RitcheyRch
Currently Boat-Less
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- Sep 20, 2007
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Bastards. I'm still wondering when they are going to lower the sales tax from the San Francisco earthquake fund. Remember they raised the sales tax to help the quake victims many years ago. Well, they never lowered it like they claimed they would. KInd of figured they would never low it but can only hope
http://cbs2.com/local/Transit.Transportation.taxes.2.779426.html
A proposed ballot measure that would increase the county sales tax by a half-cent to fund transportation projects was approved today by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority Board of Directors.
The vote was 9-2 with one abstention and one absent in favor of the 30-
year, $40 billion tax measure, which would fund rail and bus rapid transit
capital projects, highways and bus service, as well as local transit projects and roadwork.
Before the measure can be placed on the November ballot, the county
Board of Supervisors must also approve it by Aug. 8. The measure would require a two-thirds majority of voters to go into effect, and might also require an exemption by the state Legislature, because the county sales tax is already near the statutory limit.
Duarte City Councilman John Fasana and county Supervisor Michael
Antonovich voted against the measure.
County Supervisor Gloria Molina abstained, and county Supervisor Don
Knabe was absent because his daughter was giving birth.
Earlier, Antonovich said he was against the measure because it slighted
the San Gabriel Valley and Gateway Cities in favor of the city of Los Angeles.
A coalition of board members that included Los Angeles Mayor and Metro
Board Chairman Antonio Villaraigosa spearheaded the push to approve the measure.
Villaraigosa has said the county is at a "breaking point" in terms of its transit needs, with gridlock snarling traffic and gas pricesskyrocketing.
"There is nothing more important to this region than the region coming
together, agreeing on a set of priorities and funding important public
transportation, highway and local traffic improvements that are needed in this region," Villaraigosa said.
But reaching a consensus on those priorities has been challenging.
The spending plan for the sales tax funds calls for more than $4 billion
to be devoted to the Westside Subway Corridor, provoking criticism from
Molina, who said at last month's meeting that it was unfair to fund an
expensive subway system for the Westside when East Los Angeles received a cheaper above-ground rail system instead.
Antonovich, meanwhile, has announced plans to craft a "Fair Share"
ballot measure that would require any funding raised by the sales tax to be equally allocated across the county population.
"County taxpayers deserve to see the tax dollars they generate fund
transportation projects in their communities," Antonovich said.
Since the sales tax measure would require the passage of state
legislation exempting it from the current tax cap and outlining specific
projects to be funded, it was not immediately clear how the "Fair Share"
ballot measure could be implemented.
Among Antonovich's concerns is the Gold Line Foothill Extension, a
proposed light-rail line through the San Gabriel Valley that he says lacks the immediate funding needed so that large federal grants can be pursued.
The project, he said, would not receive adequate funding from the sales tax to go all the way to Montclair.
Antonovich's supervisorial district includes the San Gabriel Valley.
Most of Metro's funding -- more than $1 billion annually -- comes from
two half-cent sales taxes previously approved by voters as Propositions A and C.
http://cbs2.com/local/Transit.Transportation.taxes.2.779426.html
A proposed ballot measure that would increase the county sales tax by a half-cent to fund transportation projects was approved today by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority Board of Directors.
The vote was 9-2 with one abstention and one absent in favor of the 30-
year, $40 billion tax measure, which would fund rail and bus rapid transit
capital projects, highways and bus service, as well as local transit projects and roadwork.
Before the measure can be placed on the November ballot, the county
Board of Supervisors must also approve it by Aug. 8. The measure would require a two-thirds majority of voters to go into effect, and might also require an exemption by the state Legislature, because the county sales tax is already near the statutory limit.
Duarte City Councilman John Fasana and county Supervisor Michael
Antonovich voted against the measure.
County Supervisor Gloria Molina abstained, and county Supervisor Don
Knabe was absent because his daughter was giving birth.
Earlier, Antonovich said he was against the measure because it slighted
the San Gabriel Valley and Gateway Cities in favor of the city of Los Angeles.
A coalition of board members that included Los Angeles Mayor and Metro
Board Chairman Antonio Villaraigosa spearheaded the push to approve the measure.
Villaraigosa has said the county is at a "breaking point" in terms of its transit needs, with gridlock snarling traffic and gas pricesskyrocketing.
"There is nothing more important to this region than the region coming
together, agreeing on a set of priorities and funding important public
transportation, highway and local traffic improvements that are needed in this region," Villaraigosa said.
But reaching a consensus on those priorities has been challenging.
The spending plan for the sales tax funds calls for more than $4 billion
to be devoted to the Westside Subway Corridor, provoking criticism from
Molina, who said at last month's meeting that it was unfair to fund an
expensive subway system for the Westside when East Los Angeles received a cheaper above-ground rail system instead.
Antonovich, meanwhile, has announced plans to craft a "Fair Share"
ballot measure that would require any funding raised by the sales tax to be equally allocated across the county population.
"County taxpayers deserve to see the tax dollars they generate fund
transportation projects in their communities," Antonovich said.
Since the sales tax measure would require the passage of state
legislation exempting it from the current tax cap and outlining specific
projects to be funded, it was not immediately clear how the "Fair Share"
ballot measure could be implemented.
Among Antonovich's concerns is the Gold Line Foothill Extension, a
proposed light-rail line through the San Gabriel Valley that he says lacks the immediate funding needed so that large federal grants can be pursued.
The project, he said, would not receive adequate funding from the sales tax to go all the way to Montclair.
Antonovich's supervisorial district includes the San Gabriel Valley.
Most of Metro's funding -- more than $1 billion annually -- comes from
two half-cent sales taxes previously approved by voters as Propositions A and C.
