Written by Amanda Angulo
Over the years, the people of San Diego had voted in 2004 to tax themselves a little more in order to pay for improvements on our freeways and the system. Overall, 21 projects were funded by the taxpayers of the city.
The board of directors which include elected officials from the county still get to have a final say on any decision made, yet the director from SANDAG, Hasan Ikhrata, has indirectly claimed that there is no money for the unbuilt projects, giving him reason to throw out the 21 projects, despite what the taxpayers voted for.
Of the 21 projects on the freeway systems, 19 of them were supposed to be dedicated to freeway enhancements. The rapid bus line from San Ysidro to Sorrento Mesa and a tunnel in Coronado could be waved goodbye.
“These projects, not only do we not have the money to do them – they’re not the right projects for San Diego,” Ikhrata said last month during a committee meeting created to establish oversight on TransNet spending.
The director of SANDAG has been arguing and battling with elected officials from San Marcos, Escondido, Poway, and Coronado once his views were made clear, and what he planned to do with the 21 projects were basically funded by the taxpayers.
Due to elected officials ultimately getting the last say on the matter, it is made clearly important how much local elections matter. Taxpayers and residents of San Diego need to be active in voting and fight to put Republicans in the seats that will make a difference. This includes mayors and city council members who deal with the city and get to make the ultimate decision.
