LEADERS: GET MOVING ON FUNDS TRANSPORTATION PROJECTS NEED FUEL.

Byline: Lisa Mascaro Staff Writer

Transportation leaders from across Los Angeles County called Tuesday on elected officials and the public to unite in efforts to get the region's fair share of transportation money and accelerate plans to relieve gridlock.

The group's top 10 traffic busters - a $9 billion wish list of car-pool lanes, rail lines and other improvements - would go a long way to enhancing the mobility of weary Los Angeles County commuters, they said.

``It's not an exhaustive list of all the projects, but if we could get these 10 done, it would make a big difference,'' said Metropolitan Transportation Authority CEO Roger Snoble.

The MTA and Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce co-hosted the third annual Mobility 21 conference, held this year in Burbank, bringing together officials from government, transportation, business and advocacy communities to strategize on traffic improvements.

Getting the region's ``fair share'' of transportation dollars has been key to the group's lobbying efforts in Washington, D.C., and Sacramento.

Los Angeles County residents and businesses send $1.4 billion annually to Washington, D.C., in federal gas taxes but only see $1.2 billion returned back to the region.

``One of the keys is having the funding necessary to do the projects,'' Mayor James Hahn said. ``We think those funds ought to stay here at home.''

Further, Sacramento has routinely raided transportation funds to shore up the state budget shortfall, and Assemblyman Keith Richman, R-Granada Hills, called on the capitol to close the loophole that allows the sales taxes paid at the pump to be siphoned off to nontransportation expenditures - despite voter approval of Proposition 42, which is supposed to reserve those funds for transportation.

The Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce chairman said residents, too, can hold their elected officials accountable.

``It's also time for the public - the business community and the public - to say we're ready for a change, ready to make investments,'' said chamber chairman George Kieffer.

Mobility 21 was formed three years ago as a way to organize the county's often competing transportation wish lists into common priorities that can be fought for in Washington and Sacramento.

Despite continued infighting across the county, those involved said the region is making strides in amassing its strength to lobby for funds.

The daylong conference drew hundreds of participants who also attended workshops throughout the morning on various transportation-related issues.

Lisa Mascaro, [phone]

lisa.mascaro(at)dailynews.com

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$9 BILLION FUND: Top 10 traffic-busting priorities

SOURCE: Mobility 21

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