California Legislature votes to raise gas taxes for road repairs and transit

California Legislature votes to raise gas taxes, vehicle fees by $5.2 billion a year for road repairs and transit

Patrick McGreevy and Melanie Mason Contact Reporters


After a week of fierce debate between opposing interests, the state Legislature on Thursday approved a plan to raise gas taxes and vehicle fees by $5.2 billion a year to pay for the repair of California’s pothole-ridden, decaying system of roads, highways and bridges.

The bill squeaked through the Senate on a 27-11 vote and cleared the Assembly with 54 votes, the bare minimum required in both houses.

The measure sparked suspenseful wrangling in the waning hours of Thursday, with Assembly Democrats initially three votes short of securing the two-thirds threshold needed to approve a new tax.

Ultimately, all but one Assembly Democrat, Assemblyman Rudy Salas (D-Bakersfield), backed the bill.

The plan was forcefully pushed by Gov. Jerry Brown as a necessary response to 23 years without a gas tax increase, which has resulted in a backlog of $130 billion in repair and replacement projects throughout the state.

http://www.trbimg.com/img-58e6c7f8/t...06/300/300x169
What Californians need to know about the state’s $52 -billion transportation plan

"The Democratic Party is the party of doing things, and tonight we did something to fix the roads of California,” Brown said after the vote.

State Sen. Jim Beall (D-San Jose) said his bill will boost the economy and fix a crumbling road system that is unsafe.

"If we are able to have better maintained roads, we could prevent accidents and deaths and help have a better outcome in terms of traffic congestion," Beall said during the two-hour floor debate.

Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de León (D-Los Angeles), who negotiated the package with Brown and other Senate and Assembly leaders, said the state’s roads have suffered from decades of neglect and must be addressed.

“Sooner or later, you have to pay that bill,” he said. “And let's do it now, and let's do it pay as you go.”

Brown and the legislative leaders set a self-imposed deadline for action on the bill by Thursday before the Legislature’s spring recess.

Democratic Sen. Steve Glazer of Orinda voted against the bill, saying his constituents were against higher taxes as proposed by a 2-1 margin. But Brown and De León persuaded Republican Sen. Anthony Cannella of Ceres to vote in favor of the measure, reaching the two-thirds vote needed for passage.

The governor and legislative leaders ended up giving nearly $1 billion to specific transportation projects in the districts of legislators who had been on the fence before voting for Senate Bill 1. Brown and De León agreed to provide $500 million for projects in Cannella’s district, including the extension of a commuter rail line from the Bay Area to Merced.

“At the end of the day I asked for certain things and they delivered them, so I needed to vote for it,” Cannella told reporters afterward.

Cannella described the conversations with his fellow Republicans as “very tense.”

Assemblyman Adam Gray (D-Merced), whose district also benefits from the funds, praised the bill on the floor as a "package that provides new money so that the state can keep its commitment to local communities that need potholes filled, that needs roads built and maintained."

Senate Republican leader Jean Fuller of Bakersfield criticized the Democrats for providing nearly $1 billion to districts as sweeteners to win votes.

“I think it’s a very bad precedent,” Fuller said. “It just encourages people to vote for things for the wrong reasons.”

The other Republicans opposed the tax increase, saying the money should instead be taken from a general fund that has swollen by $36 billion in recent years. They also called for diverting non-bond money from Brown’s proposed high-speed train project.

Sen. Jeff Stone (R-Temecula) said the tax hikes will hurt small businesses and low-income families, who he said would have to choose between buying gas or food.

“The state Senate tonight passed yet another tax on hardworking Californians because we continue to fail the people by wasting money on programs we can't afford,” Stone said after the vote.

Final details were unveiled last week for the legislation, which will raise the base excise tax on gasoline by 12 cents per gallon, bringing it to 30 cents. Another variable excise tax will be set at 17 cents.

The excise tax on diesel fuel will jump 20 cents per gallon and the sales tax on diesel will go up four percentage points. Electric car owners will pay a $100 annual fee.

