| So even though I'm getting a little bored talking about John Garamendi, I just can't help myself today. A couple hours ago, Garamendi posted his very first diary at Daily Kos.
Apparently, Garamendi's been stung by criticism that he doesn't understand local problems that concern the voters in CA-10, like traffic. So to show that he's down with the hot-button issues in the district, Garamendi went to the Metropolitan Traffic Commission website, and read up on their regional 25-year transportation plan for the Bay Area, Transportation 2035. Every five years, the MTC updates and reprioritizes the previous 25-year plan so that there is an ongoing vision for handling the future demands of the nine-county Bay Area.
So in his diary, Garamendi basically gave a broad outline of the findings in the latest plan, which in many ways aren't that different from the Transportation 2030 plan released in 2005. There's a heavy emphasis on the use of public policy tools to encourage smart growth near transit hubs, which in turn leads to increased use of public transportation, as well as a willingness to look toward HOT (high occupancy toll) lanes, the proceeds of which would be used to fund highway maintenance and transportation programs for the elderly, poor, and disabled.
While I commend Garamendi for studying up on the MTC proposals and presenting his findings to Daily Kos readers, I'm a little surprised that he apparently missed the irony of his posting. You see, his opponent in the CA-10 race, Mark DeSaulnier... well, as a long-time member of the MTC, DeSaulnier sat through the series of public workshops, studied the results of public surveys, and worked with MTC staff to draft their long-term plans, both Transportation 2030 and the early stages of Transportation 2035. So in an effort to establish his own bona fides, Garamendi basically just tried to lay claim to the transportion plan that DeSaulnier helped to create.
D'oh! Don't you hate it when that happens? |
