Opinion: Bay Area’s Prop 5 profiteers serve at the “pleasure, whim, and political wishes of MTC"

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Looks like the ABC’s of our regional agencies all end up spelling MTC. If Prop 5 passes, Bay Areans can expect to see massive tax hikes to pay for BAHFA’s next multi-billion-dollar housing bond. But who runs BAHFA—and ABAG, for that matter? Marin Post’s Bob Silvestri argues that the MTC is truly calling the shots. Voters may have questions about this transportation agency, which stands to profit from billions in easy bond money.

Who controls BAHFA?

BAHFA operates under the authority of The Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC), an unelected state agency that has a myriad of sub-committees and advisory panels. Theoretically, MTC receives input from BAHFA commissioners and members of the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG), many of whom are locally elected officials.

However, since almost all of ABAG’s funding is now controlled by MTC, ABAG has essentially become a hollowed-out, wholly-owned subsidiary of MTC with zero say in anything of consequence. And, members of the BAHFA Administration Board are politically appointed, not elected to their positions.

One way or another, everyone essentially serves at the pleasure, whim, and political wishes of MTC.

Read the whole thing here.

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Related:

• Opinion: MTC's housing bond a big black hole of missing information

• Perspective: Regional bond would be a big flop for housing affordability crisis

• HJTA’s Susan Shelley: Prop 5’s ballot label under-informs voters because governments just want more tax money (part 2)

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