What Shortcomings Did the LAO Find in the Regions Governance System?
The governing boards of most San Diego regional agencies are comprised of appointed representatives, serving at the pleasure of the appointing body. As a result, the public has limited ability to hold these representatives accountable. In addition, individual regional agencies typically (1) have responsibility for a single policy area (such as air quality, water supply, or transportation finance) and (2) have limited regulatory or fiscal authority to make progress regarding their policy area. Most notably, the governance system is not well designed for ensuring that the regions remaining developable land is used in a manner consistent with the regions stated long-term interests. Regional agencies, such as SANDAG, make land use policy recommendations, but local agencies are not bound by these recommendations. Cities and the county face significant economic incentives to orient their land use policies to promote a narrow range of land uses, primarily retail.
