Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Supervisors Roberts and Horn Want SAFE to Stay

County Supervisor Ron Roberts is steadfast in his support for the San Diego Service Authority for Freeway Emergencies (SD SAFE).

Roberts has come out against a new state bill that would transfer management of the program to SANDAG, taking it out of the hands of the SD SAFE board, which Roberts is a member of. Assembly Bill 1572 will not only transfer management duties to SANDAG but also requires that any revenues over $4 million would go to cities and counties to be "used solely for motorist safety purposes, as prescribed."

At next week's Board of Supervisors meeting Roberts and fellow SD SAFE board member Supervisor Bill Horn will ask the board to join forces to oppose the bill.

In a draft letter to the state legislature Roberts and Horn say the newly revised bill will do more harm than good.

"Instead, the fee will continue being collected, with reserves in excess of $4 million distributed to local cities and the county, with no oversight mechanism to ensure the dollars are spent for region-wide motorist aid. The legislation also transfers SAFE management duties to the San Diego Association of Governments, which did not ask for this responsibility. The legislation could impact $750,000 in annual SAFE funding for Regional Fire and Rescue helicopters flown by the city and county San Diego, as well as Motorist Aid Grants provided to cities and primarily rural first-responders for rescue equipment and training."

But critics say the bill is exactly what is needed to ensure that the $2.5 million in yearly revenues be spent on motorist safety.

The number of people critical of the agency and program grew after CityBeat discovered that, under direction from chair Ron Roberts, SD SAFE was spending cash on a "flying fire-truck" and other pet projects as well as for stockpiling cash, approximately $12 million, from previous years.

After the article, and after protests from city councilmembers David Alvarez and Lorie Zapf, an effort to reform the agency and the program began.

Earlier this year, Assemblymen Nathan Fletcher and Marty Block drafted Assembly Bill 1572. The bill was introduced in response to "a reckless disregard of taxpayer money" by the SAFE" for hiring contractors "without once having a fair and competitive bid process" and stockpiling cash.

Of course, Roberts and Horn disagree.

"AB 1572 is an attempt by Sacramento lawmakers to dictate operations to a regional agency with broad regional representation on its board. For that reason, the San Diego County Board of Supervisors should officially oppose the ever-evolving Assembly Bill 1572.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all

Previous article

Escondido planners nix office building switch to apartments

Not enough open space, not enough closets for Hickory Street plans

County Supervisor Ron Roberts is steadfast in his support for the San Diego Service Authority for Freeway Emergencies (SD SAFE).

Roberts has come out against a new state bill that would transfer management of the program to SANDAG, taking it out of the hands of the SD SAFE board, which Roberts is a member of. Assembly Bill 1572 will not only transfer management duties to SANDAG but also requires that any revenues over $4 million would go to cities and counties to be "used solely for motorist safety purposes, as prescribed."

At next week's Board of Supervisors meeting Roberts and fellow SD SAFE board member Supervisor Bill Horn will ask the board to join forces to oppose the bill.

In a draft letter to the state legislature Roberts and Horn say the newly revised bill will do more harm than good.

"Instead, the fee will continue being collected, with reserves in excess of $4 million distributed to local cities and the county, with no oversight mechanism to ensure the dollars are spent for region-wide motorist aid. The legislation also transfers SAFE management duties to the San Diego Association of Governments, which did not ask for this responsibility. The legislation could impact $750,000 in annual SAFE funding for Regional Fire and Rescue helicopters flown by the city and county San Diego, as well as Motorist Aid Grants provided to cities and primarily rural first-responders for rescue equipment and training."

But critics say the bill is exactly what is needed to ensure that the $2.5 million in yearly revenues be spent on motorist safety.

The number of people critical of the agency and program grew after CityBeat discovered that, under direction from chair Ron Roberts, SD SAFE was spending cash on a "flying fire-truck" and other pet projects as well as for stockpiling cash, approximately $12 million, from previous years.

After the article, and after protests from city councilmembers David Alvarez and Lorie Zapf, an effort to reform the agency and the program began.

Earlier this year, Assemblymen Nathan Fletcher and Marty Block drafted Assembly Bill 1572. The bill was introduced in response to "a reckless disregard of taxpayer money" by the SAFE" for hiring contractors "without once having a fair and competitive bid process" and stockpiling cash.

Of course, Roberts and Horn disagree.

"AB 1572 is an attempt by Sacramento lawmakers to dictate operations to a regional agency with broad regional representation on its board. For that reason, the San Diego County Board of Supervisors should officially oppose the ever-evolving Assembly Bill 1572.

Sponsored
Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Supervisors to Grantville, "F*** You!"

Next Article

County supervisors quietly assign selves lucrative board gigs

Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

This Week’s Reader This Week’s Reader