San Diego regional authority proposed: SANDAG sponsors legislation, but county opposes planned super agency.

State legislation that would lead to the creation of a planning and transportation "super agency" in San Diego County is moving forward. Capitol insiders and a number of officials in the San Diego region expect bills that address San Diego regional governance to pass in some form before the Legislature concludes on August 31.

In fact, there appears to be consensus that San Diego County needs a new, multi-functional entity to coordinate land use and transportation planning better. The sticky issue is one of governance--namely, who will be in charge of the new agency.

Bills by Assemblywoman Christine Kehoe (D-San Diego) and Sen. Steve Peace (D-El Cajon) call for an appointed governing board similar to the existing San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) board, on which all 18 cities and the county have equal representation. However, the San Diego County Board of Supervisors and some policy analysts question whether an agency with the extraordinary powers that are proposed should be run by appointed representatives. The county has produced a counter-proposal to create a new …