To: Zach Friend, Neal Coonerty, John Leopold, Don Lane, Dennis Norton, Greg Caput, Bruce McPherson, Eduardo Montesino, Randy Johnson, Dene Bustichi, Lynn Robinson, Daniel Dodge, and Tim Gubbins
Transportation Commissioners: Please do not ignore this third call for an independent investigati...
People pay for the services of the Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission (RTC) with hard-earned tax dollars, therefore the people have the right to know why the RTC failed to deliver effective traffic pollution reduction. The RTC Executive Director did not provide adequate reasons for this failure when questioned, and instead gave inaccurate and misleading testimony to Transportation Commissioners.
Demonstrated traffic pollution reduction programs with a track record of success must be implemented to make the best use of our limited resources. Effective transportation planning and oversight cannot function without transparency. We the undersigned, ask you to best serve the interests of the Santa Cruz community and support a full independent investigation of the RTC. Thank you.
Why is this important?
July 24, 2014 update: Good Times article this week:
Crash for Carpools
http://www.gtweekly.com/index.php/santa-cruz-news/santa-cruz-local-news/5814-crash-for-carpools.html
&
Blog follow up:
How the SCCRTC mishandled the AB2766 traffic pollution grant program
http://greenstartupstory.com/2014/07/23/sccrtc-mishandled-ab2766-traffic-pollution/
First call for an independent investigation of the RTC: June 2012 RideSpring report: http://greenstartupstory.files.wordpress.com/2013/09/ridespringcabrilloreportjune2012-2.pdf
Second call: June 2014 petition: Truth behind traffic pollution failure needed before approving $5.6 billion transportation plan http://petitions.moveon.org/sign/independent-investigation-5
RTC Executive Director testimony to Transportation Commissioners: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQKl0yTsyn8
I am a concerned local resident, entrepreneur and commute consultant in Santa Cruz, California who develops and implements commute programs to reduce traffic and pollution. The purpose of this petition is to bring to light actions taken by the Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission (RTC) that have:
• Misdirected public funds into known ineffective traffic reduction, pollution reduction strategies.
• Prevented public funds from being directed into known effective traffic pollution reduction programs.
• Undermined, and attempted to discredit valid concerns raised.
• Violated the public trust.
Brief history of events:
From 2005 – 2014 (present) Working with the City of Santa Cruz to develop and provide commute programs to shift single occupant vehicle (SOV) commuting to alternative commuting: biking, carpooling, transit, walk, etc., with positive results:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qePeHoSLDTs
Also worked with the County of Santa Cruz (independent from the Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission – the focus of this petition), also with positive results:
http://greenstartupstory.com/2012/08/28/rsclients-in-santa-cruz-county/#santacruzco
In 2008 a local community college, Cabrillo College, applied for an *AB2766 traffic pollution reduction grant to use RideSpring's services to reduce their largest source of CO2 – the commute. To support the Cabrillo College grant application, my company provided free commute services for six months starting April 22 , 2008. (Earth Day) Again with positive results:
http://greenstartupstory.com/2012/05/26/welcome-spotlife/grantadvocacyletter-small-highlighted/
[*AB2766 is a $200M/year California-wide traffic pollution reduction grant fund paid by drivers through vehicle license fees. The California Air Resources Board (CARB) oversees the AB2766 fund.]
Unfortunately, rather than supporting the Cabrillo College grant application, the Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission (RTC) chose to "compete" with the college's grant application using unsubstantiated and exaggerated claims of their own capabilities to achieve effective traffic pollution reduction.
These inaccurate claims by the RTC resulted in the Monterey Bay Unified Air Pollution Control District (Air District) denying Cabrillo’s top priority funding request. Instead, the RTC was granted $120,000 in AB2766 public funds to serve Cabrillo College’s commute program needs, as well as the commute program needs of all other employers in Santa Cruz County. With funding denied, the successful Cabrillo College commute program had to be shut down September of 2008.
From Cabrillo College contacts, I learned that the RTC program delivered no benefit from 2008 - 2012. In May 2012, the Air District (responsible for managing the AB2766 grant fund locally) were asked about the performance of the RTC program. Their response: "The District feels that RTC has made adequate progress."
June 2012: After further investigation, findings were summarized in a report calling for an independent investigation. Findings included the fact that only 0.16% of the projected traffic pollution reduction had been achieved:
http://greenstartupstory.files.wordpress.com/2013/09/ridespringcabrilloreportjune2012-2.pdf
The report was provided to the RTC and Air District. In a Santa Cruz Sentinel article from July 2012, both the RTC and Air District dismissed concerns, and reiterated confidence in the RTC program:
“We still believe this is a great program.”
http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/localnews/ci_21168663/
June 2013: RTC Executive Director describes report calling for an independent investigation as "misleading and untrue."
January 2014: Air District issues Stop Work Order against RTC program. Stop Work Order confirms key concerns raised in report:
http://greenstartupstory.com/2014/02/25/ad-stopworkorder-rtc/
March 2014: Attempting to bring attention to this issue at an RTC public hearing:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yc0pZf7FyxI
The RTC recently approved a twenty-year $5.6 billion transportation plan claiming priority and capabilities in effective traffic pollution reduction. Highlights from the RTC plan include:
Page 15 ‘Much effort on this 2014 RTP and the 2035 Metropolitan Transportation Plan has been focused on prioritizing projects that will reduce greenhouse gas emissions primarily from a reduction in vehicle miles traveled (VMT).’
Page 22 ‘With the passage of the California Sustainable Communities and Climate Protection Act of 2008 (SB 375) and the establishment of regional greenhouse gas emissions targets, a much greater emphasis is being placed on transportation plans to reduce the number of vehicle miles we travel.’
Page 148 ‘The Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission is taking a proactive approach towards identifying strategies for reducing greenhouse gases in the 2014 RTP.’
Page 149 ‘The 2014 RTP relies on reductions in vehicle miles traveled along with improvements in vehicle speed to achieve the five percent greenhouse gas emissions reduction.’
Page 230 ‘The California Air Resources Board (ARB) requi...