One of the important checks and balances of government is the San Diego County Grand Jury, a unique organization.

Its mission is "to protect and safeguard the citizens of San Diego County from corrupt and inefficient governmental programs of the county, cities and special districts, by investigating the operations of these agencies and reporting findings and recommendations."

It's not surprising that it investigated our regional planning agency, the San Diego Association of Governments, again.

The report of facts, findings, and recommendations revealed a lot of room for improvement.

During a meeting on July 11, members of SANDAG's board of directors aired their feelings about the report:

Escondido City Councilman Ed Gallo, representing the North County Transit District, said, "It sounds like the grand jury doesn't understand what SANDAG does."

National City Mayor Ron Morrison commented, "There are so many things that show a lack of understanding or naivete from the Grand Jury."

Santee City Councilman Jack Dale stated, "What we do is complex so it is not hard to see that the grand jury didn't comprehend the complexity of this organization."

It's true that complex issues require complex analysis by a complex organization. SANDAG's activity is definitely not simple nor straightforward. Consider these SANDAG actions:

- Two carpool lanes in the center of I-15 are half empty while the regular lanes are at gridlock. SANDAG's congestion-relief plan is to double the number of carpool lanes so they will be three-quarters empty while the regular lanes are at gridlock.

- Congestion occurs when you jam people into a small area with inadequate infrastructure. SANDAG's preferred development plan is called "Smart Growth," which jams people into high-density projects without expanding the infrastructure.

- The cost to construct a two-lane freeway with a capacity of 4,400 solo drivers per hour is $3,500 per person, per lane-mile. The cost of constructing the Sprinter railroad with a maximum seated capacity of 1,040 per hour using maximum-sized two-car trainsets is $22,000 per person, per mile.

Unlike the two-lane freeway, the Sprinter is only partially double-tracked.

SANDAG encourages rail systems and discourages freeway projects.

While these examples could have been generated by a complex organization, it's also possible -- some might say likely -- these policies were developed in the Gaslamp Quarter during an extended happy hour. We can only hope they used a designated driver to get home afterwards.

Marilyn Dailey, who is Escondido's representative on the San Diego County Water Authority, provided the most worrisome response when she said, "The problem is that the grand jury is made up of members of the public, and generally the public doesn't understand SANDAG's responsibilities. You have to approach it from that perspective."

Dailey's expression of disdain and contempt for the public is unwarranted, since we experience the reality of SANDAG's transportation plan every time we travel.

Instead of objecting to the well-deserved attention SANDAG is receiving from the public in general and the grand jury in particular, the board of directors should be simplifying the organization and working to provide us the promised relief from traffic congestion by approving cost-effective freeway projects.

George Crissman is a Vista resident.