I wanted to share that I am dismayed that the Transportation Corridor Agency (TCA) even after a Board of Directors unanimously voted not put a toll road past Oso Parkway the TCA then wasted $800,000 lobbying against a bill that would have codified the Board’s decision. To say after the fabricated sham of a process of TCA insiders giving them direction, many of which benefit either monetarily or are in the TCA group think cabal, it is unthinkable as a taxpayer that so much was wasted on opposing the legislation in just a few short months. Did the Board approve $800,000 to be spent on this fool hearty nonsense?
The TCA is a single purpose agency. It was to build the toll roads, pay down the bonds in 30 years and go away. Sadly, we have found instead they have doubled the debt of the construction costs and extended dramatically the time to pay down the refinanced bonds, at which point we will have paid $11 billion by the time the bonds are finally paid.
It is clear the TCA’s law firm brags of being the think tank behind tolling freeways. This is triple taxation and should go for a vote of the people in our great state. It seems the TCA has been helping their vision along and may be the ultimate goal. In addition the TCA is wasting our money trying to have their lobbyists influence privacy laws for interoperability—having one bill for all the toll roads the country is hardly a need it is a want for this run amok wasteful agency to stay relevant and keep the cushy perks paychecks and jobs going as long as they can.
Honestly, people in the private sector would never have gotten away with the moronic spaghetti map of insidious TCA toll road proposals that they presented and wasted hundreds of millions of dollars on for over 25 years now. Most recently writing off over $12 million for the past failed process. This is in addition to the earlier green alignment write off. It is time for a serious audit and federal investigation of the TCA. The Orange County Transportation Authority, our real true responsible transportation agency, needs to take the TCA problem over for collection and payments of the bonds. The insider contracts and the cabal that benefits have zero concern for taxpayers it seems and the entire agency is a huge redundant bloated government waste.
Instead of the multitude of issues that really need to be addressed in our county, the TCA is now focused on privacy which they are throwing tons of our money at with their law firm and army of lobbyists. The TCA was for local benefit and the joint powers agreement is clear. That does not include one bill for all toll roads the country. It also should not include supporting and financing SCAG and the international toll group that the TCA CEO is also the president of. Yes he is expensing all of the international toll group’s expenses to the TCA.
Route 22 if needed must have zero to do with the TCA. They only build underused toll roads. Also, Route 22 has had zero public input and was done as a receive and file by a TCA cheerleader who pays her campaign manager through the TCA until she was called out as a “receive and file”. The corruption is contagious these people need to have an investigation for the self dealing. Please stop this insanity and do right by the people you represent. The only way Route 22 or Los Patrones Parkway is acceptable is if the legislation is changed to have the 241 end at Oso Parkway which was the TCA Board’s unanimous vote. Why the double talk and then waste $800,000 to fight the very same bill? Well, because they are not trustworthy as demonstrated by the past 25 years of falling to do what they were supposed to do.
Michelle Schumacher, San Clemente
