GOP congressman favors slashing transportation funds

By: WILLIAM FINN BENNETT - Staff Writer | Monday, October 10, 2005 9:36 PM PDT ∞

NORTH COUNTY ---- Local officials continued to react harshly Monday to a plan endorsed by U.S. Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Vista, to cut money for transportation projects across the nation, including $258 million from North County projects such as the widening of Highway 76.

Issa called for the cuts last week, in support of a Republican plan to reduce federal spending and help pay the costs of repairing the Gulf Coast damage wrought by Hurricane Katrina.

Encinitas City Councilman and North County Transit District Chairman Jerome Stocks said Monday that he was dismayed when Issa announced his support for cutting transportation projects.

"As far as residents are concerned, fixing the freeways is absolutely crucial to anyone who is stuck on the I-15, the I-5 or Highway 78," said Stocks, one of nine North County elected officials to sign an editorial opposing the proposal.

"Just ask those people if they think the federal government should de-fund those projects, and the answer is going to be a resounding 'no,' " he added.

One of the proposed spending cuts supported by Issa called for the elimination of all federally earmarked transportation projects. Earmarked projects, often referred to as "pork," are ones that are not included in the annual federal budget but are later added at the request of members of Congress.

In the opinion piece published Sunday in the North County Times, Stocks, Fifth District County Supervisor Bill Horn and six other North County elected officials blasted the proposed cuts as ill-conceived. Before dipping into funding for transportation projects, the government should consider cuts to less pressing needs, the officials wrote.

Referring to NASA's plans for another mission to the moon as a "moondoggle," the North County officials wrote, "North County commuters would rather be able to get from Escondido to Oceanside in under an hour than send a crew from Cape Canaveral to the moon.

"We urge Congressman Issa to work for his constituents and stand up for the needs of North County," the opinion piece concluded.

Issa, who could not be reached for comment Monday, last week sent an e-mail to the North County Times in which he endorsed four cuts suggested in a recent report from the Republican Study Committee, a group of more than 100 GOP members of Congress.

The three-term congressman represents most of North County and parts of Southwest Riverside County.

Besides Horn and Stocks, the other local officials who signed the commentary were Escondido Mayor Lori Pfeiler, Carlsbad Mayor Claude "Bud" Lewis, Poway Mayor Mickey Cafagna, Carlsbad Mayor Pro Tem Matt Hall, Vista Councilwoman Judy Ritter, and San Marcos Councilman Hal Martin.

On Monday, Horn said that he and others "just couldn't believe" Issa would endorse such an idea. He added that the group of officials have not yet developed any specific plans to stop the proposal.

"Obviously, we need to lobby, but I am not a federal representative," Horn said. "We want our congressman to fight for our road funds."

Pfeiler said she is disappointed that Issa didn't first contact local officials to discuss his intention of endorsing the transportation cuts.

"Maybe he would have moderated his position and would have had a better understanding of how these projects affect our ability to move around this region," Pfeiler said Monday.

Dale Neugebauer, Issa's chief of staff, said Monday that Issa believes the transportation projects are worthy of being funded. However, "what we are trying to do is get rid of an abusive system," Neugebauer said.

"We are talking about eliminating earmarking as a permanent reform, to ensure that transportation (dollars) are based on the value of the project and not on which state has the most powerful congressional committee or who is the chairman of which committee," he said.

He added that frustration is growing among many Republican members of Congress with the Republican leadership and the need for greater fiscal responsibility.

Neugebauer said that he believes the total elimination of earmarked projects in the transportation budget this year is not likely and that he expects that by year's end Congress will approve some kind of cut to the total transportation budget.

"Quite frankly, it's easier to do across-the-board cuts than it is to take away special projects from members' districts or to make permanent institutional reform," he said, adding that Issa believes just such major reform is necessary to the entire process of setting aside money for projects.

Contact staff writer William Finn Bennett at (760) 740-5426 or wbennett@nctimes.com.