Concord Lawmaker Challenges Metropolitan Transportation Commission's San Francisco Move
OAKLAND (KCBS) – The Metropolitan Transportation Commission has moved forward with plans to relocate its headquarters from Oakland to San Francisco.
But state Senator Mark DeSaulnier of Concord continues to call into question where the money to purchase the building in San Francisco is coming from.
He said toll funds, which go up nearly every year, would be used for the purchase which poses a problem because they are normally earmarked for seismic upgrade projects.
KCBS' Mark Seelig Reports:
"To ask people in this economic time to do that and then turn around and spend it on something like this is bad public policy," said DeSaulnier.
But MTC spokesman Randy Rentschler said that if they are able to buy the building on Main Street, it would allow them to consolidate their operations and those of five others that they work closely with on a daily basis, including the Bay Area Air Quality Management District and the Association of Bay Area Governments.
"If we're going to do this, we need to consider it now," said Rentschler.
Earlier this summer, DeSaulnier asked a state auditor to go over the proposed deal and the MTC backed off plans for the initial move. But Rentschler said it was never completely off the table and they put together a special committee to spend 60 days to review the entire process.
And after the review process, they have decided to move forward, even though the audit is still underway.
"They're being less than honest with the public and they're being less than honest with me," DeSaulnier said.
DeSaulnier is actively petitioning the full Commission to scrap the idea when it meets this Wednesday.
(Copyright 2011 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
