As I wrote elsewhere, the average speed of CA HSR (as planned) is 250 km/h, which is very competitive, internationally. It's about as fast as the fastest French TGV routes. It only really lags behind the fastest Chinese routes, which run at average speeds of about 290 km/h.

If CA HSR can go through the cities in the Central Valley and still achieve an average speed of 250 km/h, that's well worth it.