Executive Committee Meeting Re-cap
February 1, 2010

Collected  In TUMF revenues thus far for FY 2009/2010, $9.3 million.

Collected  Since program inception, $517 million total TUMF revenues.

Approved  For TUMF funding during the next five years, RTA's Transportation Improvement Program.  The $21 million Plan includes funding for transit center improvements in Corona, Hemet, Moreno Valley, Perris, Riverside and Temecula/Murrieta as well as a number of transit service enhancements throughout Western Riverside County.

Conveyed  By RCTC staff, its intent to recommend to its Governing Board that it consider allocating additional TUMF revenues collected by those jurisdictions charging the full TUMF fee towards regional TUMF improvements in or proximate to those zones in which the full fees are collected.

Approved  A temporary 50% decrease in TUMF, by the following 10 jurisdictions:  Banning, Calimesa, Corona, County of Riverside, Menifee, Moreno Valley, Norco, Perris, Riverside, and San Jacinto. The temporary reduction is effective through December 31, 2010.  Six jurisdictions (Canyon Lake, Lake Elsinore, Wildomar, Murrieta, Temecula, and the March JPA) will continue to impose the full TUMF fee.  The City of Hemet has adopted the full fee, and will consider a reduction in the near future.

Anticipated  In April, 2010, the release of the 2009 TUMF Annual Report.  The report provides details on TUMF revenues and expenditures for the year and since Program inception, and highlights projects completed and underway that are fully or partially funded by TUMF revenues.

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Executive Director's Column:
And the most important regional issue is...
Using "Six Degrees" logic, all regional matters are important

WRCOG's Executive Committee members recently participated in a goal-setting workshop geared toward helping the Agency identify issues and activities to undertake during the next few years.  As with most goal-setting workshops, members listed the important issues that they believe need to be addressed.  Toward the end of the all day session, participants were asked to list which of the issues raised they considered to be the most important for Western Riverside County's future prosperity.  As you can imagine, the “usual suspects” – housing, economic development, environment, education, water and transportation – topped the list.  Other issues, including homelessness, health care, air quality, and crime were among a number of others discussed.

Kevin Bacon (photo by contactmusic.com)

While some were “voted” as a higher priority than others, there really wasn't a strong consensus regarding which issue should be deemed the “most important.”  Here's a thought as to why.  There isn't a “most important” regional issue. They are all important, and maybe equally so.  Just ask Kevin Bacon.

You have probably heard of the “The Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon.”  Based on the John Guare play and movie adaptation “Six Degrees of Separation,” the game postulates that we are all connected by six or fewer stages of circumstance or acquaintance.  In substituting the word “Separation” with “Kevin Bacon,” the “Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon” gamers hypothesize that Bacon is the center of the universe when it comes to connecting actors.  By using Bacon as an end point, one can link him in six degrees (steps) or less to almost any other actor. For instance, Kevin Bacon links to Kevin Costner in one swift link, as both appeared in the movie “JFK.”  Julia Louis-Dreyfus of TV's Seinfeld, however, takes all six steps to make the connection to Bacon. She was in “Christmas Vacation” with Randy Quaid, who was in “Major League II” with Tom Berenger, who was in “Shattered” with Greta Scacchi, who was in “Presumed Innocent” with Harrison Ford, who was in “Raiders of the Lost Ark” with Karen Allen, who was in “Animal House” with – guess who – Kevin Bacon.

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