Measure U Will Fund Much Needed Road Repairs, Says Humboldt County

map of roads to be repaired

Map of roads that Humboldt County government says will be worked on if Measure U passes. [Click here to get a zoomable map.]

Press release from Humboldt County:

Humboldt County voters will be asked to consider Measure U on the November ballot; a 20-year, half-cent special sales tax to fund transportation needs such as road maintenance, repairs, fixing potholes and other aging transportation infrastructure. Measure U requires a two-thirds majority to pass and is estimated to bring in $10 million per year to the Humboldt region.

“For years, our state’s leaders have talked about solutions and while that talk has been cheap, the problems have grown even more expensive,” Senator Mike McQuire, D- Healdsburg, said at a Town Hall meeting in May.

Counties that have implemented local sales tax measures for transportation, called “Self-Help Counties,” create and maintain jobs for transportation infrastructure, maintenance and operations and are more successful in leveraging a larger share of state and federal dollars. Current revenue for county transportation needs is declining and not keeping pace with rising construction costs. This funding measure will offset the revenue shortfall from the state’s gas tax, which has not increased since 1994, is not indexed to inflation resulting in diminishing buying power and has significantly decreased due to rising fuel-efficiency and electric vehicles.

“Like so many counties all around California, our roads are failing and the State doesn’t have our back” said Mark Lovelace, Chair of the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors. “If we want to stop our roads from crumbling, we’ll need to help ourselves. Measure U lays out a clear plan to fix and maintain our roads and transportation infrastructure so that voters can know exactly where the funds will be spent. Also, the money stays here and cannot be taken by the State.”

Measure U is a 20-year plan generating approximately $200 million, $86 million of which will go specifically to the unincorporated parts of the county. Below is a list of priority projects for the county and a link to a map showing the roads to be addressed in the first five years of the measure.

Measure U map, information

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Veterans friend
Guest
Veterans friend
7 years ago

Probably not. The BOS will siphon off the money for the airport, trails & other bs.

Kendall Flint
Guest
Kendall Flint
7 years ago

I hope you take the time to read the law. The County can’t Use its share of the revenue for anything other than road repair. It is specifically designated for transportation and there is a limit of .05% that can be used for adminstration. Support it or not – please get the facts right before making a decision.

Henchman Of Justice
Guest
Henchman Of Justice
7 years ago

To increase an existing tax, or create a new tax……

Deserves the abolishment of equal proportions of an existing tax.

Facts:

State funds roads, always has.

Feds fund some state roads for fed uses

Taxes paid for all the road stuff, including maintenances….

Year by year, the tax dollars get shifted away for war, cutsie pork projects, waste, public pensions…..and the whopper (GROWING GUBBAMINT HUGE – more services = more agencies, sub agencies, departments, committees, boards, LAWS, etc….)

Anyone who votes yes has there head so far up their own hind quarters that the light of day is a foregone memory.

If ya own a truck, a 4 × 4, SMART MOVE!

WHO REALLY THINKS THE FARTHEST AWAY RURAL ROADS WILL SEE JACKSHIT FOR QUALITY NEW CONSTRUCTION?

Highways are not county jurisdiction too……..

YA, fetch the ball Fido Zomcom, dead beat zombie in a haze……

citizen
Guest
citizen
7 years ago

HaHa nobody believes there spin and measure U wont pass. Everytime they get more money they do nothing but special interest contracts with there chronies. Then when law says they have to say where money was spent they fight the law. Just look at jail they say they want money to expand jail but all they are adding is handful of beds and a bunch of office space for a net gain of nothing. Vote no on U

lmao
Guest
lmao
7 years ago
Reply to  citizen

I used to believe in our sups until measure Z. Hell no to more taxes. No to measure U. No on Prop64. $hame $hame $hame $upervisors!

Tx
Guest
Tx
7 years ago
Reply to  lmao

+1

Shake Well
Guest
Shake Well
7 years ago

eff “U”

DaPisan
Guest
DaPisan
7 years ago

AGAIN! And the really sad part is…..the Demo Leftist Libs that have already destroyed our freedom, this state, and country will vote this in, along with Hillary. America’s TOAST!!!!!

