California Governor Gavin Newsom has appointed Jason Elliott, a longtime political adviser and former deputy chief of staff in the Newsom administration, and Steve Kawa, who served as Newsom’s Chief of Staff during his time as mayor of San Francisco, to the High-Speed Rail Authority board. The appointments come as the project continues to face increasing costs, with a report suggesting it could cost up to $231 billion to complete. Elliott and Kawa will replace outgoing board Chair Tom Richards and Vice Chair Nancy Miller. The appointment further reinforces Newsom's influence over the project, which has been criticized for being inefficient and mismanagement. The cost of the high-speed rail line from Los Angeles to San Francisco was originally estimated at $33 billion and $45 billion, and completion was expected by 2020.