San Diego Association of Governments

Last updated
San Diego Association of Governments
(SANDAG)
SANDAG logo.png
Agency overview
Formed1980
Preceding
  • Comprehensive Planning Organization of San Diego
JurisdictionSan Diego County
Headquarters401 B Street, Suite 800, San Diego, CA 92101
Annual budget$1.36 billion
Agency executive
  • Mario Orso, Executive Director
Child agencies
Website sandag.org

The San Diego Association of Governments (abbreviated SANDAG) is an association of local San Diego County governments. It is the metropolitan planning organization for the county, with policy makers consisting of mayors, councilmembers, and county supervisors, and also has capital planning and fare setting powers for the county's transit systems, the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System and North County Transit District, some of which was assumed by the Metropolitan Transit Development Board (became MTS in 1986).

Contents

SANDAG, along with the Southern California Association of Governments, are the only metropolitan planning agencies in Southern California.

Governance

The board was previously governed with the representation of one board member from every city in San Diego County, with each member holding two votes in two systems. The approval of a project required the majority tally vote representing all cities and board members and the majority of represented members weighted by population.

After the passage of SANDAG's reform bill in 2017, any four representatives representing a majority of the county's population can overrule the tally vote. [1]

From 2018 to 2023, the director of SANDAG was Hasan Ikhrata, who made transit expansion and roadway pricing a priority. [2] In 2024, he was replaced by Mario Orso. [3]

Programs

Fare payment systems

The Compass Card was launched by SANDAG in May of 2009 to integrate the fare payment systems of San Diego MTS and North County Transit District into one system, meant to reduce the number of fare transactions at customer service centers. The Compass Card was replaced by PRONTO in September 2021.

Members

Primary Members

As of July 2024, all 18 incorporated cities of San Diego County as well as the county government itself are members of SANDAG. Those include: [4]

Advisory Members

Additionally, 11 other agencies/governments that border San Diego County or are relevant to the region also participate in the Association as advisory members. Those include: [4]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coaster (rail service)</span> Commuter rail service in San Diego County, California

Coaster is a commuter rail service in the central and northern coastal regions of San Diego County, California, United States, operated by the North County Transit District (NCTD).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">San Diego Trolley</span> Light rail system serving San Diego, California

The San Diego Trolley is a light rail system operating in the metropolitan area of San Diego. The Trolley's operator, San Diego Trolley, Inc., is a subsidiary of the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System (MTS). The trolley operates as a critical component of the MTS, with connections to and integrated travel tickets with the local bus systems.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Compass Card (San Diego)</span> Public transit smart card

The Compass Card was the first-generation smart card used for automated fare collection on public transport services within San Diego County, California. Administered by the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG), it was valid on a number of different travel systems in San Diego County including MTS buses, the San Diego Trolley, North County Buses, the Coaster and the Sprinter. The system was operated by Cubic Transportation Systems. Phased out over the third quarter of 2021, it was discontinued on August 31, and its successor, Pronto, launched the following day.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sprinter (rail service)</span> Hybrid rail service in San Diego County, California

Sprinter is a hybrid rail service operating in the North County area of San Diego County between the cities of Escondido and Oceanside, California, United States. The service uses the 22-mile (35 km) Escondido Subdivision of the San Diego Northern Railroad. Station platforms were constructed for the line's fifteen stations serving the cities of Oceanside, Vista, San Marcos, and Escondido. The line provides service to California State University, San Marcos and Palomar College. Sprinter service operates every 30 minutes and is targeted towards students and commuters.

The North County Transit District (NCTD) is the agency responsible for public transportation in Northern San Diego County, California. The agency manages the COASTER commuter rail service between Oceanside and San Diego, the SPRINTER hybrid rail service between Escondido and Oceanside, the BREEZE transit bus service, LIFT paratransit service, and FLEX on-demand and point-deviation service.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Transportation in San Diego County</span>

The following is a list of transportation options in San Diego County, California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">San Diego Metropolitan Transit System</span> Public transportation agency in Southern San Diego County, California

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">SuperLoop</span> Former bus route in California, United States

The SuperLoop was a bus rapid transit system in San Diego, California, United States, in the University City area. It connected the University of California San Diego to Westfield UTC.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blue Line (San Diego Trolley)</span> Light rail line in San Diego County, California

The Blue Line is a 26.3-mile (42.3 km) light rail line in the San Diego Trolley system, operated by San Diego Trolley, Inc., an operating division of the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System (MTS). With an end-to-end travel time of one hour and twenty-three minutes, it operates between the UTC Transit Center and the San Ysidro Transit Center, the latter of which is at the border with Mexico directly adjacent to the San Ysidro Port of Entry, facilitating easy connections across the border. The line serves La Jolla, downtown San Diego, National City, Chula Vista, and San Ysidro.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Orange Line (San Diego Trolley)</span> Light rail line in San Diego County, California

