Business leaders host TransNet forum

By: KATHERINE MARKS - Staff Writer | Thursday, September 16, 2004 10:32 PM PDT ∞

LAKE SAN MARCOS ---- The presenter at a public forum on Thursday stuck to the facts, but there were plenty of opinions ---- mostly favorable ---- expressed by the audience on the merits of Proposition A, the measure that would extend a countywide transportation tax.

The forum, hosted by the North County Chambers Association and the San Diego North Economic Development Council, drew about 30 people, including a strong contingent of North County council members and mayors and some officials from the California Department of Transportation and the San Diego Association of Governments.

Prop. A would extend a half-cent sales tax called TransNet. The 40-year extension, if passed, is expected to raise $14 billion, with the revenues being split in rough thirds among freeways, local roads and public transportation.

Craig Scott, manager of transportation finance for association of governments, gave a 20-minute presentation on the tax extension. He said it would pay for improvements on all major freeways, be a boon to local jurisdictions and boost transit service throughout the county.

He also outlined aspects of the current TransNet, first levied in 1988. The tax is expected to have raised $3.3 billion toward transportation projects by the time it expires in 2008.

The closest he got to a mention of controversy surrounding the tax extension was when he said that it's harder to break the spending out into categories because many of the planned improvements can be used by buses and cars.

The division of the tax revenue has been the subject of controversy among some local politicians. County Supervisors Dianne Jacob, Bill Horn and Pam Slater-Price oppose the extension, arguing that half the revenues from the tax should go to freeways. Other critics say the plan should dedicate more revenues to public transit projects.

Scott also alluded to just how important transportation planners say the tax extension is.

He said transportation funding can be viewed as a three-legged stool with local, state and federal funds serving as the three legs. The county's local transportation funding comes in large part from TransNet.

"Take one of those legs away, things start to get rocky and you fall off," he said.

Encinitas Councilwoman Christy Guerin told the audience that without local funds from TransNet, the region would have trouble getting some federal and state money.

Emery Gerhardt, a member of the economic council's infrastructure committee, said at the forum he thought Prop. A was "highly wasteful."

And he said that nobody would support the measure if they realized that just 10 percent of the revenues are slated for lanes that can be used by all drivers. Billions are set aside for lanes that can be used by buses, car pools and paying solo drivers.

Gerhardt uses I-15 to commute to San Diego each day and isn't a fan of plans to expand car-pool lanes.

Carol Bonomo, a member of the economic council's infrastructure committee and the legislative affairs director at Cal State San Marcos, said she hadn't made up her mind about Prop. A before she attended the forum.

After the forum, she said, she was leaning toward supporting the measure.

Contact staff writer Katherine Marks at (760) 740-3529 or kmarks@nctimes.com.

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