The package also creates an annual vehicle fee ranging from $25 for cars valued at under $5,000, to $175 for cars worth $60,000 or more.
About $34 billion of the first $52 billion raised will go to repairing roads, bridges, highways and culverts, with most of the money split 50-50 between state and local projects.

An additional $7 billion over the first decade will go to mass transit projects. Other money will fund improvements to trade corridors, including the roads serving the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, and will go toward reducing congestion on the most clogged commuter routes.

Updates from Sacramento »

The bill was opposed by several agricultural industry groups, including the Western Growers’ Assn. and the California Farm Bureau Federation, whose representatives worried that the additional costs of fuel will be a difficult financial burden for farmers.

Several environmental groups, including the Coalition for Clean Air, objected to a provision of the bill that they said ties the hands of air quality regulators who might want to adopt new rules to provide for cleaner operations of existing trucks.

The California Chamber of Commerce, cities, counties and labor groups supported the measure.

The Senate also approved a measure for the June 2018 ballot that would prohibit borrowing the new money for non-transportation programs.

The arm-twisting by the governor and Democratic leaders began in earnest Wednesday afternoon and continued through the day Thursday.

The deal to spend $500 million for transit and road construction in the northern Central Valley was struck at the governor’s mansion late Wednesday night and other negotiations continued past dawn. Later, the governor's office agreed to pump $427 million into the Riverside districts of Sen. Richard Roth and Assemblywoman Sabrina Cervantes, both Democrats and holdouts whose votes were crucial to securing passage.

Extra effort was put into wooing Cervantes, whose defeat of an incumbent Republican last year makes her a prime target for the GOP to unseat in 2018. Mid-afternoon, Cervantes huddled with De León, Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon (D-Paramount) and Nancy McFadden, the governor's top aide.

Also present was Assemblyman Eduardo Garcia (D-Coachella), who has deep ties to Cervantes. Her father, Greg Cervantes, a former mayor of Coachella, was a political mentor to Garcia.

Cervantes was absent from the Assembly floor for most of the afternoon, while lawmakers took up bills unrelated to transportation.
The scrounging for votes was complicated by the sudden absence of another member, Assemblywoman Sharon Quirk-Silva (D-Fullerton), who went to the emergency room after suffering from severe weakness and nausea.

By the time the Assembly finally took up the measure about 8:30 p.m., Assemblyman Jim Frazier (D-Oakley) alluded to the rocky path the transportation package had to travel.

"Members,” Frazier said, “it's been a long, crumbling road to get where we are today."

http://www.latimes.com/politics/la-p...406-story.html

More info @
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California would increase fuel taxes under $52 billion road repair plan

And who will get the jobs? Not to worry, they are probably sneaking across our borders even as we speak. Or already safe and snug here in California, aspiring to be the sanctuary state.

Republican Backed Jerry Brown’s Gas Tax for $400 Million Pork Project

It would seem gas tax and vehicle permits would be the best way to raise monies to build roads. If people are going to use them let them pay for it.

It's actually a smart time to do it while gas prices are low.

Governor Brown Signs Landmark Transportation Funding Package

By Office of the Governor -
April 28, 2017, 12:41:48 PM

SACRAMENTO April 28, 2017 – Moving to fill potholes, smooth thousands of miles of pavement, repair bridges and strengthen public transportation, Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. today signed a package of legislation to improve transportation and create jobs in communities across California.

“Safe and smooth roads make California a better place to live and strengthen our economy,” said Governor Brown. “This legislation will put thousands of people to work.”

“While Washington can barely get its act together, in California we stepped up to address one of the most pressing concerns facing our residents. This plan is fiscally responsible and will improve the quality of life for all Californians while creating jobs. Our roads will be safer and our cities and towns will be better connected to each other – finally bringing our transportation infrastructure into the 21st century,” said Senate President pro Tempore Kevin de León.

“SB 1 will make our roads better and safer and help make commutes shorter. Supporting SB 1 required a combination of common sense, political courage, and concern for the Californians who drive on our roads and bridges. Now we owe it to the people of California to perform the oversight and do the due diligence that will ensure the transportation projects SB 1 funds are completed in the timely and efficient manner our constituents deserve,” said Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon.

