Super-Agency Idea Born Again

State Sen. Steve Peace (D-San Diego) says California has saddled itself with far too much local and regional government over the years, and he has a plan to reverse the trend.

He points out that in addition to traditional cities, counties and school districts, there are transportation agencies and air pollution control, port and water districts and more, some 7,000 such California bodies altogether. Their overlapping jurisdictions and duties often lead to local power struggles and pure gridlock. On top of all, each region has an association of governments designed to look at issues--primarily transportation and land use--beyond local boundaries.

Peace is proposing to cut through those bureaucratic layers, forging a countywide body he calls the San Diego Regional Infrastructure and Transportation Agency. He has been holding hearings in San Diego on legislation to combine the San Diego port district, which also oversees the airport; the Metropolitan Transit Development Board; the North County Transit District, and the San Diego County Air Quality Management District.

Similar proposals have been made for years, but they get swamped by bickering over details and by blind opposition from agencies that would be eliminated or lose their clout. The problem is particularly acute in the Los Angeles and San Francisco areas because of the number of cities, counties and special districts involved.

San Diego is an ideal candidate, as Peace’s bill notes: “The San Diego region consists of a single county with highly independent problems, challenges and opportunities.”

The proposed legislation, SB 329, has local officials in a dither. The San Diego Assn. of Governments has voted to spend as much as $200,000 to combat it, mostly by analyzing ways to enhance regional decision-making--something that has been studied endlessly over the years.

Although not yet in its final form, Peace’s plan appears to make sense in terms of both efficiency and accountability to the electorate. Air quality and transportation decisions--and ultimately zoning and land use plans--cannot be made in a vacuum. Authorities should work with Peace to establish the most effective type of agency possible. If successful, the San Diego government consolidation could serve as a model for the rest of California.