You need to (again) take a look at a good map. There's no way to do it with the geography of California. The geography is just too difficult to overcome with Acela-like technologies. Both San Francisco and Los Angeles are ringed with very tall mountains.
[WS:] You are predictable like bowel movement, Jordan. How come that these very tall mountains are not a problem for Interstate 5 that runs through the mostly flat Central Valley. And do not forget that passenger trains can climb much steeper grade than freight trains (TGV can sustain 5% grade), which is why the French decided to build a totally new tracks for their TGV.
But the difference between the French and the US is that the French have a government that serves the public good of the country, whereas what passes for government in the US is merely an executive committee of corporate interests concerned only about lining the pockets of their corporate sponsors and selling the public down the river in the process.
Wojtek