“Today is the culmination of over two years of work that I’ve devoted to SB 1. It was never destined to be an easy piece of legislation but the work resulted in the first major investment in California’s transportation infrastructure in 23 years,” said Senator Jim Beall.

“For too long we have neglected our state and local transportation needs. Our roads are falling apart and our bridges are in desperate need of repair. After two years of visiting every area of the state, I have heard people’s concerns about commuting to work, running errands or just getting their kids to soccer practice.

Transportation is integral to our quality of life and SB 1 is the comprehensive funding package that will help repair our state highways and local streets and roads, while also expanding our travel options with funding for public transit. With Governor Brown’s signature on SB 1 we can finally improve California’s transportation infrastructure,” said Assemblymember Jim Frazier.

SB 1, the Road Repair and Accountability Act of 2017, co-authored by Senator Jim Beall (D-San Jose) and Assemblymember Jim L. Frazier Jr. (D-Discovery Bay), is backed by a broad coalition of supporters and invests $52.4 billion over the next decade to fix roads, freeways and bridges in communities across California and put more dollars toward transit and safety.

State and legislative leaders joined city and county officials and local and statewide business, labor and transportation leaders in Riverside, Concord, Fresno, Bakersfield, San Diego, Los Angeles and Sacramento to build support for the landmark transportation investment package and Governor Brown testified at Senate and Assembly hearings on the legislation.

“In contrast to the gridlock in Washington D.C., California has taken responsibility to address its crumbling infrastructure. SB 1 will not only repair our highways and roads, but will also address the over 500 bridges in California currently requiring major repair, including the nearly 400 that are considered structurally deficient. This will drive our economy, create jobs, while decreasing traffic delays and providing for a smoother commute.

Governor Brown, Assembly Speaker Rendon, Senate Pro Tem De León and the vast majority of Legislators have shown leadership in improving the quality of life for all residents,” said State Building and Construction Trades Council, AFL-CIO President Robbie Hunter.

“Fixing our roads and improving transportation in the state is critical to California’s economy and our job climate. SB 1 enhances the long standing user pay program that provides the long term funding source necessary to keep people and goods moving in our state,” said California Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Allan Zaremberg.

“California cities appreciate the Governor’s signature on SB 1 today. Now our cities can get to work repairing and maintaining our streets and roads.

These investments will also reduce car repair bills for our residents and improve our transportation system that is so vital to our economy and quality of life,” said League of California Cities President JoAnne Mounce.

“This landmark legislation offers counties real hope to catch up on a significant backlog of deferred maintenance. From my home county of Alameda to rural counties like Alpine, we’re finally going to be able to start fixing potholes, improving pavement and making sure our bridges are structurally sound. We thank Governor Brown, Senators De León and Beall, Speaker Rendon and Assemblyman Frazier for their leadership on this bill,” said California State Association of Counties President Keith Carson.

“SB 1 is so much more than just a roads bill. The bill also provides an historic level of stable and permanent funding for public transit and active transportation projects, assuring California can meet its mobility goals while achieving important environmental objectives,” said California State Transportation Agency Secretary Brian Kelly.

“This bill clearly demonstrates California’s commitment to clean, sustainable transportation, and the role that public transit plays in that vision. While California’s transportation infrastructure needs are many, this proposal acknowledges the importance of public transit in achieving the 21st century transportation network that Californians need and deserve. We expect these new investments to lead to cleaner transit vehicle fleets, and reduced greenhouse gas emissions and other pollutants, as Californians will be offered more attractive mobility options,” said California Transit Association Executive Committee Chair Michael Wiley.

“The benefits of SB 1 go well beyond desperately needed repairs for our streets and roads by funding important sustainable improvements to our transportation system for walking and cycling as well — good for our health, our environment, and our economy,” said Transportation California Executive Director Roger Dickinson.

