Passage of bill dilutes North County’s voice on transportation issues

On Thursday, the California State Senate approved Assembly Bill 805 (Gonzalez Fletcher) that would change the governing structure of the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG). It would concentrate decision-making over all regional transportation funds in San Diego County into the hands of its largest cities. The bill will head to Governor Brown for his consideration.
Senate Republican Leader Patricia Bates, who represents the North San Diego County communities of Carlsbad, Encinitas, Oceanside and Vista in the Senate, issued the following statement:
“Assembly Bill 805 would disenfranchise many suburban and rural San Diego County residents on transportation issues that affect them. These residents would be deprived from having a meaningful voice in shaping transportation solutions within their communities. Instead, such solutions would be decided by members representing the county’s largest cities.
“Unfortunately, this bill would diminish the representation of many of San Diego’s cities in favor of the largest cities. It is unfair to restructure the SANDAG voting system so that four out of 19 member agencies would have the power to determine all votes. Given that Governor Brown has often talked about the importance of local control, I hope he will veto AB 805.”
Senator Bates’ floor speech opposing AB 805 can be viewed here.