The CEO of a regional group that oversees many major San Diego County projects, particularly those involving transportation, has resigned, effective Dec. 29.
Hasan Ikhrata submitted his notice to the board of directors of the San Diego Association of Governments Friday evening. His tenure with the organization, better known as SANDAG, began in 2018.
He cited more than $1 billion in federal and state investments that have come to the region to help fulfill SANDAG’s “bold vision.” With the funding in hand, and numerous projects completed or in progress, he said that now is “the right time to hand over the leadership reins.”
“I came to SANDAG almost five years ago to reinvigorate this organization and reimagine a brighter future for the San Diego region,” he said in a statement issued by the agency. “Together, with the amazing SANDAG team, we have done just that, tackling long-standing issues such as transit to the airport, the falling Del Mar Bluffs, building a third crossing at the U.S.-Mexico border and the need for free transit, more bikeways and housing.”
San Diego County Supervisor Nora Vargas, chairwoman for both the the county Board of Supervisors and SANDAG, called Ikhrata’s impending departure “a bittersweet moment for our region.”
“I am grateful for Hasan’s vision, leadership, and unwavering commitment to helping us all reimagine the future of the San Diego region,” she said in SANDAG statement. “Throughout his tenure, Hasan has spearheaded transformative changes in transportation and regional planning for the County of San Diego, and I want to wish him the best in his next endeavor.”
Ikhrata’s tenure was not without controversy, particularly over spending questions, whether related to allegedly bloated contracts or focused on dining costs for himself and other SANDAG executives. The issues led to more than one independent audit of agency finances and practices.
“You can go attack me, I’m fair game,” he said during an 2022 board meeting. “But I think you need to help me move this agency forward with the independent performance auditor to be a world-class organization.”
The contract questions prompted a North County mayor to call for an early performance review of Ikhrata. SANDAG denied the request.
“What was on the table then, compared to what we’re going through now, it was a fraction of the issue that we’re dealing with today,” former Carlsbad Mayor Matt Hall told inewsource.com in 2022, comparing Ikhrata’s tenure to that of predecessor Gary Gallegos.
Gallegos resigned in 2017 after it was revealed that the agency deliberately overstated how much revenue would be collected from 2016’s Measure A, which called for the county’s sales tax rate to rise by a half-cent to fund infrastructure projects. The measure failed, despite the inflated forecast.
Before coming to San Diego, Ikhrata served as executive director of SANDAG’s Los Angeles-area counterpart, the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG), after holding a variety of leadership roles at the organization.
He also supported a four-cents-per-mile road usage tax proposal that SANDAG’s board trimmed from the 2021 Regional Transportation Plan.
Ikhrata holds a master’s degree in civil and industrial engineering from UCLA and is a PhD candidate in Urban Planning and Transportation from the University of Southern California.
Vargas will lead the transition with SANDAG’s board as the panel discusses filling the CEO role.
Updated 9:25 p.m. July 28, 2023