FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Date: August 28, 2006
Contact: Jennifer Stone (619) 206-9108

UNINCORPORATED COMMUNITIES GET PERMANENT VOICE AT SANDAG
Jacob hails legislation as win for rural, Backcountry areas

SAN DIEGO - People who live in San Diego County’s unincorporated communities soon will have guaranteed representation on the governing board of the San Diego Association of Governments, the agency that oversees transportation planning for the region.

New legislation, signed into law last week by California Governor Schwartzenegger, gives the County of San Diego a second seat on SANDAG’s board of directors and stipulates that seat be occupied by a supervisor from a district that encompasses unincorporated communities.

Currently, the County has one seat on the 20-member board.

“When it comes to deciding how tax dollars will be used to ease traffic congestion and improve roadways in our region, residents of unincorporated communities deserve a permanent seat at the table,” said Supervisor Dianne Jacob who, in 2004, led the County’s efforts to expand the SANDAG board.

“I’m extremely pleased that the State has helped unincorporated communities pull up a chair,” said Jacob.

The County Board of Supervisors customarily appoints its chairperson to the SANDAG board. The position of chair rotates annually among the five supervisors and unincorporated communities are often left without representation on the SANDAG board because only two supervisorial districts—two and five—contain significant unincorporated area.

About 466,000 people live in the unincorporated areas of the County.

The new legislation takes effect Jan 1.