Nestande to Leave State Transit Panel

After a decade of service, Bruce Nestande said he will announce his resignation today from the California Transportation Commission, the state’s top transportation panel.

Citing the press of business, the former Orange County supervisor said he is quitting “because the time is right” and he wants to avoid any potential conflicts of interest between his commission duties and his job as a consultant for various Orange County developers.

Nestande, who in recent years was chairman of the transportation commission, said the resignation will be effective June 30.

While working as vice president of government relations for Costa Mesa-based Arnel Development Co., Nestande also has been free-lancing as a consultant to other developers on air quality issues.

Nestande’s tenure with the Transportation Commission was etched by his strong support for freeway construction at the expense of rail and bus expansion. His efforts to pump funds into road and highway work statewide during the 1980s served as a sharp counterpoint to former Gov. Edmund G. Brown’s embrace of mass transit the decade before.