Orange County has a 1/2 cent transportation sales tax called Measure M that was passed in 1990 and expires in 2011. It created the Orange County Transportation Authority and has greatly improved OC transportation infrastructure (and I say that as someone who voted against it).
Now, the OCTA has been preparing a draft ordinance for the November 2006 ballot that would extend Measure M for 30 years. A very good case can be made for Measure M’s renewal, and I’m open to being persuaded.
However, it’s hard to be persuaded when you see OCTA spending taxpayer monies on thinly-veiled marketing efforts to build support for Measure M.
Which is why were are lucky to have several elected officials on the OCTA Board of Directors who are exercising responsible stewardship on behalf of the taxpayers.
A couple of months ago, OCTA awarded a $1.5 million contract to Townsend, Raimundo for a three-part countywide "informational mailing" on the draft Measure M renewal initiative.
The first mailing went out in mid-March to 800,000 registered voters. It explained the various components of the initiative, how the funds would be divvied up among freeways, streets and roads, transit, etc. and included a postage-paid response card asking for input on the plan (which the OCTA has received almost 13,000 to date).
At the same time, this outreach program has been stirring controversy and been denounced by Measure M critics as "taxpayer-funded advocacy."
Today, the relevant OCTA subcommittee, chaired by Anaheim Mayor Curt Pringle, approved a motion by OC Supervisor Bill Campbell (and seconded by Orange Mayor Pro Tem Carolyn Cavecche) to discontinue the $1.5 million outreach program and cancel the remaining two mailers.
Kudos to Curt Pringle, Bill Campbell and Carolyn Cavecche for their principled leadership on this issue.