(Sacramento) – Speaker of the Assembly Fabian Núñez called on the California Transportation Commission to reject its staff recommendations when it comes to the allocation of the first round of Proposition 1B funding. Speaker Núñez says the staff recommendations released Friday do not adequately address the state’s most pressing congestion problems. The Speaker, who was joined at today’s capitol news conference by Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, says voters were promised Prop 1B money would be used first to alleviate the state’s worst congestion and he says that promise should be kept. Speaker Núñez says the CTC’s staff recommendations seriously under fund congestion relief projects in the San Diego, Bay Area and Los Angeles areas. The Speaker says the Assembly will withhold funding for transportation projects that do not adequately address congestion issues and he promised to place a new $5-billion bond measure on the November 2008 ballot unless the state’s congestion problems are relieved by the Prop 1B projects. The CTC is scheduled to vote on which projects will get round one funding next week.

Speaker Núñez sent the following letter to the chair of the California Transportation Commission:

February 20, 2007

Ms. Marian Bergeson

Chair

California Transportation Commission

1120 N Street

Sacramento, California 95814

Dear Chairwoman Bergeson:

The purpose of this letter is to bring to your attention several issues regarding the California Transportation Commission (CTC) staff recommendations for Corridor Mobility Improvement Account (CMIA) funding.

Shortly after the staff recommendations were released on Friday, February 16, 2007, I began to hear concerns that some of the recommendations did not fully align with the criteria set forth in the Highway Safety, Traffic Reduction, Air Quality and Port Security Bond Act passed by California voters in November 2006. Over the weekend, the murmurs turned into a full-fledged chorus of concerned newspaper editorials and disgruntled regional transportation agencies. It appears that the CTC staff recommendations are out of sync with the recommendations made by our local state transportation partners as well as those offered by the California Department of Transportation. Moreover, these recommendations also appear to contrast with the statutory intent and purpose of the CMIA.

I am troubled by the staff recommendations put forward by the CTC. Not only do they raise questions of funding equity but more importantly they raise questions of process and ambiguity. I urge you to revisit the recommendations put forward by your staff.

As the CTC begins the process to better develop and strengthen the final list of eligible projects for bond funding, I would like to work with you to ensure the Corridor Mobility Improvement Program is a fair representation of what Californians expected when they voted for the transportation bond.

Sincerely,

FABIAN NUÑEZ

Speaker of the Assembly