Articles

On August 2, 2012, I attended the monthly public board meeting of the California High Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA) to comment on CHSRA’s new race-based contracting goal.  For anyone who has not attended one of these meetings, they appear to have evolved into an assembly of the mutual admiration society where supporters of high-speed rail a ...

Attorneys for the Pacific Legal Foundation notified the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) that actions by the California High Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA) do not comply with federal law.  PLF’s letter to FRA, dated August 24, 2012, informs the federal agency that CHSRA’s recent adoption of a 10% goal for the participation of Di ...

Is race a qualification for contractors in California?  Last November, the United States Department of Transportation approved the policy of the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) that 9.5% of the federal funds the state receives for transportation projects will go to subcontractors of preferred races.  The policy is contained in ...

Will discriminatory contract requirements derail the California high speed rail?  In June, the California High Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA) is expected to award its first ever contract for the design and construction of a segment of California’s high speed rail line.  The contract will cover portions of Madera and Fresno counties.  Unfort ...

The disappointing decision by the Ninth Circuit yesterday in AGC San Diego v California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) means that Caltrans can continue its policy of multiracial discrimination. Caltrans imposes a one-size-fits-all racial preference on all federally assisted transportation construction and engineering contracts statewide. ...

PLF attorneys are filing a brief in support of Midwest Fence Corporation in its “David versus Goliath” legal challenge against race-based public contracting programs in Illinois.  Both federal and state programs are at issue, and Midwest Fence had to sue several state and federal agencies to try to save their business.  Here is PLF&# ...

Equality Under the Law — Government discrimination in contracting We filed this brief in Midwest Fence v. United States Department of Transportation.  Midwest Fence has been embroiled in litigation defending its right to bid for government contracts in Illinois on the same basis as everyone else.  The owner of Midwest Fence is a Caucasian ...

It has been said that Illinois is plagued by unbridled corruption.  Almost 90 percent of Illinois voters agree.  After all, four of the past seven Illinois governors have been convicted and sentenced to prison.  So who pays for the numerous criminal dealings of crooked politicians?  Taxpayers.  One recent study estimates that the cost of unnec ...

One group in the State of Washington thinks so. White female contractors are threatening to sue that state’s department of transportation if they aren’t given preferential treatment based on their race and gender. The commotion stems from Washington’s implementation of the infamous federal Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) ...