Glen Sparrow
Regional Governance Must Fit Political Culture of San Diego Region

Glen Sparrow, a professor in the School of Public Administration and Urban Studies at San Diego State University, served as Executive Director for the commission attempting Sacramento’s city-county consolidation (1971-74), and as a member of a previous regional study commission, San Diego Region Citizens’ Commission on Government Efficiency and Restructuring (1994-95).

Unfortunately the plan for regional governance proposed by the San Diego Regional Government Efficiency Commission (RGEC) is flawed in three ways: culturally, structurally, and politically. This is particularly lamentable, for the need is great for something better.

Any plan acceptable to the voters of San Diego must be compatible with the political culture of the area. San Diegan’s are suspicious of government and wary of its promises. There is a tendency to distrust any government that is not close to home.

Experience indicates that for regional government to be compatible with San Diego’s political culture it must be: absolutely necessary, non-taxing, and limited in its functions. San Diego’s current regional governments meet these criteria. Examples include: the County Water Authority, Unified Port District, Trans-Net (SANDAG’s transportation arm), metropolitan sewage treatment.

With the exception of the proposed Airport Authority (which meets the above criteria), the RGEC plan proposes a regional government which has not been shown to be absolutely necessary, has undisclosed spending authority and broader powers than any of our previous regional governments.

In structuring three new regional agencies — a regional transportation agency, a policy committee, and a regional airport authority — RGEC provided its opposition with an opportunity to correctly decry new “layers” of governance. In addition to representational issues is the question of how these bodies will interface with the cities and counties when it comes to land use decisions. Land use is the ultimate local regulatory power. It directly affects a person’s worth, lifestyle and quality of life; not knowing or understanding who wields it will be unacceptable.

Finally, the plan’s political flaw is evident when one examines the close vote that passed the plan. Assuming that the legislature and Governor approve it and the plan returns to us, it is highly likely that it will be modified or significantly altered. But even if it returns as it left, it will come back to a divided county. Most of the cities in the County have rejected it or are on the verge of doing so.

Where will this leave us? Our future, as described by SANDAG, includes one million new residents by 2020. How do we address the impact of these new San Diegans and the necessary infrastructure: housing, transportation, water, sewage disposal, public safety and health services? These are regional decisions that will require regional choices, regional plans, regional services, regional taxes and regional governance.

How do we get there from here? We can learn from over fifty years of regional experimentation in the US:

• Slow down. People must be involved and educated to the needs and opportunities. This takes time, energy, patience and resources. The state deadline on RGEC was a mistake.


• Think incrementally. Over the years San Diegans have accepted regional governance when it suited their needs. Build on this. The Airport Authority seems in keeping with the San Diego model—a single function, that is needed, and will seek its own revenue source.


• Be successful. Voters will be more willing to support the effective, well delivered and priced service. Build upon regional success.


• Develop consensus. A split in the legislative delegation, the cities, the northern and southern portions of the region, the civic leadership, or special interests will doom any plan. Regionalism—a major change that will effect peoples’ existence, quality of life, and the democratic process for years to come—cannot be imposed. It must be agreed upon.

All of these lessons can be mined from the literature describing the successes and failures of regionalism in the United States since World War II. There is one additional very clear finding: regional governments are born out of crises, usually due to the failure of local government to perform. And the regional solutions are either created locally or imposed through a state fabricated and mandated model.