ORANGE COUNTY PERSPECTIVE : Traffic Backed Up on Measure M

To use a transportation analogy, Measure M funding has been stuck in traffic since the half-cent sales tax was approved by Orange County voters in November, 1990.

Mostly, delays have been caused by legal roadblocks thrown at the transportation measure by opponents who resorted to the courts after they lost at the polls.

However, the Orange County Transportation Authority also has yet to finalize a plan for implementing Measure M once all legal hurdles have been passed.

The lawsuit brought by Drivers for Highway Safety, the Libertarian Central Party of Orange County and Citizens Against Unfair Taxation has cost $250,000 to defend against, plus $20 million or more in higher costs caused by inflation, the OCTA says. Last week, the state’s 4th District Court of Appeal upheld the sales tax. It would be unfortunate if there were an appeal of that decision.

Meanwhile, projects worth about $49 million have inched forward, even as the lawsuit was litigated. These include the purchase of the old Red Car trolley right of way in North County, installation of car-pool lanes on the Orange Freeway and preliminary design work on the remodeling of the troublesome El Toro Y, where the Santa Ana and San Diego freeways merge in South County. Measure M funds are pledged to pay for these, but if the measure is overturned, the OCTA has other ways of footing the bill.

County transportation officials have been slow, however, to approve an overall plan to spend the $100 million in sales tax revenues that have accumulated so far.

To do this, the OCTA must prioritize specific projects authorized by voters. While this is not easy to do, given the diverse geographical representation on the board, the OCTA should have come up with a list of priorities long ago.

One good thing: No one seems to be taking seriously a suggestion by OCTA board member Dana W. Reed that Measure M money be loaned to the county tollway agency to speed construction of the San Joaquin Hills tollway between Newport Beach and San Juan Capistrano.

Making such a loan would breach the covenant between the proponents of Measure M and the voters, who gave their approval based on a list of specific transportation projects--one that did not include tollway construction.

Time is wasting. The OCTA must be prepared to move forward quickly should Measure M clear its final legal hurdles.