Transportation Funding Deal Reached Today Between Legislature and Governor

Heavy equipment working on the slide

Heavy equipment working on the slide at Big French Creek which has closed Hwy 299 for long periods this winter. [Photo from Caltrans District 2]

Press release:

Senator Mike McGuire, an outspoken advocate and co-author of the Senate’s comprehensive transportation funding package, is pleased to announce a deal has been reached between the Legislature and Governor. The deal will advance billions of dollars to improve California’s crumbling roads and transportation infrastructure. Specifically, $52 billion over the next decade for transportation infrastructure – roads, highways and public transit.

“We have been working hard to ensure a critical transportation funding package was approved this year,” said Senator Mike McGuire. “We have a transportation funding crisis in California – our roads, highways and bridges are crumbling because our state has failed to invest in our transportation infrastructure – and tens of millions of California commuters, businesses and travelers are literally paying the price for our lack of action.”

Senator McGuire has been a champion for passing a comprehensive fix to California’s crumbling transportation infrastructure.

The transportation funding package will provide cities and counties with significant annual revenue streams to make local infrastructure improvements like rebuilding and paving local roads and streets and bridge repair. With 87 percent of California’s roads rated in fair or poor condition, and estimated statewide deferred maintenance backlog over the next 10 years of $132 billion, this transportation plan will provide the long overdue investments from the state.

The bill will bring in $5 billion in new revenue annually with accountability to ensure funds can only be spent on transportation via a constitutional amendment. Every billion dollars spent on transportation infrastructure, creates 14,000 full-time jobs.

Here’s an article that helps break down what to expect from the deal: http://www.capradio.org/articles/2017/03/29/brown,-democratic-lawmakers-reach-transportation-funding-deal/

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THC
Guest
THC
6 years ago

Well good, let’s all hope some of the money goes to where it’s supposed to. We should probably get ready for higher gas taxes to.

Bean Counter
Guest
Bean Counter
6 years ago
Reply to  THC

with ga prices ;ow, higher gas tax is the least painful way to raise revenue.

Guest,
Guest
Guest,
6 years ago

The money is already there it just takes a disaster to get funding for projects that should already be in progress. yes taxes will go up to fill pockets for no good reason

Livin' Easy
Guest
Livin' Easy
6 years ago

This sounds like another ‘consumer gets screwed’ tax. Because our elected officials have dropped the ball for many years, we are going to pay for their mistakes. In 2018, truck drivers and drivers of diesel vehicles will have a 4% increase on fuel, the state will determine the value of your vehicle to assess a new yearly ‘Highway User Fee’, a 12% gas and 20% diesel excise tax to wholesale and in 2020 a $100 a year zero emission fee on vehicles. The excise tax will be passed down to the public and by 2020, we will be paying outrageous fees to live and drive in California. Almost 2 million in Calif are on welfare, which pays about $20 an hour plus the other benefits for people who continue to have kids and not work. If you are on welfare and have kids, no more benefits should be paid for additional kids. Our state encourages people not to work and have more children, in addition to benefits to the undocumented. Stop giving money away !!! We’re screwed !!!

Hick
Guest
6 years ago

Yeah, the longer they put I off the more it will cost. But damn give us pop folks a break!

Hick
Guest
6 years ago
Reply to  Hick

Yeah, the longer they put I off the more it will cost. But damn give us po folks a break! The state keeps make’in harder for those of modest means to get by.

Callin' Yer Bluff
Guest
Callin' Yer Bluff
6 years ago

The funds have always been there. They have just been spent elsewhere on benefits, pensions and handouts to get votes.

Ya
Guest
Ya
6 years ago

No doubt! The state fuel tax hasnt been raised since 94, if they would have gotten a 1/4 cent gas tax increase since then it would be a lot less painful at the pump. 12 cents per gallon increase and at least 25 bucks more for registration.
What choice do we have tho, at least its a realistic figure, the whole state needs work.
Maybe it will spur car companies to go back to the 1970’s when honda civics were advertised to get 42 mpg. I remember sitting in the car while my mom waited in line for gas on our alloted day. It spurred some seriously good mileage vehicles!

Tamra Sundell
Guest
Tamra Sundell
6 years ago

Well I just read we will be getting a 12 cent gas per gallon increase; just signed. Since FEMA only reimburses 75% when a Declaration of Emergency is enacted, I guess we pay the rest. Just say’n.

