The California High-Speed Rail Authority (Authority) announced on Monday the appointments of James Andrew as Assistant Chief Counsel and Jason Kimbrough as Deputy Director of External Affairs.

"The High-Speed Rail Authority is committed to building strong relationships with stakeholders, and ensuring that we have good leadership is especially important. These appointments underscore our commitment to provide timely public information and work with stakeholders as we continue to move forward with this transformative project."

Andrew will help develop and implement the Authority's legal strategy and assist with environmental and California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) legal issues. Kimbrough will manage stakeholder and small business outreach and legislative affairs.

Andrew has 14 years of legal experience in areas including land use, real estate, government and environmental issues. Most recently he was a Deputy Attorney General at the Office of the California Attorney General, where he practiced environmental law and litigation. He was also the lead attorney defending first high-speed rail section in California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) litigation, and led the team that successfully defeated a motion for a preliminary injunction.

Kimbrough has 15 years of experience working on political campaigns, developing and implementing grassroots networks, and managing community and media relations in both the public and private sectors. Most recently, he worked on state legislative and congressional election campaigns and, before this, he served as Chief Deputy Press Secretary for California Insurance Commissioners Steve Poizner and John Garamendi and was Deputy Director of Advance for Gov. Gray Davis.