County Officials Seek Own Caltrans District

A coalition of county business and government leaders met privately Friday with a key member of Gov. George Deukmejian’s cabinet and “delivered a strong message” that a separate Caltrans district and staff should be created for Orange County, a spokesman for state Sen. John Seymour (R-Anaheim) said.

John Geoghegan, Deukmejian’s business, transportation and housing secretary, “was very receptive” at the meeting held at the Center Club in Costa Mesa, said Charles Wilson, an aide to Seymour.

“I think we took a big step forward in addressing the county’s No. 1 problem, that of traffic congestion and how to mitigate it,” added business executive Kathryn Thompson. Among others attending the meeting were Sheriff Brad Gates and state Sen. Marian Bergeson (R-Newport Beach).

Officials who attended the closed-door meeting were pleased with Caltrans’ recent decision to open a branch office in the county to aid ongoing projects, including the widening of the Santa Ana Freeway, according to Seymour. But, he said, they also argued for the creation of a separate district to serve only Orange County’s 2.2 million residents and its “growing economy.”

Some of the participants at Friday’s meeting had attended a similar session in Sacramento several weeks ago. Currently, Orange County is treated as a separate district for funding purposes, but Caltrans administers highway projects from its Los Angeles office, where priorities are set for supplying staff and equipment.