Livin' Easy
Guest
Livin' Easy
6 years ago
Reply to  Tamra Sundell

That 12 cents won’t be ‘at the pump’. It’s an excise tax to a company on the sale or production, but we will probably get a few cents passed down at the pump.

Gary Wellborn
Guest
Gary Wellborn
6 years ago

SO-does this mean the 70 billion dollar dreamy super train is on hold? What other projects are going to be put on hold? Our roads and bridges have been neglected for decades. So have our water storage projects. What about Oroville Dam? How much will that cost if the dam fails? 70 Billion? Maybe. How many lives would be lost and homes destroyed? Whatever dreamy bond issue the Legislature comes up with next needs serious scrutiny. Where does all of this money come from? Us the taxpayers! Stand up people. The legislators work for us. Thank you Senator McGuire. Kill that stupid train.

Honeydew Bridge Chump
Guest
Honeydew Bridge Chump
6 years ago
Reply to  Gary Wellborn

It’s all going for the train, don’t kid yourself.

Aleric
Guest
Aleric
6 years ago

But just imagine, in a few short decades you could get between Fresno and Stockton in just a matter of hours! What could be more important than that?

Shak
Guest
Shak
6 years ago

Correct. The train & the bicycle paths & trails. It’s all listed down in the guideline book 2020 for a more “barely sustainable future”.
Simultaneously will be a push for more govt funded housing, without parking carports or garages, & rushed through with no permits or heavy regulating needed for multi-story complexes. Also in the guideline 2030 book for a more barely sustainable future.
You don’t want to see the 2050 guideline book, trust me. Let’s put it this way. We never should have been so frivolous with classifying certain classes of people as an inconvenience. (Unborn, disabled, seniors, sovereign).

Gary Wellborn
Guest
Gary Wellborn
6 years ago

How many of these billions of dollars will make it to Humboldt County? Keep track everyone!

Citizen Too
Guest
Citizen Too
6 years ago

How about paving the parking lot at the Mad River Beach County Park and draining the swamp at the adjoining boat ramp while you’re at it? Definitely a high-use local recreation facility that needs some help (and repave my poor old worn out street while you’re at it).

Ezra
Guest
Ezra
6 years ago

Advancing the cash?
So it’s paid back in some form of tax?

Shak
Guest
Shak
6 years ago

Toss in an addendum that throws those crooks behind bars for life & you got yourself a deal.

hmm
Guest
hmm
6 years ago

If we had railroads, these giant semi-trucks wouldn’t be tearing up the roads. I love when one of them gets into the left lane to pass another truck, and it takes 10 minutes.

Pickles
Guest
Pickles
6 years ago
Reply to  hmm

Did you enjoy dinner last night? How about your Christmas gifts? Do you wear clothing? Do you put gas in your vehicle? Thank a truck driver! Ungrateful

Aleric
Guest
Aleric
6 years ago
Reply to  Pickles

All those goods could be shipped by rail without damaging our roads. That’s how things used to be, before oil and rubber companies worked together to destroy our nations rail infrastructure to create a huge new market for gas and tires.

Ernie Branscomb
Guest
6 years ago

While Jerry Brown and Mike Wood are stepping up as our heroes (they are) they failed to give credit to the feds where most of the money comes from.

There is a proposed 2 trillion dollars for infrastructure in the works. And the feds have been begging states with disasters to apply for that funding. It looks like lots of repairs and construction will be funded. I just hope that all the funding isn’t spent on the Eureka waterfront (again).

Thinking Allowed
Guest
Thinking Allowed
6 years ago

From the article_
“Sources familiar with the deal tell Capital Public Radio that the terms include:

a 12-cent gasoline excise tax increase
a 20-cent diesel excise tax increase
a four percent diesel sales tax increase
a “transportation improvement fee” (similar to the vehicle registration fee that owners already pay the DMV each year), which will assessed at a progressive rate that ranges from $25 to $175 per year based on each vehicle’s value
a $100/year zero emission vehicle fee starting in 2020″

This is in addition to the taxes already taken that were supposed to fund roads and infrastructure. What happens is that the legislature and governor will look at any new funding as freeing up money previously assigned to roads to now spend elsewhere. This is almost a kneejerk reaction and I’ll bet they are already moving money around to fund programs they couldn’t get approved previously.

