Minority Firms Rail Against High-Speed Discrimination

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Some minority businesses are claiming the California High-Speed Rail Authority excluded them in the bidding process for lucrative engineering and design contracts.

Associated Professionals and Contractors filed an administrative complaint with the U.S. Department of Transportation Wednesday. The group is demanding that the government withhold more than $3 billion in funding for the bullet train project pending an investigation into the claims.

The complaint alleges that of 134 companies awarded contracts by the authority, only about a dozen are minority-owned. It claims the authority violated civil rights law.

A transportation department spokesman declined comment because he hadn't seen the complaint. The authority said it has complied with the law.

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