San Diego County CA—Governor Jerry Brown signed legislation Wednesday that will make various changes to the SANDAG governance structure, impacting the powers, privileges, and duties of the agency.
Assembly Bill 805, sponsored by Assembly Member Lorena Gonzalez Fletcher, will take effect on January 1, 2018.
“While the SANDAG Board opposed AB 805, it is now our duty to look to implementing the various requirements included in the law; the Board will begin that work over the next few months,” said County Supervisor and SANDAG Board Chair Ron Roberts. “Beyond that, SANDAG serves a crucial role in helping our local governments come together to address regional mobility needs. At the end of the day, our job remains the same.”
Since early this year, the SANDAG Board has been in the process of reviewing the agency’s actions and instituting reform measures in response to errors found in the SANDAG forecasts of future revenue expected from the TransNet half cent sales tax and in Measure A, a proposed additional sales tax on the ballot in November 2016 that did not reach the needed two-thirds voter approval.
In February, the Board of Directors approved the Data Accuracy and Modeling Work Plan to strengthen the transparency, accountability, and accuracy of SANDAG modeling and forecasting processes. Next month, the Board is scheduled to hear an update on its execution, as well as a plan to implement the recommendations from the Hueston Hennigan LLP report regarding improvements to SANDAG operations. The firm was hired last spring to perform an independent examination of the communications surrounding the Measure A revenue forecast.
In addition, the Board already is taking steps to create an independent performance auditor function, execute advanced data quality and control processes, and implement improved communication practices.
Meanwhile, SANDAG has continued to perform its many functions as the region’s council of governments and chief planner and implementer of transportation infrastructure. The agency currently is in construction on a variety of major improvements, including the Mid-Coast Trolley Extension, South Bay Rapid, and the North Coast Corridor – a transformational program of rail, active transportation, highway, and environmental projects along Interstate 5.