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March 28, 2012

The Honorable Kamala D. Harris

California Attorney General1300 I Street, Suite 1740

Sacramento, CA 95814

Re: Lawsuit Challenging SANDAGs 2050 Regional Transportation Plan

Dear Attorney General Harris:

Our organizations representing business, labor and local government are united

in our concern about the lawsuit filed against the San Diego Association ofGovernments (SANDAG) Regional Transportation Plan and Sustainable

Communities Strategy (RTP/SCS). SANDAGs plan meets all state-mandated

carbon reduction requirements under SB 375 and was the product of extensive

public input and review. Responsible, regional planning efforts should be

allowed to proceed without intervention from the state. Our coalition would

like to meet with you to discuss the implications of the lawsuit, your offices

involvement, and our long-term concerns.

The lawsuit does not dispute that SANDAG met its greenhouse gas reduction

requirements -instead, it challenges the process by which SANDAG developed its

plan. The very nature of your weighing in on this matter threatens not only

SANDAGs efforts, but all future efforts by local governments to develop their

own regional transportation plans and sustainable communities strategies as

required under SB 375 and AB 32. In fact, the lawsuit appears to pursue policy

changes through the courts that would broaden current environmental law by

exceeding the requirements of SB 375, AB 32 and even the California

Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). It sets troublesome precedent, exposing

local communities to substantial, new legal challenges in the future.

SB 375 was a product of years of work and compromise among business, labor,

local government and environmental leaders. The goal was to create more

sustainable communities through a process driven by local control, and by giving

communities some level of certainty that - should they meet the requirementsof SB 375 - their land use plans would not be mired in lawsuits for years.

SANDAGs 2050 Plan was adopted on a 17-1 vote after two years of extensive

collaboration with the public and stakeholders including 4,000 comments from

1,500 individuals and organizations. The plan creates 35,600 jobs each year over

the course of the plan, and generates an additional gross regional product of

$4.4 billion annually.

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SANDAGs 2050 RTP/SCS exceeds the states greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction

target for 2020 by reducing emissions by 14% (the target is 7%) and meets the

2035 target of 13%. It dedicates twice as much money to mass transit ($106.6

B) as is dedicated for freeways and highways ($49.7 B). And it would reduce

vehicle miles traveled by creating 156 new miles of trolley services, adding 130

miles of express lanes for carpools, vanpools and bus service, and dedicating

$3.8 billion for bicycle and pedestrian projects. It also preserves more than half

of the region's land as open space.

SANDAGs 2050 RTP is a model of good, collaborative, and thorough regional

planning. However, the plan now stands to be uprooted in the courts, which not

only threatens the integrity of SANDAGs process, but the entire SB 375

approach.

Communities which engage in good faith to create sustainable growth plans for

their regions should be allowed to proceed without lawsuits and intervention

from the state.

For these reasons, we ask you to reconsider your involvement in this litigation.

Rich Lambros will contact your office to follow-up on this meeting request on

behalf of our coalition. We would like this meeting to occur at your earliest

convenience within the next two weeks. In the meantime, you may contact Rich

at (909) 225-0095 orrlambros@southerncaliforniagroup.com.

Sincerely,

Jose Mejia, Director Jim Earp, Executive Director

California State Council of Laborers California Alliance for Jobs

Lucy Dunn, President & CEO Carl Guardino, President & CEO

Orange County Business Council Silicon Valley Leadership Group

Jim Wunderman, President & CEO Steve Falk, President & CEO

Bay Area Council San Francisco Chamber of Commerce

Gary Toebben, President & CEO Ruben Barrales, President & CEO

Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce San Diego Regional Chamber of Commer

Tracy Rafter, CEO Linda Best, President & CEO

Los Angeles County Business Federation Contra Costa Council

Debra Moreno, President & CEO Al Smith, President & CEO

Greater Bakersfield Chamber of Commerce Greater Fresno Chamber of Commerce

Mark Cafferty, President & CEO Stuart Waldman, President

San Diego Regional Economic Development Valley Industry and Commerce Associati

Corporation

Billie Greer, President Joseph Haraburda, President & CEO

Southern California Leadership Council Oakland Metropolitan Chamber of Comm

Cynthia Kurtz, President & CEO Todd Ament, President & CEO

San Gabriel Valley Economic Partnership Anaheim Chamber of Commerce

mailto:rlambros@southerncaliforniagroup.commailto:rlambros@southerncaliforniagroup.commailto:rlambros@southerncaliforniagroup.com

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Bill LaMarr, Executive Director Kyle Nelson, President

California Small Business Alliance Engineering & General Contractors Assoc., San Diego

Ramon Ortega, President & CEO Janice Moore, President & CEO

Antelope Valley Chambers of Commerce Apple Valley Chamber of Commerce

Gloria Medina, Executive Director Randy Gordon, President & CEO

Bell Chamber of Commerce Long Beach Area Chamber of Commerce

Cathy Kennerson, CEO Jacqueline Reynoso, President & CEOEl Centro Chamber of Commerce National City Chamber of Commerce

David Nydegger, President & CEO Heidi Larkin-Reed, CEO

Oceanside Chamber of Commerce Orange Chamber of Commerce

Douglass Wilhoit, President & CEO Cynthia L. Murray, President & CEO

Greater Stockton Chamber of Commerce North Bay Leadership Council

Cheryl Nankervis, President & CEO Kathryn Figari, Executive Director

Yucca Valley Chamber of Commerce Brawley Chamber of Commerce

Victor Lindenheim, Executive Director Lacy Kelly, CEO

Golden State Gateway Coalition Association of California Cities Orange County

Larry Russell, Executive Vice President Mark Breslin, CEO

Southern California Contractors Association United Contractors

Borre Winckel, President & CEO Tom Holsman, CEO

Building Industry Association of San Diego Associated General Contractors of California

Hildy Carrillo, Executive Director Jim Ryan, Executive Vice President

Calexico Chamber of Commerce Associated General Contractors San Diego

Jeanne Cain, Executive Vice President, Policy Tony Boren, Executive Director

California Chamber of Commerce Fresno Council of Governments

Sandra Boyle, President Mike Winn, President & CEO

California Building Owners and Managers Association California Building Industry Association

Laurie Madigan, Executive Director Mike Lewis, President

Business Leadership Alliance, San Diego Construction Industry Air Quality Coalition

James Camp, President Paul J. Meyer, Executive Director

NAIOP of California American Council of Engineering Companies of

Commercial Real Estate Development Association California

Gary W. Hambly, President & CEO Stan Lazarian, District 9, Vice President

California Construction and Industrial California Chapters of the National Electrical

Materials Association Contractors Association

Lee Brown, Executive Director Wes May, Executive Director

California Construction Trucking Association Engineering Contractors Association

Jo Anne Bernhard, Northern California Governmental Rex S. Hime, President & CEO

Relations Chair California Business Properties Association

International Council of Shopping Centers

Bob Yoder, President

Building Industry Association of Southern California