Goleta backs commuter rail line

BY HANNAH GUZIK
DAILY SOUND STAFF WRITER

Santa Barbara government officials are on a smoother track toward implementing a commuter rail system up the coast from Ventura, after bringing the Goleta City Council onboard Monday.
The Goleta council voted 5-0 to support the project, but beforehand some councilmembers expressed reservations about the unknown cost of reconfiguring Amtrak schedules to accommodate commuters, as well as making necessary track infrastructure improvements.

“What about the money needed?” Councilman Eric Onnen asked the presenters. “How do we see these numbers shaking out?”
“We don’t have a cost estimate right now. The first step for us is to gain the support of both Ventura County and Santa Barbara County,” answered Santa Barbara Transportation Planner Rob Dayton. “The funding is going to be challenging.”
Councilwoman Jonny Wallis offered her moral support for the project, but clarified that she plans to withhold monetary support until the costs of the project are disclosed.
“I want to make it clear that this is not a commitment of Goleta funds because of the unknown cost and the unknown (eventual outcome of) Measure D.”
Efforts to increase the local sales tax, and thus increase Measure D funds, which are used for transportation projects, failed in Nov. 2006. Supporters of the Measure D sales tax increase are still hoping to have it approved on a future ballot.
“What I like about this project is that it’s incremental in its stepping, resulting in lower costs,” Wallis said.
Santa Barbara City Council Rail Committee, made up of Councilmembers Roger Horton, Grant House and Helene Schneider, pitched the project before Goleta government Monday, during the 6 p.m. meeting at Goleta City Hall.
Titled On-TRAC, for Transit/Rail Action for Commuters, the plan initially calls for small adjustments to current Amtrak schedules, to provide more reliable service for people who need to get to and from work at specific times. Additionally, Santa Barbara will work with MTD and other bus services to provide another option for commuters. There is currently no timetable for implementation of On-TRAC.
“It’s not an ‘either or,’ it’s an ‘and’ between rail and bus service,” said Schneider.
The congestion during peak commuting times on Highway 101 – the main thoroughfare between Ventura and Santa Barbara – prompted the Rail Committee to look at other commuting options.
“We’re talking about, in many ways, the economic future of people in Santa Barbara and Goleta,” Horton said.
He said the project will allow the South Coast cities to retain their economic vitality.
Ventura government officials are also onboard with the project, House added.
He stressed that the project will have to be a cooperative effort between Santa Barbara and other local governments.
“That’s really the key to this,” House said. “We have to take little incremental steps and see how it goes.”
While withholding current monetary support, the Goleta Council applauded the project proposal Monday evening, appointing Councilmembers Wallis and Michael Bennett to be the Goleta liaisons for the project.
“I see this as an opportunity to put forth a pilot program at the least possible cost,” Councilman Michael Bennett said.
“It is a wonderful to see a plan that looks at implementing in the short run,” said Onnen. “It’s something that we really need to grab on to and see if we can ‘get it on the ground,’ as we say here in Goleta.”
Like House, Goleta Councilman Roger Aceves saw Monday night as an opportunity to bridge the some of the gaps between Goleta and Santa Barbara.
“This is another example of where we need to work together regionally,” Aceves said. “I want to acknowledge that Santa Barbara has taken a leadership role in this and we need to support it wholeheartedly.”