“This legislation was a once-in-a-generation opportunity to invest in the future of California’s quality of life and economic growth. SB 1 creates a responsible and dedicated source of revenue for decades to come by including voter-approved constitutional protections. We thank Governor Brown and the Legislature for taking this issue head-on and approving transformational legislation that will create hundreds of thousands of good-paying jobs, increase safety and improve commerce,” said California Alliance For Jobs Executive Director Michael Quigley.

The legislative package will cost most drivers less than $10 a month and includes strict accountability provisions to ensure the funds can only be spent on transportation. The new funding will allow Caltrans to make major repairs to California’s transportation infrastructure including 17,000 miles of pavement, 500 bridges and 55,000 culverts over the next ten years. The package will also fund huge investments in repairing local streets and roads. The package also provides historic levels of public transportation funding — roughly double what was provided by Proposition 1B in 2006.

The following funds will be split equally between state and local investments over a ten-year horizon:

Fix Local Streets and Transportation Infrastructure (50 percent):

• $15 billion in “Fix-It-First” local road repairs, including fixing potholes
• $7.5 billion to improve local public transportation
• $2 billion to support local “self-help” communities that are making their own investments in transportation improvements
• $1 billion to improve infrastructure that promotes walking and bicycling—double the existing funding levels
• $825 million for the State Transportation Improvement Program local contribution
• $250 million in local transportation planning grants.

Fix State Highways and Transportation Infrastructure (50 percent):

• $15 billion in “Fix-it-First” highway repairs, including smoother pavement
• $4 billion in bridge and culvert repairs
• $3 billion to improve trade corridors
• $2.5 billion to reduce congestion on major commute corridors
• $1.4 billion in other transportation investments, including $275 million for highway and intercity-transit improvements.

Ensure Taxpayer Dollars Are Spent Properly with Strong Accountability Measures:

• Constitutional amendment, SCA 5 for voter approval on the June 2018 ballot, to prohibit spending the funds on anything but transportation
• Inspector General to ensure Caltrans and any entities receiving state transportation funds spend taxpayer dollars efficiently, effectively and in compliance with state and federal requirements
• Provision that empowers the California Transportation Commission to hold state and local government accountable for making the transportation improvements they commit to delivering
• Authorization for the California Transportation Commission to review and allocate Caltrans funding and staffing for highway maintenance to ensure those levels are reasonable and responsible
• Authorization for Caltrans to complete earlier mitigation of environmental impacts from construction, a policy that will reduce costs and delays while protecting natural resources.

Guided by the principles set forth by President Ronald Reagan when he signed bipartisan legislation to increase the federal gas tax in 1982, today’s transportation investment package is funded – over a ten-year horizon – by everyone who uses our roads and highways, in the following ways:

• $7.3 billion by increasing diesel excise tax 20 cents on November 1, 2017
• $3.5 billion by increasing diesel sales tax to 5.75 percent on November 1, 2017
• $24.4 billion by increasing gasoline excise tax 12 cents on November 1, 2017
• $16.3 billion from an annual transportation improvement fee based on a vehicle’s value starting January 1, 2018
• $200 million from an annual $100 Zero Emission Vehicle fee starting July 1, 2020
• $706 million in General Fund loan repayments.

The Governor has also signed the following bills:

• SB 131 by the Committee on Budget and Fiscal Review – State public employment: memorandum of understanding: approval
• SB 132 by the Committee on Budget and Fiscal Review – Budget Act of 2016
• SB 496 by Senator Anthony Cannella (R-Ceres) – Indemnity: design professionals

For full text of the bills, visit: http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov

https://yubanet.com/california/gover...nding-package/

Gas-tax repeal? California lawmaker launches a ballot initiative

Trump Plans to Shift Infrastructure Funding to Cities, States and Business

http://www.constructiondive.com/user...1ddda80e97.jpgBRIEF
CA allocates $328M to fund 88 transportation projects

By Kim Slowey
• May 24, 2017

Dive Brief:

• The California Transportation Commission has given the green light to a $328 million program of state infrastructure improvements, according to Equipment World.
• The list of 88 projects includes nearly $36 million for biking and pedestrian initiatives and $234 million for "fix-it-first" highway repairs and upgrades. Also part of the spending program are two rail projects, capital improvements along the state highway system and traffic congestion programs.
• State officials said more transportation spending programs like this are on the horizon because of California Gov. Jerry Brown's 10-year, $52 billion transportation funding bill.

