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The Defeat of the Golden Gate Authority

A Special District, a Council of Governments, and the Fate of Regional Planning in the San Francisco Bay Area

University of Southern California

In 1958, John F. McCarthy and Edgar F. Kaiser proposed the Golden Gate Authority to coordinate, plan for, and develop regional transportation in the San Francisco Bay Area. This agency would have incorporated all Bay Area bridges, seaports, and airports and would have provided the foundation for general regional planning and metropolitan area government, with capacity to expand its jurisdiction and functions. As such, the proposal threatened the autonomy of local governments, whose officials rallied against it, evoking the principle of federalism under the rubric of "home rule." In accounting for the defeat of the authority, this article describes local government officials as an independent interest group engaged in the decision-making process. It also considers some of the long-term implications of the defeat, including the reinforcement of a fragmented, federalist governmental structure at the local level.

Key Words: Transportation policy • regional planning • local government • home rule • federalism • councils of governments • special districts • authorities

Journal of Urban History, Vol. 34, No. 2, 287-308 (2008)
DOI: 10.1177/0096144207308661


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