SANDAG 101: A Primer

SANDAG controls a lot of what affects Del Mar these days, including decisions on the rail tunnel. Who is SANDAG and why does it have so much power?  Here’s a short primer.

Who is SANDAG? SANDAG is a regional government comprised of the 19 member local governments in our region. Before SANDAG, cities and counties would fight for access to federal funds for roads and the like. It was often ugly and unfair. Eventually, the Feds required that each region get its act together by forming a regional Council of Governments (COG) that could access federal funding and distribute those funds equitably in the region. In San Diego it was originally the Comprehensive Planning Organization (CPO) now called the San Diego Association of Governments or SANDAG serving as San Diego’s COG.

What does SANDAG do? Lots! Transportation planning and development, climate issues, cross border issues, environmental programs, affordable housing goals, grant funding, and more. SANDAG will decide if and where a rail tunnel through town will go. It is SANDAG doing the bluff work to protect the current rail line. And, it is SANDAG that assigned Del Mar its mandatory affordable housing requirements (Cycle 6) and that provides grant funds for our housing studies, for road maintenance, and other local matters. Many issues do not fit easily within one jurisdiction’s boundary lines so it is logical to have a decision process that accommodates regional interests.

Are we in good hands with SANDAG? That depends on your perspective. In my opinion, having worked with SANDAG for decades as a private attorney and as Del Mar Mayor and councilmember, I find SANDAG staff generally very capable and qualified. But, it’s the SANDAG Board that calls the shots. Any time you have elected officials from 19 diverse local governments tasked to work together there is ample room for mischief.

Can Del Mar influence SANDAG decisions? Del Mar has one representative to the SANDAG Board. Currently it is Mayor Terry Gaasterland. Del Mar can easily be outvoted. Del Mar’s only shot is to persuade a majority of other Board members to support our positions on issues like the tunnel.

How are we doing so far? On housing SANDAG assigned Del Mar a relatively high affordable housing quota based in part on fairgrounds jobs using questionable methodology that many think is unfair. So, give SANDAG a Del Mar minus on that. But, SANDAG assigned no housing units to Del Mar based on transportation (jobs and transportation were the two factors considered) so a plus on that. SANDAG has provided key grant funds for our Fairgrounds housing program and other city programs. So a plus on that. 

On the rail tunnel, the jury is still out. It’s been SANDAG staff, not the Board, out front. There have been false starts and missteps by SANDAG staff but overall they seem to be stumbling in the right direction. Key decisions will come from the SANDAG Board, not the staff.  Del Mar’s fate will depend on its ability to persuade other Board members to support Del Mar on critical votes. Board decisions will be made by politicians, not staff. Politics will play a part.

So SANDAG is where the action is. It remains to be seen if Del Mar can devise a strategy to garner the needed Board support. Can Del Mar persuade Board members from El Cajon, Chula Vista, and the other cities to support our positions? Maybe, if we present our case in a way that resonates with their concerns, not just ours.

Learn more about SANDAG at its website: www.sandag.org.