Panel Derails Vote on Rail Line

Transportation officials rejected a proposal Friday to let Orange County voters have a say on whether to move forward with the controversial CenterLine project -- a $1-billion light-rail system that would connect neighboring towns.

The advisory measure would have appeared on the November ballot. But on a 5-4 vote, Orange County Transportation Authority board members killed the idea.

Board member Miguel A. Pulido, a supporter of the rail line, led the opposition, arguing that a ballot measure would be an unwise gamble because voters would probably reject the project.

“It would be a terrible mistake ... by voting to put it on the ballot, we kill the project,” said Pulido, who is the mayor of Santa Ana.

He suggested that voters who would not benefit from CenterLine -- a rail line that would connect downtown Santa Ana to John Wayne Airport -- might not appreciate its value, and vote against it.

The proposed rail line has been a source of friction for years. Originally envisioned to run through the heart of the county, passing near Disneyland and Anaheim’s sports venues, the project has steadily shrunk. It now would run from the county seat in Santa Ana, through the South Coast Metro district in Costa Mesa, ending near the airport.

The project’s cost is estimated at $1 billion, with $500 million expected to be paid with federal funds.

However, it is the present lack of federal funding that caused board member Cathryn DeYoung and other rail opponents to push for a public vote.

The thought was that a countywide vote would be a litmus test: If voters support the idea, it would be easier to lobby Congress for the needed funds. If voters rejected the plan, the rail line would probably be dead.

Local members of Congress have been lukewarm on CenterLine and there is a shortage of federal money for transportation projects. Board members who sided with DeYoung noted that Rep. Loretta Sanchez (D-Anaheim) is the only one of the six-member Orange County congressional delegation who has expressed support for the project. Until the community rallies around the project, federal funding will remain uncertain, she said.

Pulido, however, said the OCTA can generate congressional support through continued lobbying. Allowing voters to decide the merits of CenterLine through an advisory measure would send the wrong signal, he said.

By rejecting the ballot proposal, “it’s a strong signal that we’re pushing forward,” Pulido said.

But Supervisor Chris Norby, who is also an OCTA board member, said not putting the measure on the ballot sends the opposite message.

“It shows the delegation that there isn’t much public support for CenterLine and a ballot measure would be risky,” said Norby, an opponent of the light-rail project. He said local funds earmarked for the project can be better used to improve existing Metrolink rail and bus service in the county.

Cypress Mayor Tim Keenan, an OCTA board member, said a countywide poll taken last year by the Orange County Business Council showed that 55% of the respondents favored CenterLine. Keenan, a project supporter, said the rail system could still be built without federal funds and completed on time by 2009.

Keenan said even if there is no federal funding, $500 million that the federal government would put into the project could come from an extension of Measure M, which he expects voters to approve. He said about $300 million in Measure M funds has been set aside for CenterLine.

Measure M was passed by county voters in 1990 and established a 0.5% sales tax to raise money for local transportation projects. It expires in 2011 and county transportation agencies have indicated they’ll ask voters to extend the tax.

“We can build the project in stages and still complete it on time,” said Keenan. “I’m confident that the CenterLine will be built and it will the first phase of a rail system that will eventually connect to Anaheim, Cypress and Los Angeles.”