Mayor responds to today's sales tax vote
Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa just released this letter he's sending to the County Board of Supervisors, who earlier today refused to put the half-cent sales tax for transit and road projects on the November ballot:
Honorable Supervisors:
I am writing to urge you to reconsider your vote today regarding the countywide
half cent transportation sales tax approved for the November 4, 2008 ballot by
the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) Board of
Directors last month. Specifically, I am urging that you place the MTA measure
on a consolidated ballot on November 4, 2008.
There is simply no legitimate basis for failing to consolidate the November ballot.
No matter how you cut it, the taxpayers and voters will be the ultimate losers if
the Board refuses to place the MTA measure on the general election ballot.
Either the taxpayers will be stuck with costly legal bills resulting from the MTA's
litigation against the County on this matter, or the taxpayers will be on the hook
for an additional $3 million required to run a confusing dual-ballot election in
November - which would create a logistical nightmare certain to disenfranchise
untold thousands of County voters.
I think we all agree that our long-term transportation needs require significant
public investment in mass transit alternatives. The MTA sales tax measure is a
down payment toward the many transit and highway improvements this County
needs to support our economy, our environment, the needs of the transit
dependent and an overall high quality of life for the people we represent.
The people of Los Angeles County should have the right to decide for
themselves whether they want to invest in their future. And the most transparent
and cost-effective way to do that is through a consolidated November 4, 2008
ballot.
I am optimistic that you will reconsider your vote and consolidate the MTA
measure with November's general election ballot.
Sincerely,
ANTONIO R. VILLARAIGOSA
Mayor
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/bott...yor-respo.html
― Vichitravirya_XI, Wednesday, 6 August 2008 10:55 (fifteen years ago) link
Okay let's look at the childish reasons here.
"Little choo-choo," did she really say that?
Board of Supervisors votes against putting transit sales tax on ballot
Updated: 3:50 p.m.
Illustrating how politically difficult it is to tackle traffic in Los Angeles County, transportation officials were caught by surprise today when the Board of Supervisors failed to back a proposed sales tax increase that may raise up to $40 billion for road and transportation projects.
The supervisors’ failure to muster a simple majority to place the proposal on the Nov. 4 ballot does not kill the measure, but makes it more complicated and more costly. If the Legislature gives its blessing — a bill to authorize the measure goes before a key committee Thursday — county election officials would create a separate “conditional” ballot that general election voters would also consider.
But even the progress of that bill has been slowed by squabbling among state lawmakers who want more of the tax money to pay for work in their districts, since construction could trigger millions of dollars in jobs and development.
East Los Angeles officials want more for extending light rail lines east of downtown; west Los Angeles officials want to keep the focus on relieving congestion on the Westside and starting the so-called subway to the sea.
With gas prices soaring and mass transit ridership up, the sales tax effort has been gaining steam and last month was approved by the board of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Within minutes of the supervisors' vote today, MTA chief executive Roger Snoble said the agency would sue the Board of Supervisors to force the sales tax onto the regular ballot.
"I'm in the process of hiring outside counsel because we can't hire county counsel because they would have a conflict," Snoble said. "We have a fairly decent chance of going into court and getting that reversed."
Many politicians have hailed the sales tax as the county's best shot at getting a $30-billion to $40-billion pot of money that is controlled locally. Budget woes, the economy and the Iraq war have made it difficult to get state or federal funding of that magnitude in recent years, and sales tax backers argue that a tax hike is the surest way to secure projects such as a subway, the Expo Line to Santa Monica and an extension of the Gold Line from Pasadena deeper into the San Gabriel Valley.
The 13-member Metro board voted in July to put the sales tax on the ballot. All five supervisors sit on the Metro board, and Snoble said that his understanding of the law is that the Supervisors vote today was largely procedural.
In particular, he said, the law requires the Board of Supervisors to examine the ballot and vote against placing an item on it if there is a physical issue with the ballot -- for example, that it doesn't fit.
"I'm already looking at this thing costing a whole lot of money, and to add more money, to me, it's really hurtful," Snoble said.
The problem has been politics. Local transportation officials have said that even $40 billion is not nearly enough to build all the projects that should have been built long ago or ones needed in the future. Complicating matters, it is well known that politicians sometimes seek transit projects because of the construction jobs, development and influence they generate.
