NORTH COUNTY -- Politicians are taking sides on a controversial sales tax extension that would fund transportation projects throughout the county.

A number of prominent local lawmakers are speaking out against how much of the money will be set aside for public transportation -- money they say would be better spent on freeways.

The current 20-year, half-cent sales tax known as TransNet pays for county transportation projects and is set to expire in 2008. The measure on November's ballot, Proposition A, would extend the tax through 2048.

Board members of the region's transportation planning agency, the San Diego Association of Governments, have been drumming up as much support for the measure, which needs to be approved by two-thirds of county voters in order to pass. They say the tax is crucial to easing congestion of the region's roads and expanding its public transportation system.

But some politicians are concerned about how the tax revenues will be divided.

U.S. Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Vista, and a number of state lawmakers have sent letters to the association's board opposing the measure within the last month. They include state Assembly members Ray Haynes, R-Murrieta; Dennis Hollingsworth, R-Murrieta, and Patricia Bates, R-Laguna Niguel and state Sen. Bill Morrow, R-Oceanside. State Assemblyman Mark Wyland, R-Escondido, also has said publicly that he opposes the measure.

They contend that the measure would set aside too much money for mass transit, money they say would be better spent on freeways used by North County commuters.

Issa said earlier this week that he thought too much of the TransNet money would be set aside for mass transit, but when pressed, he couldn't name any projects he wants added to or deleted from the list of projects to be paid for with TransNet money.

He also opposes the 40-year term of the measure, he said, and is against part of the plan that will allow projects to be changed or deleted with a two-thirds vote of the board of SANDAG.

Voters should know exactly what they are getting, he said.

"A promise which is not a promise is a serious concern for all of us," he said.

The measure does have good points for North County, he said. It pays more attention to roads north of Highway 78 and makes the widening of Highway 76 to Interstate 15 a priority, he said.

A majority of San Diego County supervisors, including those who represent North County, said they oppose TransNet for reasons similar to Issa's. The supervisors who oppose the measure, Dianne Jacob, Bill Horn and Pam Slater-Price, all represent rural and suburban parts of the county.

San Diego politicians have shown more support for the measure.

Assemblywoman Christine Kehoe, D-San Diego, said Tuesday that the measure is not perfect, but it has her support.

Poway Mayor Mickey Cafagna, SANDAG chairman, said opposition from politicians will hurt the tax's chances at the polls.

"We need to get 66 and two-thirds (percent of voters). We're dealing with a very small margin. Any opposition, no matter what it is, has the potential of influencing (the vote)," Cafagna said.

He said he understands the concern of the Republican politicians, but he has seen the need for the extension as he has worked with the board the last several years, he said.

As for how criticism will affect the campaign, Cafagna said it will depend on how active a role Issa plays in the opposition.

"He unseated a governor with his money," Cafagna said of Issa, who used $2 million to bankroll the petition drive for the successful recall election against then-Gov. Gray Davis.

Cafagna challenged opponents of TransNet to come up with another transportation plan.

"If not this: What?" he said. "If you've got another solution, say it."

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