Ernie Branscomb
Guest
6 years ago

Thanks “Thinking”. It sounds a lot like extortion. If we want our roads fixed, we have give away money that should go to them in the first place.

Shak
Guest
Shak
6 years ago

Very astute!! You nailed it.

Paula
Guest
Paula
6 years ago

Lets see….More money to divert to pet projects. Look how long the money was fuddled and muddled for the realignment of Buckhorn Summit. Over 30 years that took. Mean while, our Gas Tax has increased by approx. $.36 a gallon, to cover the mismanagement of the California Public Employees retirement fund. Now to cover the mismanagement of monies for roads, they want to raise the gas tax even more, and raise the cost of our vehicle registration AND charge you more based on the monetary value of your vehicle, not to mention toying with the ideal of taxing you even more based on the annul mileage you drive.

Did the political asshats in Sacramento forget what happened to Gary Davis? Do you remember that recall and why and how Arnold became the Governor?

Lib Poser
Guest
Lib Poser
6 years ago
Reply to  Paula

Ha, ha, ha. No need to reminisce about the good ole’ days when there were enough republicans in Caulifornia to keep the new world order in Europe. Now it’s one Lesbian, one Transgender, one gay, 2 million illegal immigrants, one sanctuary state, one vote. You better hurry and get a ruling class job with your government masters or be left dumpster diving. You could always get on SSI and enjoy free health care and let someone else drive you around.

rollin21
Guest
rollin21
6 years ago
Reply to  Paula

More government=more of the same

mark
Guest
mark
6 years ago

Sounds great,all except the public transit part,they should keep that separate,as this is the only one time I agree with hdbc,It’s all going for building that elevated train.

gunther
Guest
gunther
6 years ago

Or we could slow down for road conditions, enjoy the ride, get better mileage, and live longer. Never mind, it’s a right to drive 20 mph over the speed limit and experience road rage.

Funding for roads
Guest
Funding for roads
6 years ago
Reply to  gunther

More taxes for roads, do we get a vote? I guess the 28 billion collected for fiscal year of 2015/16( page 8) is not enough .If the fund had 100 billion it would not be enough .No matter how much money the state collects it will never be spent wisely or without waste fraud and abuse.When your county chooses Sunday to fill potholes .This is a tiny example of waste.

http://www.dot.ca.gov/hq/tpp/offices/eab/fundchrt_files/Transportation_Funding_in_CA_New.pdf

G-MAS
Guest
G-MAS
6 years ago

The Calif.Gov. said this morning that we are going to pay by raising gas prices,and raising our vehicle registration.Some folks will be paying 100.more a year. Gas going up 12 cents. We can barely pay our bills now.

gunther
Guest
gunther
6 years ago
Reply to  G-MAS

That also means the cost of everything like food will go up too. This will hit poor people the hardest.

Lone ranger
Guest
Lone ranger
6 years ago

Not bad , an average road crew person makes 71000 for seasonal work

Shak
Guest
Shak
6 years ago

“As part of the deal, the Legislature would ask voters to approve a constitutional amendment in 2018 that would protect the new transportation revenues from being used for non-transportation purposes.”

Thinking Aloud nailed it above. “This is in addition to the taxes already taken that were supposed to fund roads and infrastructure. What happens is that the legislature and governor will look at any new funding as freeing up money previously assigned to roads to now spend elsewhere. This is almost a kneejerk reaction and I’ll bet they are already moving money around to fund programs they couldn’t get approved previously.”

This “Amendment” lets the crooks off the hook for past mismanagement of the money taken from the people under force and somehow it admits to having have been taken under false pretenses, plus it allows them to continue doing the aforementioned crookery.
It also guarantees them the power to collect from our wallets every single year for eternity, for every single project they personally want to do or might think of later. It cements the taking.
When our great great grandkids are scooting around like the Jetsons, they will reclassify the term roads to mean something else entirely.

They need to be held accountable for their past pretences.

THC
Guest
THC
6 years ago

There seems to be a lot of people complaining about how the californa government spending our money, and rightfully so in my opinion. So why don’t you people remember this come next election and stop voting for the same corrupt Democrats over and over and over and over!