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Council adopts findings opposing state bill that would reallocate transportation funds; requests reconsideration of funding approach
Summary
The council adopted findings to oppose a state bill that would divert some transportation funds and change project priority lists, while some councilmembers said alternate funding arrangements for a Wilmington grade separation were being pursued locally.
The City Council adopted findings Wednesday opposing proposed state legislation that would shift funds from locally approved transportation projects to a different project list, a step the mayor's office and several council members said would undermine local control over transportation priorities.
Councilmember Burns described the proposal as a potential diversion of funds from projects approved by the city's Transportation Commission and said the MTA and many jurisdictions opposed the bill. The council voted to hear the item as a special and then approved the findings; roll calls recorded 11 ayes on the special and 11 ayes on the item.
Councilmember Hahn said a missing grade separation at Pacific Coast Highway and Alameda in Wilmington would create a traffic and community impacts problem after the Alameda Corridor work completes; she said the gap was about $42 million and that local leaders were actively seeking a funding package combining state money, a small MTA contribution and port funding. Hahn said she opposed the state bill because the process it proposed to use to reallocate funds was wrong given the local councils'and commissions'project selection process.
Councilmembers recorded no amendment to the opposition findings in the council minutes. The item was forwarded as a special finding for transmission in the legislative process; no state bill text was included in the council record provided at the meeting.
