Newsom. Choudri was appointed in August 2024. Just six months later, his tenure is engulfed in scandal.
Macedo also warned about the institutional damage of delay:
"Given his arrest and the allegations against him, Mr. Choudri's continued tenure would irreparably damage the public's trust in their government."
The governor's office responded with a familiar bureaucratic sidestep. A statement from Newsom's office noted:
"Mr. Choudri was hired by and reports directly to the California High-Speed Rail Authority Board."
Translation: not my problem. Except Newsom himself appeared alongside Choudri at a public transportation-related news conference in the Bay Area on Feb. 19, touting the completion of a 150-acre construction facility. That was fifteen days after the arrest. Newsom did confirm at that press conference that Choudri is under investigation, not just for the domestic violence incident but for the conflict-of-interest allegations as well:
"The board is going to appropriately investigate not only the issues that were brought to light but some of these broader issues as well."
So the governor stood next to the man, promoted the project with him, and then acknowledged the investigation, all in the same appearance. His office now says it's awaiting the completion of the board's review before commenting further.
Choudri is currently on temporary administrative leave as the rail authority's board and the California State Transportation Agency conduct that review. Officials told KCRA he is using paid time off for his leave.
California's high-speed rail project has been a monument to government dysfunction for over a decade, perpetually over budget, behind schedule, and short on accountability. The Central Valley, where the construction is concentrated, bears the disruption while Sacramento politicians cycle through leadership and timelines. The last thing this project needs is a CEO on paid leave over a domestic battery arrest while his fiancée collects a paycheck from a major contractor.
Macedo is right to press the point. If Newsom wants to claim credit for every ribbon-cutting and construction milestone, he doesn't get to disclaim ownership when his appointee becomes a liability. The "hired by the board" defense is technically accurate and politically hollow.
The board review will run its course. But the question Macedo is really asking isn't about process, it's about standards. What does it take to lose a government job in California?
