Editor,
The continuing unsolved squabble between Santa Clara County, San Mateo County and the city and county of San Francisco over administration of the Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Authority (commonly known as Caltrain) ignores the failure of the other two Board of Directors member counties to repay San Mateo County (that is, Samtrans) for its 1991 purchase of the Caltrain right-of-way from Southern Pacific.
Your Jan. 10 story “Caltrain on track for reforms” accurately identifies the debt as $19,800,000 with only $200,000 to be repaid by San Francisco, apparently nothing by Santa Clara County and $19,600,000 by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC). Having served in the state Senate at the time of purchasing the railroad right-of-way in 1991 as chairman of the Senate Transportation Committee and having, as a San Francisco supervisor, also served as president of MTC for two years in the early 1980s, I don’t understand why the counties of San Francisco and Santa Clara don’t repay Samtrans the entire $19,800,000.
MTC consists of nine Bay Area counties: Sonoma, Napa, Solano, Marin, Contra Costa, Alameda, San Francisco, San Mateo and Santa Clara. Why should taxpayers and residents of those six counties who have no ownership rights in Caltrain extinguish San Francisco and Santa Clara debt? Managing of Caltrain can be changed, if appropriate, but, meanwhile, as a San Francisco taxpayer I am satisfied, even delighted, that efficient SamTrans runs Caltrain.
Judge Quentin L. Kopp (Ret.)
San Francisco
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