CHULA VISTA, Calif. — SANDAG is hosting a series of workshops, looking for public input on the future of transportation and needed improvements throughout the region. Tuesday night SANDAG took the conversation to the South Bay. 

Every four years SANDAG updates the long-range plan for how transportation will look and develop over time. 

“One of the major concerns is the price of a bus pass. You see some of these families walking because they can’t afford the bus pass. They can’t afford to get on the trolley,” said Jovita Arellano with the Chula Vista Community Collaborative. 

SANDAG went over some key projects being planned including a new rail connecting the South Bay up to Sorrento Valley, improvements to the trolley’s blue line and a new “Otay Mesa East” border crossing. 

“Right now I think there is a crisis going on over the border. There’s been reported wait times from three to give hours on the ready lane and obviously there’s different ways of crossing, but there’s a lot of room for improvement,” said Hector Ojeda, who commutes across the border daily for work.

Though SANDAG says it is no longer pursuing the “mileage tax” and have taken it out of the 2025 regional plan, some are still concerned. 

“We are here to say no. No more taxes and no mass transit,” Delia Dominguez Cervantes said. 

Even though this is the 2025 regional plan, an initial concept will be adopted early 2024. 

“This is a really important time, because we’re really putting together that transportation network to bring back to our board this fall, and that’ll be another opportunity for the community to provide input,” said Antoinette Meier, Senior Director Regional Planning.