Brown signs bill to create new west county transit district Ventura County Star (CA) - Friday, October 4, 2013 Timm Herdt SACRAMENTO — Beginning next year, western Ventura County will have a new government agency that will be charged with operating bus service in a way that better meets regional needs. Gov. Jerry Brown this week signed AB 664 by Assemblyman Das Williams, D-Santa Barbara, that will create the Gold Transit District, an entity that will include the cities of Oxnard, Ventura, Port Hueneme and Ojai. The district will replace an existing joint powers authority that carries out the same function and uses the same name, Gold Coast Transit. The key difference will be that, as a distinct government entity, the new district will directly receive state transit funding from a portion of a state sales tax. Advocates, including the chambers of commerce in the four cities, believe the arrangement will allow the district to make decisions on bus routes based on regional demand. Because the money for the current system is filtered through each of the cities, Williams believes the system’s operators feel compelled to make decisions based on an equitable return of each city’s funding. “I and others have a vision for Ventura County where people can get around much more easily on a good bus system,” Williams said. The law, which takes effect July 1, will allow others to join in the future if they desire. Gold Coast Transit General Manager Steven Brown said creation of the district will help address problems that developed during the economic downturn. “The level of bus service some of our cities could afford decreased dramatically,” he said. “When we are a district, our funds will be pooled, and we can more effectively allocate services to meet the needs and demands of the area.” The signing of the bill resolves a long-running dispute over how Transportation Development Act funds are spent in the county. The act dedicates proceeds from a 0.25 percent sales tax to cities and counties, based on a per capita formula. Statewide, it generates slightly more than $1 billion. In urbanized counties, all of that money must be spent on transit. In rural counties, some of it can be used for road repair. For years, Ventura County was treated as a rural county. The county’s designation was later changed, but the county was given an extension of its flexibility in determining how to allocate the money. That extension has now expired. Under a compromise, two bills were signed by Brown in the past week. In addition to AB 664, he also signed a measure that applies to the east county, SB 203 by Sen. Fran Pavley, D-Agoura Hills. That law will require Thousand Oaks and Simi Valley to spend all their funds on transit, while allowing the smaller cities of Moorpark, Camarillo, Santa Paula and Fillmore to retain their flexibility.
Posted on: Sat, 05 Oct 2013 21:12:50 +0000
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