Clean-car perk proves to be boon for wealthy
California’s clean-car program, which allows solo drivers in zero-emission cars like Teslas and Nissan Leafs to fly down the diamond lanes, was meant to encourage everyone to go green — but from the looks of things, it’s proving to be a perk for the wellto-do.
The state offers two types of decals — white and green — for cars that meet certain emission standards. Either one gives soloists a pass into the carpool lane.
There are now 56,175 white decals for electric, hydrogen fuel cell or natural gas-powered cars, according to the state auditor’s office. Many of those have been issued in the past
year — 26,400, to be exact, up from 4,500 in 2010.
There are an additional 55,000 green decals on plug-in hybrid versions of such vehicles as the Ford Fusion and Toyota Prius.
About a third of the green and white stickers have been distributed to drivers in the Bay Area — with Santa Clara County at the top.
One goal of the state program was to appeal to a diverse population. But, according to the state auditor, a recent consumer survey for a related incentive program found that 2 out of 3 holders of white and green decals are older than 55, and 3 out of 4 are men.
Regardless of age or sex, 75 percent of the decal holders earn at least $100,000 a year, the auditor’s report said.
“That’s understandable, since these types of cars generally do cost more,” said auditor spokeswoman Margarita Fernández.
The electric-car crowd is even getting a break on the cost of the decals — the $8-a-year fee covers only about half the $711,000 it takes to run the program annually.
It’s a program the local Metropolitan Transportation Commission would just as soon see capped or eliminated.
“As a policy, we have long opposed the decals. We believe that the goal of carpool lanes is to move more people,” said Randy Rentschler, a spokesman for the commission.
Plus, he said, the sight of a lone driver sailing by while you’re stuck in traffic sends the wrong message.
“Some people get the impression that if you have money, you can buy your way out of traffic,” Rentschler said. Takeoff: Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom’s decision to announce early that he was going for the governor’s job was simple common sense — as in campaign dollars and cents.
“There will be a dozen or more people in this race when it finally rolls around in four years,” Newsom said Friday. “And if history is any indication, there is a high likelihood that at least one of them will be a billionaire who only has to open their checkbook to mount a credible campaign.
“They can wait and jump in just a few months before the deadline.”
Newsom and other less-well-off candidates will be on their own when it comes to raising the estimated $20 million to $30 million they’ll need just for the primary campaign — and they’ll have to do it while operating under a $28,200-per-head limit.
“I’m sure there will be folks announcing their own committees in the next year or two, but this works for me,” Newsom said. “It gives me a longer runway.”
Black hole: After union pressure knocked Republican former Assemblyman Guy Houston out of the running to head up the authority that oversees the Oakland Coliseum complex, the agency’s directors are expected to hand the job this week to former Rose Bowl executive Scott McKibben.
McKibben scored ahead of Houston for the job in the first place, but he wanted too much money, according to board insiders.
However, when it looked like Houston was going to get the post, McKibben let it be known he was willing to drop his price.
And with that, the Coliseum Authority board voted behind closed doors to hire McKibben at an annual salary of $250,000, just $5,000 more than what they had agreed to pay Houston.
McKibben reacted by raising the ante — letting it be known that he needed another $25,000.
Board members balked, but have since worked out a wink-anda-nod deal to allow McKibben to put in for the extra pay in three or four months — once the media spotlight has been directed elsewhere. San Francisco Chronicle columnists Phillip Matier and Andrew Ross appear Sundays, Mondays and Wednesdays. Matier can be seen on the KPIX TV morning and evening news. He can also be heard on KCBS radio Monday through Friday at 7:50 a.m. and 5:50 p.m. Got a tip? Call (415) 777-8815, or e-mail matierandross@ sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @matierandross