The Orange Line is an 18.0-mile (29.0 km) light rail line in the San Diego Trolley system, operated by San Diego Trolley, Inc. an operating division of the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System. The route connects downtown San Diego with the cities of Lemon Grove, La Mesa, and El Cajon. The Orange Line has the lowest ridership of the San Diego Trolley's three regular lines, transporting 10,896,289 riders during FY 2014 according to the MTS.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">San Ysidro Transit Center</span> San Diego Trolley station

San Ysidro Transit Center is a San Diego Trolley station in the San Ysidro neighborhood of San Diego, California. The station is the southern terminus of the Blue Line and is located on a short rail spur off the San Diego and Arizona Eastern Railway main line which hosts the Blue Line to downtown San Diego.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">America Plaza station</span> Trolley station in San Diego

America Plaza station is a station on the Blue and Silver lines of the San Diego Trolley. It is located in the downtown Core of San Diego, California, and is directly connected to One America Plaza, the city's tallest building. The station, and its accompanying 34-story high-rise building, opened on November 14, 1991, replacing Columbia Street station one block to the east. Having opened along a line segment already in service then, America Plaza station is the second infill station in the San Diego Trolley system, after E Street station.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">San Diego MTS bus system</span> Bus transit system in Southern San Diego County

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Breeze Rapid was a brand of bus service with some bus rapid transit characteristics operated by North County Transit District (NCTD) in North County, San Diego. Its first and only route (350) was introduced in 2011. The brand has been quietly retired, but the route is still in operation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Government of San Diego County, California</span>

The Government of San Diego County is defined and authorized under the California Constitution, California law, and the Charter of the County of San Diego. Much of the Government of California is in practice the responsibility of county governments such as the Government of San Diego County. The County government provides countywide services such as elections and voter registration, law enforcement, jails, vital records, property records, tax collection, public health, and social services. In addition the County serves as the local government for all unincorporated areas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rapid (San Diego)</span> Bus Rapid Transit System

Rapid is the brand name given to the bus rapid transit system in San Diego County, California. The system serves nearly half the county, operating mainly on the HOV lanes on Interstates 15 and 805, with most of the stops also served by other routes. In addition, there are stations, dubbed as CenterLine in the medians of Interstate 15, Park Boulevard in San Diego and on East Palomar Street in Chula Vista, that are designed in a similar manner to the light rail stations. The system operates with a dedicated fleet, although buses from the Mainline fleet are regularly substituted. The system is administered, built and managed by San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) and is operated as part of the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System (MTS).

The Purple Line is a commuter rail line proposed by the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) as part of the San Diego Trolley system. It would run from San Ysidro Transit Center at the United States–Mexico border to Kearny Mesa with a possible extension to Carmel Valley. Most of it would run along a similar route to I-805. The Purple Line could include up to 12 stations, a new maintenance facility, and a storage yard. Projected ridership on the Purple Line was previously expected to be over 40,000 daily trips when previously studied as a light rail line with a peak hour frequency of 7–10 minutes. With its mode being changed to higher-speed and higher-capacity commuter rail, a new study will eventually be conducted to determine how many more daily trips will be generated. The line is proposed to be opened in 2035 if funding is available at a proposed total project cost of $15.56B.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Balboa Avenue Transit Center</span> San Diego Trolley station

Balboa Avenue Transit Center is a San Diego Trolley station in San Diego, California. The station is located along Balboa Avenue between Interstate 5 and Morena Boulevard. Service began on November 21, 2021 after the completion of the Blue Line Mid-Coast Trolley extension project.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pronto (smart card)</span> Public transit smart card used in San Diego, California

Pronto is the contactless payment system for automated fare collection on public transit services in San Diego County, California. The system is managed by the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System, operated by INIT Systems, and is valid on all services operated by the Metropolitan Transit System, and on the North County Transit District.

References

  1. Keatts, Andrew (2017-10-11). "Governor Signs Bill to Dramatically Shift Power at SANDAG". Voice of San Diego. Archived from the original on 2020-11-12. Retrieved 2020-12-16.
  2. Weisburg, Lori. "SANDAG'S embattled Hasan Ikhrata to leave agency by end of year". San Diego Union Tribune. Retrieved 18 July 2024.
  3. "SANDAG Board Appoints Mario Orso as Chief Executive Officer". SANDAG. 27 April 2024. Retrieved 18 July 2024.
  4. 1 2 "SANDAG - SANDAG Board of Directors". www.sandag.org. Retrieved 2024-07-13.