It’s still possible that Measure G — which would raise the sales tax by a half-cent countywide to help the San Diego Association of Governments pay for its very costly plan for regional road repairs, expanded bus and rail transportation, and more — will pass. It trailed by 30,000-plus votes as of Thursday afternoon, but many votes have yet to be counted.

But the odds are long. And if G does in fact fail, the local government leaders who make up SANDAGs governing board need to start from scratch in rebuilding the credibility of the chaotically managed transportation planning agency.

Theres no way to anticipate the fallout of the Justice Departments pending criminal investigation into the agency in the aftermath of years of reports on its reckless, unethical financial practices, its record of deceiving the public and its incomprehensible decision to regularly charge up to 45,000 local drivers for a South County toll road they did not use. But the common factor in all these scandals is the fact that the officials responsible for them lacked strong oversight from past CEOs Hasan Ikhrata and Gary Gallegos. New CEO Mario Orso must work much more closely with the agencys board — where the city of San Diego holds the most clout based on weighted voting rules — to launch a new era.

Between the climate emergency, emerging new transportation technologies, and uncertain state and federal funding, SANDAG is going to have to be nimble in dealing with the challenges it faces in coming years. But if it doesnt have the credibility to win voter support for the tax hikes it needs for its agenda, the agencys worthy goal of a cleaner, more efficient, more public-friendly transportation grid can never be realized.

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