DATE: March 23, 2004
TO: Board of Supervisors
SUBJECT: County of San Diego Representation on the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) Board of Directors

SUMMARY:
This action authorizes the Chairwoman of the Board to request an additional seat on the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) Board of Directors for a San Diego County Supervisor representing the unincorporated residents of San Diego County and with the concurrence in this proposal by SANDAG, directs the Chief Administrative Officer add this request to the legislative agenda for the County of San Diego.

An amendment to State legislation is necessary in order to make this change. Under the provisions of SB 1703 (Peace) the County of San Diego has one voting member on the Board of Directors.

Recommendation:
CHAIRWOMAN DIANNE JACOB AND SUPERVISOR BILL HORN

1. Direct the Chief Administrative Officer to draft a letter to the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) for the Chairwoman's signature requesting SANDAG work with the County to add an additional seat for a San Diego County Supervisor representing the unincorporated area on the SANDAG Board.
2. Direct the Chief Administrative Officer to include addition of a voting member seat on the SANDAG Board of Directors for a Supervisor representing the unincorporated area in the legislative agenda for the County of San Diego and to work with SANDAG to secure enactment of the amendment.

BACKGROUND:
The San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) is the regional transportation authority for the San Diego region. In addition to transportation planning, SANDAG has recently become the consolidated public transportation agency for the region with oversight and responsibility for planning and programming of public transportation activities performed by the North San Diego County Transit Development Board and the Metropolitan Transit Development Board.

The 18 cities and the County each have a voting member on the Board of Directors of SANDAG. All of the jurisdictions have one voting member except the City of San Diego, which has two members. Each jurisdiction also receives a weighted vote based on population. In order for a motion to pass, it must receive the support of a majority of the voting members and a majority of the weighted votes. The County of San Diego currently has one (1) vote on the Board of Directors of SANDAG and 16 out of 100 weighted votes.

The Board of Supervisors appoints a Supervisor to represent the County on the SANDAG Board of Directors. This nomination has traditionally been given to the Chair of the Board of Supervisors. In some years this protocol produces a Supervisor from a district with a large amount of unincorporated residents as the County representative. In other years it does not. While each resident of San Diego County is represented by a Supervisor, those that live in incorporated cities are represented by elected officials from those cities on the SANDAG Board of Directors in addition to their respective Supervisor. In years in which the County representative is not from a district that includes unincorporated areas, the residents of these areas have no directly elected and accountable representative on the Board of Directors of SANDAG.

The viewpoints of County residents that do not have the representation of elected city officials and rely on their County Supervisor to represent them are a valuable addition to the discussions at the SANDAG Board of Directors. Unincorporated areas represent a significant and diverse perspective on regional issues such as traffic, transportation planning, criminal justice, growth planning, and mass transit operations that a County Supervisor from a district with unincorporated residents is best equipped to articulate. An amendment to current law authorizing an additional member of the Board of Supervisors representing the unincorporated area on the SANDAG board would provide an opportunity for the concerns of these residents to be considered by this regional body.

Respectfully submitted,

DIANNE JACOB
Supervisor, Second District

BILL HORN
Supervisor, Fifth District