O.C. Transit Officials See Battle in Congress Over Proposed Cuts

Orange County officials predict a pitched battle in Congress over provisions of the 1991 federal budget that would eliminate $10 million in subsidies for local bus service and cloud the county’s plan to build a network of busways to ease freeway congestion.

The county’s chief transit official said fare increases and service reductions could be required if the budget unveiled by President Bush this week is enacted as written, but at least one key Congress member predicted that the transportation proposals will be rejected.

“I don’t think it has a ghost of a chance of clearing Congress,” said Rep. Ron Packard (R-Carlsbad), a member of the powerful House Public Works and Transportation Committee. Packard’s 43rd Congressional District includes southern Orange County.

James P. Reichert, general manager of the Orange County Transit District, said the Administration’s plan would be a “disaster” for the county.

“The bottom line is we’d lose over $10 million in operating support,” Reichert said.

The federal subsidy provides about 10% of the annual revenue of the district, which operates a fleet of 600 buses and carries 40 million passengers a year.

In his $1.23-trillion federal budget for the fiscal year that begins Oct. 1, Bush proposes the elimination of Urban Mass Transportation Administration operating subsidies for transit districts that serve areas with populations of 1 million or more.

By eliminating subsidies for large transit districts, the Administration would reduce overallUMTA subsidies by $548 million, to $1.08 billion.

“Right off the bat, that seems a little unrealistic to ask transit to take a 33% cut,” said James F. McConnell, Orange County’s Washington lobbyist.

In addition, the UMTA budget provides no money for new mass transit projects, which could include a series of planned busways in Orange County.

The county has no pending requests for federal busway aid. However, in future years, the lack of funding “could have some serious impact on our transitways program,” Reichert said.

Packard and several congressional aides said they expect that the House Appropriations Committee will restore a substantial amount of the operating subsidies for large transit districts.

An aide to Rep. Glenn M. Anderson (D-San Pedro) said that the Bush cuts “are an unacceptable reduction and would lead toward elimination of the federal role in mass transit.” Anderson is chairman of the House Public Works and Transportation Committee.

In some respects, officials said, the coming battle will be a replay of the annual tug-of-war that began in 1984 when the Reagan Administration first proposed heavy cuts in the UMTA account. Each year, Congress has restored most of the UMTA funds.

However, key committee aides and other officials said that this year, as Congress devotes more attention to reducing the federal budget deficit, urban mass transit programs are not likely to receive the highest priority.

Of equal concern to Orange County officials is the UMTA account that pays for construction of urban rail systems, including the Los Angeles Metrorail project, and special freeway lanes that are dedicated to bus use and physically separated from regular freeway traffic.

By eliminating any discretionary funds for new projects, “What they’re saying is, ‘No new starts,’ ” McConnell said. “I think the purpose of this proposal is not just no new starts in 1991; I think it’s no new starts ever. . . .

“That would take the federal government out of any participation in the future (Orange County) transitway project.”

The county has approved construction of 20 miles of bus lanes along local freeway corridors. The first seven-mile section is to run along the Santa Ana Freeway in the central part of the county, Reichert said. Funds have been set aside for construction of the first phase, Reichert said, but the county will be looking to the federal government to help build additional parts of the system.