The Return of Toll Road Foister Jerry Amante

Here were told you about our question to Tustin City Councilman Jerry Amante, the chairman of the Orange County Transportation Authority, the Transportation Corridor System Board of Directors and the Foothill/Eastern Transportation Corridor Agency (TCA) who was all over the news last week after Commerce Secretary Carlos M. Gutierrez upheld the California Coastal Commission's rejection of the TCA's preferred route for the Foothill/South toll road extension through San Onofre State Park.

(Amante is shown here with fellow toll road warrior and Assemblywoman Mimi Walters, R-You Couldn't Afford to Live There Anyway, seemingly licking their chops over that very route, back when it seemed like a reality to them.)

Amante had said last week, "The Commerce Secretary's myopic decision condemns millions to choke on greenhouse gases while sitting in gridlocked traffic." Clockwork wondered how that would be, since, with the toll road, the same number (if not more ... probably more) gassy cars would be out there, only on two roads instead of one.

To be fair, Amante did get right back, between traveling from one press interview to another, to explain himself: "In short, there is a huge impact on not having sufficient transportation modalities to what happens with the greenhouse gases everyone seems to be so consternated over these days. I have my own views on whether they should be consternated at all, but the science is pretty clear that keeping people moving makes a difference."

So now you know.

Wait! I have my own views on whether they should be consternated at all ... WTF? So, people should not be consternated, but he'll argue that point if it means getting his previous toll road? That, dear friends, explains how Jerry Amante got elected to the Tustin City Council and the OCTA, TCS and TCA chairmanships!