On February 12, 2019, Governor Gavin Newsom in his first State of the State address announced that parts of the system outside the Central Valley segment from Bakersfield to Merced would be indefinitely postponed, including the Pacheco Pass Tunnel. Nonetheless, the CaHSRA board chose the tunnel alignment as their preferred build alternative in September 2019. s of 2020[ [update]] this section of the system has a projected start of service in 2031.