SDCTA Opposes AB 805

Haney Hong, President and CEO of the San Diego County Taxpayers Association, released the following statement today:

“SDCTA opposes Assembly Bill 805 because it eliminates the need for consensus among the elected leaders who help govern the region’s three transportation agencies. Under the proposed legislation, any regional transportation decision could be made by a weighted vote if one is requested by only a handful of the governing agencies who sit on the Boards of the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG), San Diego Metropolitan Transit System (MTS) and North County Transit District (NCTD). This would greatly concentrate the voting power among the most populous cities in San Diego County, which would compromise the democratic and deliberative process necessary to adequately address the transportation needs of all taxpayers throughout the region.

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​“Though AB 805 may aim to implement accountability measures such as the Audit Committee and provisions to protect the environment, SANDAG separately faces critical communication challenges within the agency, with its members and with the public. Without policies and practices in place aligned with SDCTA’s recent recommendations to enhance transparency and clarity for taxpayers, the bill’s proposed changes will not address the root causes of the recent governance challenges faced by SANDAG.

“Let’s first demand that our local elected officials who sit on SANDAG’s board address the root causes of our governance challenges before we ask for a solution to be air-dropped in from Sacramento.”

To read SDCTA’s full analysis of AB 805, follow this link.

ABOUT
​The San Diego County Taxpayers Association (@sdcta) is a non-profit, non-partisan organization, dedicated to promoting accountable, cost-effective and efficient government and opposing unnecessary new taxes and fees. Founded in 1945, SDCTA has spent the past 70 years saving the region’s taxpayers millions of dollars, as well as generating information to help educate the public.