Supes hopefuls discuss transportation

(Editor's note: This is the second of a series of stories about issues in the race for Sonoma County supervisor, 2nd District. Some of the comments by candidates are ex-cerpted from their responses to an Argus-Courier questionnaire. To read their full re-sponses to the questionnaire, visit www.petaluma360.com.)

Southern Sonoma County faces mounting challenges to its transportation infrastructure in the coming years, and candidates for county supervisor say they are up to the job. The four candidates share their views on the Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit commuter train, the Highway 101 widening, the proposed Rohnert Park casino and the proposed Dutra asphalt plant.

The 2nd District includes Petaluma, Cotati, parts of Rohnert Park and rural Sonoma County land. Candidates will face each other in the primary election on June 8. If no candidate receives more than 50 percent of the vote, the top two vote-getters will face each other in a runoff in November.

What will you do as a supervisor to facilitate the expansion of Highway 101 through Petaluma to Novato, and the construction of planned interchanges and other transportation improvements? What is your position on getting the SMART rail system up and running?

Healy: I have long advocated widening the Novato Narrows. The good news is that the Narrows EIR has finally been completed, and parts of the Narrows are funded through design.

The Rainier cross-town connector and interchange — which I have long supported — needs a strong supporter in the south county supervisor seat because Caltrans needs to be constantly reminded of the importance of Rainier to this community.

I have also served on the SMART board. I realize that SMART has its challenges, but I'm committed to keeping service start-up as scheduled in 2014.

King: As the public knows, work on the 101 freeway continues — it's unacceptable the freeway hasn't kept pace with growth here in Sonoma County despite our expanding population over the past 50 years. Petaluma will need additional cross-town connectors to handle increased traffic loading.

This leads to the topic of the SMART Train. As a commuter train, it needs to be reformulated into a BART-style system that can cross the Golden Gate Bridge. Anything less than this will continue to be a financial loser and waste of taxpayer's money.

Rabbitt: It is imperative to widen Highway 101 to a minimum of three lanes from Novato through the north county. I have always advocated for this — as much to improve safety as to accommodate traffic flow.

I support and have supported the Rainier interchange project locally and it is imperative to elect a representative who will follow through on their words and not say one thing in public while fighting the project behind the scenes.

I support SMART. I recognize its shortcomings, but believe it is an important piece of infrastructure, which will only be more expensive to build and implement in the future.

Torliatt: As mayor, I worked with others to diligently pursue and secure funding for the widening of the Marin-Sonoma Narrows, the East Washington interchange, and a new northbound onramp located behind Plaza South shopping center to relieve the most congested intersection in Petaluma. I will continue to push for state and federal funding for critical transportation projects, to create good jobs and help keep our county moving.

I endorsed the SMART train project and pushed for the project as a commissioner of the Metropolitan Transport-ation Commission. It is essential that we provide multimodal transportation solutions if we are to relieve traffic congestion and preserve our quality of life in Marin and Sonoma counties.

What would you do as supervisor regarding the casino proposal in Rohnert Park as well as any future casino proposals?

Healy: The proposed 2,000-slot machine Rohnert Park casino would be a disaster for the entire region. I'm one of the individual plaintiffs in the federal lawsuit that has prevented the federal government from taking the Rohnert Park site into trust for casino gaming over the last two years. Meanwhile, I am continuing to advocate for a county-wide advisory vote against any further expansion of casino gaming in Sonoma County.

King: Any casino project should be held to the standards of Senate Bill 610 — if water supplies are in overdraft, you can't build. Our water supplies are in overdraft and I won't allow any casino with federally protected water rights to set up shop in a county that is already running out of water. No exceptions.

Rabbitt: Ultimately, the casino in Rohnert Park lies within the city's jurisdiction, and in honoring those boundaries, the city of Rohnert Park should take the lead on that casino application. Rather than risk the implementation of no mitigation measures by immediately launching into a lawsuit, I would sit down and work with the tribe to ensure all effective mitigations are in place to ensure the development does not adversely effect our quality of life.

Torliatt: As mayor of Petaluma, I've pushed back against plans for a casino south of the city and worked to have the issue put on the ballot for voters to weigh in. I appreciate the efforts made by the Federated Indians of the Graton Rancheria by moving the project closer to a city center and their commitment to providing good-paying jobs. However, this proposal is a bad land-use decision. It places a massive development in an area that does not have the appropriate infrastructure to support it.

How do you feel about the Dutra Group's proposed as-phalt plant south of Petaluma? Do you believe the south county should have a local source of asphalt for road repair and reconstruction?

Healy: I oppose the proposed asphalt plant. I do agree that a south county asphalt plant would be helpful, if a suitable site can be identified. That hasn't happened yet. But it isn't accurate to imply that the condition of local streets has anything to do with this issue. That is entirely a funding issue.

King: One of the biggest stumbling blocks is the unlawful conduct claims against the Dutra facility in Marin County. We know the southern end of Sonoma County can survive without a new plant, but its intended location does have value in terms of providing material without additional transport costs and traffic loading on regional roads as product is hauled from Santa Rosa southward. As 2nd District supervisor, I need to satisfy the remaining questions I have in terms of what additional measures can be taken to diminish air pollution and related risks.

Rabbitt: Better community outreach up front when the proposal was first initiated might have helped alleviate some concerns or at least the community would have been given a venue to share their thoughts.

I do believe the south county needs a local source of asphalt, more so with the anticipated freeway and road improvements. I believe the number of jobs created and augmented is significant as well as the money saved through proximity. Aesthetically, I have concerns, especially as one enters Petaluma from the south. For me, it remains to be seen whether these concerns can be remedied and overcome.

Torliatt: The city, working with the Coastal Conservancy, Sonoma County Open Space District, National Parks Serv-ices, private companies and non-profit organizations, has invested millions of dollars to build eco-tourism and attract environmentally friendly businesses to Petaluma. The proposed Dutra asphalt batch and recycling plant puts this huge investment at risk that more than 150,000 people visit and enjoy annually.

The visual impacts of the asphalt plant's two 70-foot asphalt emission stacks and storage silos cannot be overcome through mitigation.

(Contact Philip Riley at philip.riley@arguscourier.com)