Sonoma and Marin Need to Be Represented as the North Bay Combined

The Press Democrat of Friday, May 20 2011, on their editorial page trumpeted "Sonoma, Marin Should Stay Together" in direct relation to the upcoming state redistricting plan, which will determine who will be representing us in Sacramento and Washinton over the next 10 years.

Most of us do not pay much attention to such matters until it is too late. Unfortunately, not even the Marin Board of Supervisors could agree on what the County wants here. President Susan Adams wants the new district lines to head "south" to San Francisco, apparently. According to some, she can get more votes in the city than in the North Bay in her next run for office. Judy Arnold and Steve Kinsey, apparently not looking ahead for themselves, voted to support the North Bay lines because of the "community of interest" that both Sonoma and Marin counties share on so many matters, from the Marin Sonoma Mosquito Abatement District to transportation agencies working to complete the widening of Highway 101 through both counties from the Golden Gate Bridge to Windsor. Current arrangements and working together is reaping both economical and fund raising efforts.

Now, once more a small group of paroachial Marin residents is attempting to blow a hole in the levee that protects both counties, without regard to the long term consequences of such an action.

At Wednesday's SMART meeting in San Rafael, Karen Nygren, former Mayor of Tiburon challanged the SMART Board for including some $82 million in the 2040 Regional Transportation Plan to be submitted to the Metropolitan Transportation Commission. The plan is simply that: a plan for the future which guides policymakers at MTC and the various North Bay transportation agencies -- TAM in Marin and SCTA in Sonoma respectively. No one knows at this time what monies will be available  by 2040. The automobile could be restricted to minimal use due to the expense of both gasoline and machinery. No one knows what the faces of the North Bay will look like.

In reality, here is what happened in 2008, which causes the heartburn for those opposed to SMART or any project that has not been on the table for the last ten years or so. In order to secure the committment of Supervisor Adams not to oppose Measure Q at the ballot box, the proponents had to insert in some documents wording that promised SMART would not "go after" any funds that had been committed in existing Regional Transportation Plans then in existence. While some might accuse SMART of reneging on their word, the reality of funding and its availability in the future is unknown. If SMART failed to add their "placeholder," they could miss out on some serious funding that might be available to rail alone.

A good portion of this family feud could be avoided if the politicians in the North Bay had the creativity to establish a North Bay Regional Transit/Transportation agency which would be responsible for ALL transportation matters in the North Bay region. Currently, there are over nine separate agencies responsible for these matters. Besides TAM and SCTA building roads and freeways, there are a host of small transportation agencies providing local, shuttle, and paratransit services throughout the The North Bay. Some of these are Marin Transit, Sonoma Transit, Santa Rosa Transit, Petaluma Transit, Napa Transit, and several other para- transportation agencies.

Each of these agencies is headed by a well paid Executive Director, expensive to maintain administrative structure, separate maintainance and repair facilities, and Boards of Directors, who fight vigorously to maintain their status and their agency's independence. The largest concern is the duplication of routes and the transfer timing schedules that should be, and most times are, coordinated, which add to the duplication of equipment and facilities. In a word, millions of dollars could be saved and used for their basic purpose, that of public transportation.

Noticeably absent from this proposal is the Golden Gate Bridge and Highway Transportation agency. The Bridge District is the very backbone of the region's transportation system. It has existed for over 75 years in the nine North Bay counties and is governed by a large board. It has incredibly expensive labor union agreements that were negotiated years ago. If the district were to join in the effort, those expenses would be transferred to all the North Bay transit systems in labor costs.

Times and the available funds have dramatically changed over the past ten years. SMART may be the wave of the future for those who choose not to drive their own vehicle. Feeder lines will have to be established which can weave a convenient transit for almost all North Bay residents.

While I am the strongest supporter of the completion of the 101 corridor work, I strongly support ferry systems in the North Bay, commuter trains as well. To make it all work, I believe that we all must work together, not only to insure our legislative representation, but look to other regional opportunities for cooperation and ecomonies of scale.