Mission Viejo City Seeking Community’s Support In Defeating A Bill That Could Bring More Traffic

Press release from the City of Mission Viejo:

June 12, 2020

The City of Mission Viejo is asking residents to help stop the passage of a State bill that could bring major traffic onto City residential streets and interfere with our region’s ability to assert local control over traffic management.

Authored by Senator Patricia Bates and Assemblyman Bill Brough, Senate Bill 1373 would delete from the State Highway System the stretch of State Route 241 from State Route 5 south of the City of San Clemente to Oso Parkway east of the City of Mission Viejo. This would likely result in more traffic ending up on our residential and main streets. The bill could prohibit action by future transportation and regional decision-makers who may want to consider south Orange County mobility solutions years from now as population grows and traffic congestion increases.

The Transportation Corridor Agencies (TCA) – which oversees Orange County’s toll roads, SR 73, 133, 241 and 261, – announced in March it was no longer considering extending SR 241 through San Clemente. TCA’s Board of Directors voted unanimously to advance a single-build alternative (Alternative 22), the Los Patrones Parkway Untolled Extension (LPPE) from the current end of the 241 Toll Road south to La Pata.

TCA, in collaboration with its regional transportation partners, the Orange County Transportation Authority and Caltrans, worked in good faith to find a mutually agreeable solution for the region. This effort took into consideration more than four years of stakeholder input, including that of our community and representatives of the City of San Clemente. The process to define mobility solutions was a success and has developed as a fair solution, which is why SB 1373 is unnecessary and may serve to undermine the goodwill and trust that was established during this collaborative process. This multi-agency effort demonstrates that local issues are best resolved by the local jurisdictions and that outside interference and State legislation is not necessary or productive.

SB 1373 could potentially restrict TCA’s ability to fund the LPPE, which is widely supported, and much needed to help ease regional traffic. If TCA is unable to participate in the funding, the project could be significantly delayed and would further impact limited transportation dollars at the State and County levels. The direct effect on Mission Viejo will be more traffic cutting through our City to reach the freeway and areas to our south.

The legislation also supersedes and interferes with transportation decisions that have been made and will be funded at our local level.

At a time when the State is facing unprecedented challenges together with a $54 billion budget gap, SB 1373 could further impact scarce public monies. This could unnecessarily use up State resources through the ongoing lawsuit of the City of San Clemente against California and several other agencies, including TCA.

SB 1373 is not only unnecessary, it’s harmful to Mission Viejo and our region. Residents are urged to contact Senator Bates to voice their opposition to SB 1373! Contact Senator Bates at senator.bates@senate.ca.gov or 916-651-4036. You can also contact other senators listed at this link.

This press release was produced by the City of Mission Viejo. The views expressed here are the author’s own.