Dive Insight:

In April, California legislators approved a 12-cent-per-gallon increase to the state gas tax and additional vehicle registration fees to pay for the massive infrastructure spending initiative.

The state's backlog of highway and bridge repairs total about $130 billion. According to the American Society of Civil Engineers, approximately 50% of the state's roads need improvements.

Earlier this month, Indiana officials announced that they were also raising the state's gas tax by 10 cents per gallon to help pay for a seven-year, $5 billion infrastructure program. The increase will cost residents an average of $63 a year, but lawmakers said public feedback indicates that taxpayers are willing to pay slightly more for gas in exchange for better roads.

While some states are looking to taxpayers to fund infrastructure programs, Utah transportation officials announced this week that they were launching a $1 billion transportation program, courtesy of the state legislature. State lawmakers will borrow the money over a four-year period, and Utah Transportation Commission officials said the windfall will allow them to complete a handful of major projects in a shorter timeframe.

Bonds are also a way to finance infrastructure projects, and Maine officials cleared a major hurdle this month in advance of a bond issue that will pay for this summer's bridge and road work. Maine Gov. Paul LePage disagreed with the process that the state treasurer used to select the bonding agent, arguing that the requirements cut out many Maine-based businesses. It looked like, in protest, LePage would drag his feet on setting a bond issue amount for the June sale, which would have jeopardized about $600 million in projects scheduled for this summer. However, the governor and Hayes worked out a compromise, no doubt under pressure from state infrastructure contractors who depend on seasonal work to survive the slow winter months.

http://www.constructiondive.com/news...ojects/443430/

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Originally Posted by Judy

It's actually a smart time to do it while gas prices are low.

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Once the tax is there it will be there to stay and gas prices will eventually go back up.

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In April, California legislators approved a 12-cent-per-gallon increase to the state gas tax and additional vehicle registration fees to pay for the massive infrastructure spending initiative.

The state's backlog of highway and bridge repairs total about $130 billion. According to the American Society of Civil Engineers, approximately 50% of the state's roads need improvements.

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Quote:

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The California Transportation Commission has given the green light to a $328 million program of state infrastructure improvements, according to Equipment World.
The list of 88 projects includes nearly $36 million for biking and pedestrian initiatives and $234 million for "fix-it-first" highway repairs and upgrades. Also part of the spending program are two rail projects, capital improvements along the state highway system and traffic congestion programs.
State officials said more transportation spending programs like this are on the horizon because of California Gov. Jerry Brown's 10-year, $52 billion transportation funding bill.

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Sounds like a great program, that's going to do a lot of great things for California. Most Americans don't mind paying taxes to fund projects and improvements, so long as they are projects that are needed, beneficial or ameliorating. I don't know from the statement in bold if at the end of 10 years the 12 cents comes off, but that's what it sounds like. This is actually the old-fashioned way of financing and paying for infrastructure improvements. Pay as you go. Very Republican, that's how we paid for the first inter-continental railroad using rail bonds, and how states have paid for a lot of things through the years including education facility improvements, school bonds.

It's exciting to me to see states taking the lead like this to fix their states. This is how it's supposed to work.

GO STATES!!!

These types of activities are encouraging to me, and while I can't stand Jerry Brown and his coddling of illegal aliens, I do applaud this gas tax that appears to be a 10 year program to fix their roads, bridges, build some more rail systems and many other transportation related projects. Californians need to remember how much Americans like me and there are millions and millions of US have always looked to California as one of our nation's most special states, a Paradise of sorts, filled with so many beautiful aspects and achievements from it's extraordinary natural beauty to its beautiful people in Hollywood to its beach parties, surfers and relaxed people who were always coming up with a new idea about something. I realize it's not the same today as when I was growing up but it's nice to still have moments like this when you can at least think so, even if only for awhile, whether true or not. Maybe that "I wish it were so" is the essence of "California Dreamin'".