Another issue has been legislation concerning the proposed sales tax. Officials at local, state and federal levels have all been trying to get language inserted that ensures their districts not only get projects but also see them funded robustly and in a timely manner.
That, in particular, was the problem three of the supervisors had with the sales tax: They believed that the money was distributed unfairly and that the MTA came up with a poor spending plan that favored project such as the subway on the Westside over other rail lines in the county.
"But the way it was done at the MTA certainly wasn't by any way kind of a fair process of let's be fair to the voters," said Supervisor Gloria Molina, who abstained. "It was a nice concocted scheme that went on. And every single and every step of the way it has made arrangements at how they were going to get more for one side of town versus the other side."
She later added: "It's a very funny way this little choo-choo is getting on the ballot."
Supervisor Mike Antonovich said that the money should be split up on a per capita basis. He, too, complained that money for some projects -- such as $1 billion earmarked for a mass transit project along the 405 through the Sepulveda Pass -- will ultimately be diverted to pay for the costly subway.
Supervisor Don Knabe, who portrays himself as a fiscal conservative, initially said that although he would vote to put the sales tax on the ballot, he wasn't for it -- but didn't think taxpayers should foot the bill for a symbolic vote. He quickly reversed course and voted against the sales tax.
Later, in an interview, Knabe said that he expects the MTA to successfully sue to place the tax measure on the existing ballot. Still, he said the supervisors' decision would reap benefits.
"I think it got everybody's attention that there is an equity issue here," Knabe said. "It's always a real dogfight to get a fair share of the dollars east of the 110 Freeway."
Knabe was absent for the MTA board vote last month because he was attending a celebratory event for the birth of his first grandson.
Transit advocates were not pleased.
"What a fiasco of childish parochial grandstanding," wrote Dana Gabbard, of the Southern California Transit Advocates, on a Times comment board. "...We desperately need leadership in this region, and it is obvious that isn't what we are getting from the Supervisors."
The Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce also issued a statement denouncing the vote -- even though the Chamber has yet to take an official position on the sales tax.
“Nearly every workday begins with a discussion about traffic,” said Gary Toebben, the president and CEO. “Voters should be allowed to consider all potential solutions including a half-cent sales tax increase to fund transportation projects.”
Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who chairs the MTA board and said that he has been working to build a coalition for the sales tax, had not commented on the supervisors' vote as of early this afternoon.
Even more surprising, the vote came after county attorneys told the board that the sales tax would still go forward -- but now on a separate ballot than the rest of the general election. That move would cost taxpayers an additional $2 million to $3 million, said county officials.
In addition, county election officials said that a separate ballot would require a separate mailing of ballots to voters and that it's likely the separate ballots would be counted well after the general election ballots.
-- Steve Hymon and Garrett Therolf
― Vichitravirya_XI, Wednesday, 6 August 2008 11:05 (fifteen years ago) link
two months pass...
YES on Jody's post - an unprecedented plan on this level - and despite the budget shortfalls, at least this $ that's being allocated will directly go to the westside (Wilshire leg) expansion rather than get squandered away on that lol route to Ontario the Gold Line/SGV advocates were clamoring for... on a civic level, this seemed improbable but now that it's happened it's truly incredibly good news for the city. Assemblyman Mike Feuer really deserves credit for getting it going
if this didn't pass likely nothing would be built for 30 years and Expo Line would be stalled..
this is better than nothing, but a good first step:
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-roadsage30-2008oct30,0,5950126,full.story
So how far does $4.1 billion get the subway?
The MTA says that could be enough to extend the line from its terminus at Wilshire Boulevard and Western Avenue to Westwood. The route hasn't been decided, but a recent MTA study recommended that the subway follow Wilshire to Beverly Hills, swing south to Century City and then north to Westwood
and the most important part, considering what Sacramento did to us in 2007:
Can the Legislature raid Measure R funds?
No. The money would belong to Los Angeles County. The Legislature can, however, continue to keep gasoline sales tax money that Sacramento is supposed to send back to counties.
― Vichitravirya_XI, Wednesday, 5 November 2008 08:49 (fifteen years ago) link
seven months pass...
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