Bay Area Democrats are pushing today to wrest control of the Vallejo ferry as part of a wholesale takeover of the region's water transportation systems under an ostensibly larger and more secure network.
The hastily crafted measure sailed through the Assembly largely along party lines this morning, but failed to win backing of Vallejo's representative because details of the hastily revealed plan are too sketchy.
The bill's rapid progression took Vallejo officials by surprise today as the Senate prepared to vote on it tonight before the year's legislative sunset.
Mayor Tony Intintoli Jr. penned a last-minute appeal today to bill author Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata to protect Vallejo's financial and strategic interests. The mayor said the full impact on the city is unclear.
"Depending on how this plays out, it could be a good thing," Intintoli said. "It could be a fiscally positive thing."
Local officials are questioning the last-minute rush to consolidate the ferries and all related city-owned property for emergency purposes - a plan that did not become clear until amendments made to the bill Monday.
"We had no way of knowing what it was going to be," Intintoli said. "I have to speculate there are other desires. What they are and who the individuals are, that's speculation."
An aide for Assemblymember Noreen Evans, D-Santa Rosa, who represents Vallejo said she voted against the measure because its impact was uncertain. Vallejo's senator, Sen. Patricia Wiggins, D-Santa Rosa, was not immediately available.
The bill's author, Sen. Tom Torlakson, D-Antioch, and Perata, an Oakland Democrat, want to get the measure passed as soon as possible because "nobody is in charge" of a coordinated water transportation response system, a Torlakson aide said.
"It just seemed the logical time to look at the biggest picture - what is the next level of growth," said Robert Oakes, chief consultant to Torlakson. "There is a push to get it done."
Oakes said Perata has been working since 1999 to determine how the ferry systems can work together to provide emergency transportation in the event of a serious earthquake or terrorist attack.
The crippling effect of the 9/11 terrorist attacks and Hurricane Katrina on public transportation "emphasized the need for coordinated emergency response," Senate Bill 976 says.
"From the lessons learned from these events, it is apparent that the Bay Area's current emergency response infrastructure is not sufficient to respond to emergencies of the magnitude witnessed in the past few years and anticipated in the future," it reads.
But local officials say serious questions remain about the potential impact on the city's already ailing budget, revitalization plans, jobs and loyal ferry riders.
Vallejo's council voted in June to cut $2.5 million from the transit system by raising ferry rates and cutting ferry and bus routes, but were awaiting a plan to increase revenue by charging for ferry parking. The ferry is a critical piece to the downtown, waterfront and Mare Island waterfront renewal plans.
Daryl Halls, executive director of the Solano Transportation Authority, said, "There have been rumors for awhile, but (the takeover plan) happened very quickly and, Vallejo was not consulted, and they are raising some legitimate issues," Halls said.
Oakes acknowledged the concerns, saying Vallejo's ferry system is the "top example" of "who is doing things right."
He said, "These are good questions, but they are several steps out."
The first step, he said, is transferring all the ferry systems - except the Golden Gate Bridge District - under one umbrella, then bringing city leaders to the table to determine how to dole out those resources.
The new agency, called The San Francisco Bay Area Water Emergency Transportation Authority (WETA), would assume ownership of ferries, terminal buildings and associated parking lots in Vallejo and Alameda and Marin counties by 2009.
WETA would determine the budget, schedules, fares and all other facets of the ferry systems, including service contracts and vendor agreements.
If the bill passes the Senate tonight, it heads to the governor's desk. But if it fails to pass, supporters must wait until the Legislature reconvenes in January.
Oakes said the governor has not forecast whether he would sign the bill, but said in his State of the State address that he wants to bolster public water transportation.
Under the plan, the governor would appoint a five-member board to govern WETA - thus replacing the 10-member Water Transportation Authority, of which Intintoli is a member,
The bill's latest version invites Vallejo to be part of the consolidation planning, which is of some comfort to the mayor. At the very least, Intintoli said, "We will be heard there."
E-mail J.M. Brown at jmbrown@thnewsnet.com or call 553-6834. Staff writer Matthias Gafni contributed to this report. |