Three appointments are filled for San Benito County agencies on the revived Mobility Partnership alliance with the Santa Clara County Valley Transportation Authority collaborating on plans for the future of regional highway expansion.
Chairwoman Margie Barrios at last week’s San Benito County Board meeting appointed herself to the Mobility Partnership. She will join Council of San Benito County Governments appointees, County Supervisor Jerry Muenzer and Hollister Mayor Ignacio Velazquez, on the advisory panel, confirmed Mary Gilbert, executive director of COG.
Gilbert said Gilroy Councilman Perry Woodward and Gilroy Mayor Don Gage are confirmed appointments for Santa Clara County, and she was confirming whether Supervisor Mike Wasserman was the third. A VTA spokeswoman could not be reached immediately for the same confirmation.
The appointments from San Benito County represent a smoothing over of sorts after some political tension regarding local appointments to the partnership advisory board. To reach compromise, the San Benito County side essentially has an extra seat on the board, filled by Velazquez.
San Benito County’s transit agency, the Council of San Benito County Governments, previously signed on to revive the defunct Mobility Partnership, which had involved a coalition of the region’s counties examining expansion of Highway 152 and Highway 25 at the Santa Clara County border.
The partnership is perhaps most known for examining a possible toll road option for Highway 152 and that prospect remains on the table, according to the COG agenda from Sept. 17.
At a September COG meeting, Chairman Muenzer appointed himself to the Mobility Partnership to represent the transit agency. That upset Councilman Victor Gomez because he pointed out that there would be two county supervisors on the Mobility Partnership and no representatives from Hollister.
Gomez and Velazquez were in the minority on that vote. Joining Muenzer in approving his original appointment were Supervisor Anthony Botelho and San Juan Bautista Councilman Tony Boch.
The Mobility Partnership, which broke up three years ago, is perhaps most known for its examination of the potential for a toll road on Highway 152.
The partnership previously included the Santa Clara County Valley Transportation Authority, the Merced County Association of Governments, Madera County Transportation Authority and the Council of San Benito County Governments. The goal of the group was to help pay for improvements on Highway 152 from Highway 156 near Casa de Fruta to Highway 101 in Gilroy.
Gilbert hopes the involved parties can schedule a kickoff meeting at some point at the end of November or early December.
