well said
The LA to Las Vegas run is so obviously the right place to start, that the absence of this from the plans is all you need to know re: the mismanagement of HSR in the USA in general, and CA in particular.
There could be 2 or 3 stops on the route, to facilitate the transportation of fresh produce from the inland empire to both metropolis.
This is almost beyond tragic. Perhaps farcical better describes the current CA HSA plans that Nelder extols here.