Some members of the county’s planning agency think an efficiency group charged with finding a better way to make regional transportation and land-use decisions is not ready to conclude its work.
With less than two weeks remaining before recommendations must be sent to the state, San Diego Association of Governments staff members recommended the Regional Governance Efficiency Commission ask for a little more time and money to do their job.
But the commission’s chair, San Diego City Councilman Byron Wear, said that would defeat the whole purpose of the group’s mission.
“We’re supposed to be an efficiency group,” Wear said. “The work that has been done thus far and will continue to be done will move us forward.”
Wear said about $130,000 has been spent on the project. The commission, created in 1999 by legislation sponsored by state Sen. Steve Peace, D-El Cajon, has held numerous public meetings to garner input on whether and how to consolidate Sandag, the Metropolitan Transit Development Board, the North County Transit District, the Air Pollution Control District and the San Diego Unified Port District. Still, Ron Morrison, a National City councilman, and Jack Dale, a councilman from Santee, think the commission has a long way to go before finding the right answer to regional governance.
‘Still Fact-Finding’
“(The commission) is still in the middle of fact-finding and they are two weeks away from writing this that will determine everything we will do within this region,” Morrison said. “I think it’s idiotic to think they can have this product done in two weeks when they are still fact-finding.”
“In 20 years, we are not going to look back and say they got it approved so fast,” Dale said. “A limited timeline is not good for what we are trying to accomplish.”
Morrison and Dale were the only ones in favor of extending the Aug. 1 deadline.
According to a Sandag staff report, the deadline extension would not only allow more time and resources to identify and analyze key regional issues, but it was also to be sure the measure is thoroughly reviewed by the state Legislature.
If a report is turned in by the Aug. 1 deadline, the Legislature may have only two weeks to consider passage of the final proposal before adjourning. During those two weeks, legislative policy committees are not scheduled to meet and therefore will not discuss the matter in full detail.
Need To Move Forward
Nonetheless, the majority of the board shot down the staff recommendation.
“This discussion began well over a year ago,” said Shirley Horton, mayor of Chula Vista. “We can continue to dialogue on the issue, but we have been given an agenda, and we need to continue to move forward.
“Holding the process up is not going to be productive.”
Encinitas Mayor Dennis Holz said delaying the process will give the public the impression that Sandag is trying to stall on the matter.
Dale, on the other hand, said the perception is not the most important issue.
“I’m not worried about what the public thinks, I’m worried what is right,” Dale said. “I have no desire to slow down (the process) here, but I want to make sure we are a part of the process in Sacramento.”
