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TRANSACTIONS NEWSLETTER ONLINE

November/December 2000
Interview:
Face to Face with John Dutra

John Dutra

As the newly appointed chair of the Assembly Transportation Committee, Assemblymember John Dutra (D-Fremont) becomes one of the Bay Area's key players on transportation issues in Sacramento. MTC Legislative Analyst Ellen Griffin caught up with Dutra recently in his Fremont office. In the following edited interview, Dutra offers his insights on the impact of several of the transportation-related measures on the November ballot, and gives some hints about new directions for the Transportation Committee.

Q We saw the transportation sales tax measures in Alameda and Santa Clara -- both counties that you represent -- pass by overwhelming margins at the polls this November. What do you take away from the results of that election?
A I think a lot of the vote hinged on BART to San Jose -- people are eager to have BART go to San Jose. The area that I represent, and in fact the entire Bay Area, now is every bit as much a part of Silicon Valley as the Valley itself. I think people realize that, and they realize the imperativeness of addressing the transportation gridlock. In terms of Measure B in Alameda County particularly, people realize that it was not an either/or -- it was not just mass transit versus infrastructure construction and maintenance; it was both.

Q A number of counties have been unable to obtain the needed two-thirds supermajority for passage of local transportation sales taxes. Will there be any further efforts to make it easier for counties to pass local transportation taxes, or has passage of the two measures in urban Bay Area counties raised the bar for others?
A The suggestion that it's easy to pass some of these transportation issues now because we did so in Alameda and Santa Clara counties -- I think that's an inappropriate conclusion. It's still a significant problem. But realistically, I don't see the critical mass needed to raise the required revenue to mount a successful statewide campaign coming together in the next few years. You will probably see the issue addressed five or six years from now.

Q Will there be any effort to make permanent the five-year dedication of the state sales tax on gasoline to fund local streets and roads, public transit and highway improvements?
A If you look at the sales tax on the gas tax and the fact that that money appropriately should go specifically to transportation, I don't think there is disagreement in that regard. As a matter of fact, I would support an effort to amend the state constitution to make the diversion permanent, perhaps with some improvements.

Q The Legislative Analyst has predicted another robust year with a $10 billion surplus in the state's General Fund, and of this amount, possibly $4 billion in "one-time" moneys available for spending on infrastructure projects, among other possibilities. Will there be a repeat of the Traffic Congestion Relief Act next year?
A I absolutely think there ought to be. If you look at an analysis from any transportation authority, they make very clear the shortfall we're going to have over the next 10 years in terms of moneys needed to handle transportation needs in California. Frankly, it's always amazed me that we refer to this $10.3 billion or $10.6 billion as a "surplus" when you look at the transportation infrastructure in the state being 30 years old or older.

Q Along with all the focus on big projects in the last legislative session, we saw some new focus on bicycle and pedestrian safety, and some new organizations and interests coming to the table. There is also an environmental justice movement to include communities that were overlooked in the past in the transportation decision-making process. Will you be working on these issues?
A If any of us think that we're going to solve these transportation issues without involving all of the stakeholders collaboratively working together, we're mistaken. The success of [Alameda County] Measure B, in my view, is attributable to the fact that we brought all of the stakeholders together in a common effort. And as a consequence, Measure B was very successful. It drew over 80 percent or so of the vote -- an incredible accomplishment.
          But I think what was cleverly and appropriately done in that effort was bringing the stakeholders together: environmental groups, labor, the private sector. And obviously when these groups were all brought together, there was no opposition to Measure B. And that's the essence of how, incidentally, we're going to attempt to handle transportation. As chair of the Transportation Committee, I'm going to work with all of the stakeholders.

Q What are your priorities for the Assembly Transportation Committee?
A I think what I'd like to do is try to take some of the politics out of transportation. Andrew Antwih [Assembly Transportation Committee Chief Consultant] and I have been going up and down the state. We have spoken to a good many private and public sector professionals that we see as valuable resources. We've asked everyone to make suggestions to us in terms of what we can do to improve project delivery, as an example. And we have also commented that, since we're asking for your help, if you subsequently don't provide it, then you've got less to complain about when I leave this position. So if people have good ideas, we will take their comments and their suggestions very seriously. Your readers are encouraged to contact us.
          I'd like to add that I don't think there are many of us in the Legislature that are going to be very patient with suggestions that are not going to deal with the crucial high-priority transportation needs of the state. I think there is going to be consensus, because, if we don't come together, we realize that we're going to have a significant gridlock, and everybody in the Legislature realizes that we're in a crisis situation now. We're not going to be in a crisis situation five years from now or 10 years from now -- we're there now, and these issues have to be addressed.

Follow-up: Readers with suggestions or comments for Assemblymember Dutra should direct them care of
Andrew Antwih, Chief Consultant, Assembly Transportation Committee
e-mail: andrew.antwih@asm.ca.gov
tel.: 916.319.2093
fax: 916.319.2193
mailing address: 1020 N Street, Sacramento, CA 95814

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