Dan Fuller
Guest
Dan Fuller
7 years ago
Reply to  DaPisan

Vote for Trump fool & see how many of your precious rights you have left when he gets done!!! If you vote for trump you can’t crap anywhere but in DC because YOUR ASSHOLE will bethere & nowhere else!!!!

sharpen your pencil
Guest
sharpen your pencil
7 years ago
Reply to  Dan Fuller

Trump isn’t the answer, neither is Billary, if you think or freedoms stand a better chance with Billary you are out of your damn mind. Either way we are screwed, so any of you dipshits that wish to play the well my candidate is better than yours game, well you are just a confused imbecile!

Bc
Guest
Bc
7 years ago

What happened to all the road tax monies from gasoline?

Henchman Of Justice
Guest
Henchman Of Justice
7 years ago
Reply to  Bc

Exactly.

Smart car
Guest
Smart car
7 years ago

Priuses and fuel efficiency means less gas tax dollars, means less $ for roads.

Henchman Of Justice
Guest
Henchman Of Justice
7 years ago
Reply to  Smart car

Too funny, that is what a politician would use, “fuel efficiency” and “smart cars” like a prius.

Delving further we see:

1) As the cost of crude goes up and down, people buy trucks and cars…..

2) usually, trucks are always fossil fuel

3) cars still majorly 100% fossil fuel

4) more trucks and cars on road than ever

5) State NOW giving licenses to illegals. Add 1/2 + million vehicles onto road that were not there before…..bad for environment.

6) Data has yet to surface that shows fuel tax collection as plunging to any point that road funding is affected.

Shell Games with taxes like so many taxpayers say……..shifting taxes from their intended purpose is deceitful and wrong.

Saucy
Guest
Saucy
7 years ago

Lol, there’s like a couple dots by garberville and 1 squiggly line out whitethorn and 1 towards AP. I mean, I guess thats better then nothing, but realistically and if money allowed It would be so nice if every paved road within a 20 mile radius from garberville was just completely re-done. I also wanted to bring up the little bit of road work they did on the switch backs coming up from town on AP road, I mean it is better then it was, but some of the spots where they flattened out new pavement isn’t even flat and when you go over it it’s almost worse then the potholes that used to be there, or about the same. Wish they would stop putting band-aids on roads that need complete reconstruction.

Emily
Guest
Emily
7 years ago
Reply to  Saucy

I do a lot of back country roadwork. It’s tough to keep these roads nice, esp with all the weed-related traffic that wasn’t there a few years ago. People are living farther back on once quiet dirt mountain roads. I have seen the impact first hand. Add to that, these people do not know how to drive on gravel roads for the most part. It’s a mess, and I like good roads, so I will gladly be voting yes on U. Remember, taxes are the price we pay for civilization.

Dan Fuller
Guest
Dan Fuller
7 years ago

WTH ever happened to the monies from Measure Z??? They were supposed to be for this as well as more law enforcement in rural areas!!! We finally got a new resident deputy here on Highway 36 but I have yet to see a decrease in the insanity of some of the drivers on this road!!! There were 2 major accidents out here just yesterday!!! As well as I saw another one looking for a place to happen some little while “Pregnant Roller Skate” passed me as well as several others over a double yellow center line!!! There was an RV going slowly holding up traffic by not yielding by pulling over to let traffic by!!! I guess the fool driving the little white wreck waiting to happpen must have been tired of living as well as tired of following but that was NO excuse for crossing the double yelow & endangering themselves as well as other drivers who would have been caught in the “Mucking Fess taht would have resulted if they had been a few seconds later!!! Just as tehy pulled back in to the proper lane there was anotehr vehicle going the other way that came around the corner!!! The driver of the little white vehicle nearly earned a Darwin Award for removing themselves from the Gene Pool!!!

Farce
Guest
Farce
7 years ago

Property assessments have doubled in value since 2000. The Green Rush caused many timber holdings to be subdivided and sold at high prices. Those property taxes are for the county. So…the county has seen a HUGE increase in income. Where did all the money go? This has been a MAJOR boom time, not seen ever by most counties anywhere, anytime…Why do they need more? What is wrong with our county managers?!! Why have they been crying about needing money to provide basic services when their income has been doubling?!! Why doesn’t anyone do a real investigative journalism piece on this- Where Did All the Money Go?!!

Emily
Guest
Emily
7 years ago
Reply to  Farce

You don’t think the timber owners paid the same taxes? Come on- these properties in the hills w unpermitted cabins on them and tens of thousands of dollars worth of crops- the property taxes are a couple hundred bucks a year. Tpz zoned land is taxed very low. And the impact on the roads is huge. So come on people pay your fair share. This is our county we need to take care of it.

