Ballot unlikely home of rail line

Deirdre Newman

A county transportation board overwhelmingly approved Monday to

direct staff members to work more proactively with local cities to

build support for the CenterLine light-rail project rather than put

it on the ballot.

The vote marked the second time in the last month that the Orange

County Transportation Authority’s board of directors shot down a

proposal to put the billion-dollar project in voters’ hands.

The light rail would run 9.3 miles from Santa Ana to John Wayne

Airport through Costa Mesa. Half of the money for the project is

coming from Measure M -- the half-cent sales tax to fund

transportation improvements in Orange County passed by voters in 1990

-- and the other half is supposed to come from the federal

government, for a total of about $1 billion.

The decision means voters will not get to voice their support or

objection to CenterLine at the ballot box in November unless the

board of supervisors decides to vote on the issue, which it has to do

by Aug. 3.

Supervisor Jim Silva said he doesn’t think that’s likely because

the transportation board has made it clear twice that it doesn’t want

a vote on CenterLine.

“I think that that would really create a ton of ill will toward

the county, and I would not support that,” Silva said.

Costa Mesa resident Geoff West said he wished voters would get a

chance to show how they feel about CenterLine at the ballot box.

“I think they should give the voters an opportunity to express

their opinion,” West said. “CenterLine in its present diminished size

will not accomplish what the framers of Measure M envisioned. It’s a

line that goes nowhere.”

Costa Mesa Mayor Gary Monahan reiterated his belief that putting

it on the ballot in November would only serve to confuse voters

confronted with myriad ballot initiatives.

“I’m surprised they brought it up for another vote,” Monahan said.

“There’s way too much already on the ballot, and we’d just get

confused.”

The original board vote on July 16 was initiated by board member

Cathryn DeYoung, who said only voter approval of CenterLine would

budge local Congress members, the majority of whom have been

resistant to pushing for federal funding of the light-rail project.

Silva missed the first vote and initiated Monday’s transportation

board vote because he said he couldn’t support the project unless

more cities like Anaheim, Fullerton and Huntington Beach were

involved in its long-term planning.

“I think if all the cities in Orange County come up with a plan

and buy into it, it could be a joint-powers agreement,” Silva said.

“Then, it would be basically operated by the Orange County

Transportation Authority but planned and funded through the

joint-powers agreement.”

Silva said he is optimistic that getting more cities to join in

the planning of CenterLine would convince skeptical members of the

local Congressional delegation to make a concerted effort to get

federal funding.

“What we do in Orange County is pay taxes to the feds; then the

federal government sets up a budget and part of what we pay into is

for transportation, and part of that is for light rail and can’t be

spent on anything else,” Silva said. “So in Orange County, our money

could go to Dayton, Ohio, and [other places] for light rail. I feel

we should be getting some of that money back.”

* DEIRDRE NEWMAN covers Costa Mesa. She may be reached at (949)

574-4221 or by e-mail at deirdre.newman@latimes.com.