Wednesday, November 28, 2007 Bay Area could get $640 million to ease truck traffic Transportation Commission sets guidelines on goods movement spending By Michael Cabanatuan Chronicle Staff Writer     Sacramento -- State transportation officials agreed Tuesday to a plan that could give the Bay Area as much as $640 million to ease truck traffic by improving the rail system and building projects such as truck lanes on highways - despite a threat by Los Angeles lawmakers to stall the deal.     The California Transportation Commission approved a set of guidelines that will determine how much the Bay Area and other regions of the state get from the pot of $2.5 billion in bond funds designated to ease traffic from trucks hauling goods around the state. Specific improvements could include improvements to the Port of Oakland, Northern California rail lines and truck climbing lanes over the Altamont Pass.     But Los Angeles-area legislators, led by Democratic Assembly Speaker Fabian Núñez, threatened to interfere with the commission's plans to allot the voter-approved transportation bond money unless Los Angeles gets a bigger share.     Núñez said the guidelines shortchange the greater Los Angeles region.     "If these guidelines are adopted, you're going to have problems with how we reconcile our differences in the Legislature," Núñez said.     In Northern California, the money would be used to build a number of rail and highway projects in the Bay Area, Central Valley and beyond - possibly including taller rail tunnels over Donner Summit to allow trains to haul more containers, a new cargo terminal and street crossing at the Port of Oakland and truck-only lanes up the Altamont Pass on Interstate 580. Specific projects won't be selected by the commission until April.     Despite the Los Angeles threat, the commission voted 8-1, with Larry Zarian opposed for unrelated reasons, to proceed with the planned funding guidelines. If the state is able to secure $500 million in federal funds for goods movements, or raise it through future port fees, the pot would be raised to a little more than $3 billion and the Bay Area share would climb to $840 million.     Tuesday's meeting, attended by about 150 people, was a key step in determining what projects will eventually be built. The commission set guidelines for choosing projects, including targets for roughly how much each region of the state will receive. It also agreed to consider air quality as a factor in deciding projects that eventually receive funding.     Officials from the Los Angeles and Inland Empire regions of Southern California argued that because the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach handle 80 to 85 percent of the international cargo coming into the state, their region should get 80 to 85 percent of the bond money that is specifically allocated to improving the movement of goods. Proposition 1B, approved by voters last year, dedicated $20 billion in bond money for improving the transportation system by beefing up public transit and building new carpool lanes, interchanges and wider highways, among other projects.     The spending targets would give Los Angeles about 55 to 60 percent of the available money set aside for easing truck traffic.     "The voters expected the bond funds would be targeted to areas of the most need in the state, and that was the legislative intent," Núñez said. "The proposal before you shortchanges the neediest areas of the state."     The speaker denied that his efforts constituted "some kind of power grab from L.A.," saying the region suffers daily from the traffic and air pollution generated by trucks from the ports. He called the spending targets unacceptable and unfair and accused the commission of politicizing the bond process.     While state voters approved the infrastructure bonds, and the Transportation Commission is assigned to determine how transportation bond funds are spent, all appropriations of money must go through the Legislature and the state budget process.     After the commission's vote, Chairman Jim Ghielmetti of Pleasanton said he fears that pressure from Núñez and four other Los Angeles and Inland Empire Assembly members could taint the process.     "The intent of the Legislature was to put it in the hands of the (Transportation Commission) so that it wouldn't become political," he said. "Personally, I think we did the right thing. We're not trying to play favorites."     For more information on the California Transportation Commission and the bond funds, go to: www.catc.ca.gov     Get involved Contact the California Transportation Commission at: California_Transportation_Commission@dot.ca.gov     What's next. The commission will hold hearings on projects recommended for funding through the goods movement bond money the week of Feb. 18. Recommendations will be made on March 13, and projects will be selected on April 10.     E-mail Michael Cabanatuan at mcabanatuan@sfchronicle.com     This article appeared on page B - 1 of the San Francisco Chronicle     © 2007 Hearst Communications Inc.