Tracy Press

The One Voice county lobbying group has the right idea.

San Joaquin County has received less than its share of federal expenditures, Rep. Jerry McNerney said, after spending this week with the 65-member One Voice delegation from this county.

And as we found out this week, we’ve also scored very little from the California Transportation Commission’s $3 billion transportation program, most of which will go to projects in other parts of the state, especially Southern California.

As part of the often-overlooked Central Valley, we have to try harder to bring an awareness of our needs to the decision-makers, which is exactly what One Voice has done since 2000.

Among the group that traveled to Washington, D.C., were two representatives from Tracy — Mayor Brent Ives and the city’s Andrew Malik. Organized by the San Joaquin Council of Governments, they were armed with a list of 23 regional projects and $78 million in federal funding requests.

The delegation met with McNerney, Rep. Dennis Cardoza, U.S. Sens. Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi. They pushed for cash to help replace the Highway 120-Airport Way interchange in Manteca, widen Highway 12 near Lodi, beautify Stockton’s Airport Way, dredge the Stockton Deep Water Channel and expand rail service over the Altamont Pass, among other things.

They also had two Tracy construction projects — the new interchanges at Lammers Road and Interstate 205 and MacArthur Drive/I-205 — both of which appeared on McNerney’s list of earmark requests released earlier this week.

The trip used $150,000 of taxpayer money and some $12,000 in local business sponsorships. And while there are no guarantees that Congress will approve money for the county’s projects, we say the exposure is worth the effort.

We’re happy to see the grassroots lobbying and the focus on transportation, water and energy projects in our region.

In Tracy, we’d like to see that kind of focus all year long.

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written by Malcolm Rex , April 12, 2008

Maybe it's just a free trip to DC for Malik and Ives...

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written by Panther , April 12, 2008

Hah?? That just doesn't make sense. And why would anyone want a free trip to DC?

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written by Panther , April 12, 2008

You may want to read the article next time...

The delegation met with McNerney, Rep. Dennis Cardoza, U.S. Sens. Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi.

They also had two Tracy construction projects — the new interchanges at Lammers Road and Interstate 205 and MacArthur Drive/I-205 — both of which appeared on McNerney’s list of earmark requests released earlier this week.

we say the exposure is worth the effort.

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written by Pando , April 13, 2008

Thank you, Mayor Ives, for visiting The Hill to fight for us. I wish you fought for more things in town that I believed in.

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written by Barry Bond , April 13, 2008

I don't believe in Hill's fairy's. That Barak; could he help Tracy get the monies we deserve. I'm sitting here in my TRAQCHouse wondering if I should vote for Ross Perot and little red riding HOOD!

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written by Ubbo Coty , April 13, 2008

In other words it was a good vacation (boondoogle) at taxpayers expense. $150.00 of taxpayers money was spent on that? Plus another $12,000. in donations? Did they come home with any good news at all? In todays day of email and electronics, I am sure that accomplishing nothing could have been accomplished alot cheaper. Well they may have fooled some but not all. I am sure we'll revisit this topic at election time.

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written by amy , April 13, 2008

I do think the leevees will get the top priority in the majority of the funding allotment, we may not get what Ives and Malik requested, they went knowing that the government is clamping down on earmarks and such.

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written by Dennis Delphinos , April 13, 2008

Californians think that the federal government is here in Sacramento? Why is that? Because of the sunshine? Wake up call to illegal immigrants and otherwise, California citizens. You isn't the third largest economy in the world any more. Sorry to burst your bubble. If you want to dabble in fed and state treasure chests you have to go see the Wizard of Oz. Savvy?