We are calling on the City of San Diego leaders to stand up for climate change and stand up for their Climate Action Plan, specifically Councilmember Todd Gloria and Mayor Faulconer. You have a large weighted vote here at SANDAG and you can use this vote to postpone or reject this freeway first, climate killing RTP- until you have a transit first alternative in San Diego which allows you to achieve the CAP. This is very possible. SANDAG’s own authoritative study the Urban Area Transit Strategy, which is an appendix to the RTP proves that the CAP is possible and achievable. You can model transit first in San Diego, but SANDAG has failed to do so.

We are tired of the stale excuses- not one of them is accurate!  The plan is not balanced- it increases GHG and VMT in the face of statewide climate policy calling for reductions, it relies on freeways and keeps us locked into our cars, it fails to provide effective transit, bike and walk options for the future leaving us with the same pathetic 3% transit mode share we have now for the year 2050! That is not a plan forward- that is a plan backward!! SANDAG- you can do better and you must do better!

This is why we call upon Gloria and Faulconer to stand up to this RTP, to demand better for the city of San Diego and vote no, until a transit first option can be implemented which will allow you to achieve your CAP that you’ve touted all over San Diego and even in Sacramento! Enough with the tired excuse that you will lose federal funding if you don’t approve the RTP in time- well guess what- you have time, we ask that you delay- at least 1 month, and we know that Gary and his planners will be able to deliver alternatives that meet the CAP if the future of the RTP approval is at stake! Allow them to rise to the challenge instead of folding to the powers that demand you approve this fraud of a transportation plan!  

Leaders of San Diego- summon your political courage and be the climate activist you have claimed to be! Actions speak louder than words and it is time to prove you are not a climate coward by voting no or postponing the approval of the RTP until it meets the CAP! Prove you are leaders whose word means something; prove you are leaders we can be proud of!!

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