Guest
Guest
Guest
7 years ago

They must think we’re all really dumb! O wait never mind we obviously are, measure z, school property tax, lottery, ect. No improvements or bare minimum maybe a penny from every 100 dollars goes to what it says it will. Something really shitty is going on, this county has more money than its ever had yet the infrastructure is the worst it’s ever been! Wtf is going on! we need answers not more friggin taxes. F U

Emily
Guest
Emily
7 years ago
Reply to  Guest

Do you have any idea how much it takes to fix roads? It’s very expensive. It takes all kinds of heavy equipment and manpower. This is for *our* county- Dont we want our roads in better shape? I know I do.. and I know it takes a lot to keep them up. Nobodies getting ripped off here… I’m hearing a bunch of hysterical anti-tax paranoia here and not much common sense.

Eastside
Guest
Eastside
7 years ago

I’m taxed out. Voting no on all new taxes . When the money actually goes where they say it will, and everyone quits voting themselves raises I might think about it.

rollin21
Guest
rollin21
7 years ago

YAAAAY, more taxes. Now 16 Cal Trans workers can hang out and watch one work instead of 15 hanging out and watching one work. Gooooooo Democrats!

Joanie Benson
Guest
Joanie Benson
7 years ago

No. And he’ll no. We already pay our taxes. Reorganize your current budget, stop making excuses amd get to work. No, we will not pay 25%sales tax so every county department can have their own slushfund. The county needs money: go back to all separate departments for the units atdhhs. That was supposed to reduce administration salaries, but no one was removed at any of the three main branches AND a four story building FULL of very overpaid administrators was added. And the rent alone on the building is a half million a year as i recall. No humboldt county, you may not have any more money.

Truth
Guest
Truth
7 years ago

No on measure U! Look at the map, it won’t fix any roads for 90% of voters. A stupid idea, brought to you by a failed county government. As it is, county road workers are overpaid, and reluctant to work. Just yesterday, in Briceland, there were 2 county trucks, 4 guys, standing around, talking, doing nothing, except for the one who was jumping in front of traffic, and giving drivers the middle finger. Pathetic!!!

Guest
Guest
Guest
7 years ago

Seems like everyone in in agreement on no, at least on here and people I know, yet i bet it still passes.

Life is Good
Guest
Life is Good
7 years ago

Vote NO. Take money fro HHS. That’s obviously not working.

soapboxer
Guest
soapboxer
7 years ago

shively road has been torn apart by logging trucks for decades and the county is suppose to fix the mess…corporations profiting off public money meh

Eastside
Guest
Eastside
7 years ago
Reply to  soapboxer

The winter road? I drove it last week and marveled at what good shape it is in, that one slip aside. Drive AP road all the time you will appreciate how nice Shively rd. is in comparison . That big slip out does need to be fixed , I agree.

Curious Jew
Guest
Curious Jew
7 years ago

I like how the county piles all their fill material on the side of AP road just above the freeway. No compaction, no erosion control probably no permit for fill. Massive double standards. Wonder what the Water Board and Fish & Wildlife would think about their practices.
You can see 4′ deep rain ruts cutting right through loose fill material. Killing fish.

forest queen
Guest
7 years ago

Measure Z also needed 2/3 to pass – UNTIL the 18 commie county counsel added “Essential Necessities.” -Measure Z never lawfully passed. Funny how we’re supposed to abide by the rules – but the criminals and thieves don’t. Their very own rules state that county taxes can only be applied in the unincorporated areas. Instead, Eureka, Fortuna and Rio Dell added the 1/2%. (Consolidation). Measure Z is an utter failure.

“Once a fraud always a fraud.” Doesn’t matter how long Z and CMMLUO linger – they are both fraudulent from the get-go. Redress is not available in an Administration environment. Jon Tom(?), the private male masquerading as a Court File Clerk behind the bullet-proof glass, on Tuesday Nov. 8th, all of a sudden tells me i can’t see My litigation file (CMMLUO), beecause i don’t have an I denta fiction card. Nazism is here folks!

Between Public Private Partnerships
Consolidation (termed “outreach” in slave-speak)
and traitor federal Grants (illiminates checks & balances)

I don’t know which one is worse.