Proposals for Solving County’s Traffic Jams

Stan Oftelie ventures that (“After Measure M’s Defeat. . . .” Nov. 12), “with some prudent revision” the 20-Year Master Plan of Transportation Improvements might win voter approval in a countywide election. He supports this risky proposition with the same puffery that doomed Measure M and Measure A before that.

Prudent revision will not be enough. Starting with the Orange County Transportation Commission itself, a major overhaul of Orange County’s road building system is in order.

The seven-member commission is currently made up of County Supervisors Thomas F. Riley, Roger R. Stanton, and Harriett M. Wieder and Tustin City Councilman Richard B. Edgar, Brea Councilwoman Clarice A. Blamer, and Anaheim Councilman Irv Pickler. The supervisors appointed themselves, and the League of Cities appointed the council members. The seventh member, Dana Reed, a Newport Beach attorney, was appointed by the other six commissioners. Obviously the commission is a second, part-time job for all of its members. None has any transportation expertise and, as far as transportation issues, they do not report to anyone, not even the voters. They depend on Oftelie (an ex-journalist) to tell them what to do, and at an annual salary of $106,000, he is the county’s highest paid executive.

In the 11 years since its formation, the commission has spent more than $23 million asking the voters to approve two sales tax increases. Both failed because Oftelie and the commission are completely out of touch with what a majority of the voters wants and are willing to pay for: more general purpose roads.

The Legislature created the present commission system in 1977. Now it is time for the Legislature to replace it with a full-time commission directly elected by the voters. The new commission’s budget should be tied directly to the total road building funds allocated to the county. And to prevent future costly off-year tax increase elections, that give developers an opportunity to buy their way in, the new commission should not be allowed to make any law or ordinance.

Enough is enough and sometimes, enough is too much.

WAYNE KING

Orange