THE REGION : Cities Defended for Failing to Spend Anti-Smog Funding

Flexing its regional muscle, the San Gabriel Valley Council of Governments is defending local cities that failed to spend millions of dollars in state funds earmarked for clean air projects.

The money, generated by a 1990 state law that tacks a $4 surcharge onto all vehicle registration fees, is designed to help local communities combat smog by investing in low-polluting fuels, telecommuting, shuttles and other strategies.

But the 25 local cities that make up the Council of Governments have allowed $3 million from their share of the levy to go unspent, prompting some transit agencies, regional agencies and state leaders to show interest in taking over the funds.

“There is a concern statewide the money is not being used expeditiously,” said Deborah Barmack, director of management services for the San Bernardino Associated Governments, which represents 24 cities in that county. “We . . . have proposals to encourage expenditures into alternative fuels and transit that would leverage city expenditures.”

Among all cities and counties regulated by the South Coast Air Quality Management District, which administers the surcharge program, an estimated $17 million in unspent money has accumulated, district spokesman Sam Atwood said.

Pasadena, for instance, has not used roughly $450,000 of its funding, West Covina about $100,000 and Alhambra $147,700.

The state Assembly’s Natural Resources Committee will investigate how cities are spending the DMV surcharge this year.

San Gabriel Valley officials, for their part, deny any foot-dragging, saying it takes time to build up enough cash and planning know-how to craft effective programs. Clouding matters, they say, are shifting AQMD rules on what municipalities must do to comply with anti-smog rules and changes in environmental technology.

“It’s hard keeping up,” said Christine Montan, Alhambra’s transportation and air quality manager. “You don’t want to spend money on things the city doesn’t get credit for.

“For example, if a city is thinking of an alternative fuel program, you need to decide which is the best way to go: methanol, propane, compressed natural gas or electric.”

More broadly, the debate could provide a litmus test to see if local cities can speak with a unified voice--a trait that has eluded the area for decades.

The council was formed last March to organize and lobby on issues such as regional transportation, land use and the environment.