:)

Ted Gaines column: California taxpayers gouged at the pump


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Here are a few facts that should give pause to anyone supporting California's new gas tax: California Department of Transportation (CalTrans) is overstaffed by 3,500 people, wasting $500 million every year that could be going to roads; California diverts a billion dollars in "weight fees" into the general fund annually, which should also be paying for roads; Californians already pay some of the highest gas taxes in the country but have some of the worst roads, which points to an efficiency problem.

It's plain to see that the fake funding crisis used to push the new taxes through the legislature was really a crisis of political priorities. The money is there — without the new taxes — to pay for modern, smooth roadways up and down the state.

Still, the legislature has a default position, and that's to pickpocket taxpayers and businesses at every turn. Hence, the new tax to backfill the waste and diversions that should be paying for roads right now.

Gov. Jerry Brown, oblivious to the actual effect the bill will have on businesses and families, tried to deflect criticisms of the new tax's cost by noting that it will set back the average family about $10 a month.

Are my rural constituents, who drive 45 minutes to get to the grocery store, supposed to be happy because of that average? Are my suburban commuters putting 80 miles a day on their cars supposed to be happy with that average? It will be meaningless to them, as they will pay hundreds of dollars more a year in gas taxes and registration fees to pay for roads that their tax dollars already could have and should have paid for.

Because of this government decision to raise gas taxes $0.12 a gallon, diesel $0.20, and add an additional registration fee of $25-$175 on each vehicle (and that is just a partial list of the new charges), everyone in the state can expect to pay more for everything they buy, from school clothes to groceries to laptops. Not because the items are better, but because California legislators are attaching a premium to everything with their relentless search for tax dollars.

These new taxes and fees aren't one-time charges. They go on forever under the current bill, and will start increasing, indefinitely, starting in 2020.

I want first-class infrastructure for our state and am willing to pay for it, but not twice. That's what this cynical bill does to our residents. It forces them to pay a second time for roads that their tax dollars already could have built. It's backfilling an imaginary shortfall to cover up government failure.

A state that can afford to waste tens of billions of dollars on the colossally expensive and worthless High Speed Rail is not a state starving for money. To California's majority party, though, every problem looks like a deficit and every solution looks like a tax. It's killing the middle and lower classes in the state.

Our state has the 48th-worst tax climate already, but this gas tax proves, yet again, that legislators can't leave unwell enough alone.

http://www.tahoedailytribune.com/new...t-the-pump/Sen. Ted Gaines represents the 1st Senate District, which includes all or parts of Alpine, El Dorado, Lassen, Modoc, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Sacramento, Shasta, Sierra and Siskiyou counties.

JUNE 7, 2017

N.J. incumbents who supported unpopular gas tax hike win

http://www.newsworks.org/images/stor...0626891092.jpgMany New Jersey residents were upset when the state gas tax shot up by 23 cents a gallon last year to replenish the Transportation Trust Fund. But they didn't take it out on lawmakers. (AP file photo)

Many New Jersey residents were upset when the state gas tax shot up by 23 cents a gallon last year to replenish the Transportation Trust Fund. But they didn't take it out on the lawmakers who approved that increase in Tuesday's primary election.

All the state legislators who voted for the tax increase won, said Monmouth University political analyst Patrick Murray.

"On the Republican side — which is where there was some concern that it could hurt some incumbents there who had supported it — the turnout was so low, that there just wasn't much enthusiasm about voting about anything," he said.

Some challengers focused on the gas tax hike, Montclair State political science professor Brigid Harrison said, but that didn't resonate with voters.

"What we see is that party lines matter," she said. "So all of the individuals who voted for the gas tax received the party endorsement in the various districts, and that was the determining factor in the election."

If gas prices were higher, Fairleigh Dickinson political science professor Peter Woolley said the tax hike might have been a more potent issue.

"The price of gas is not particularly high now," Woolley said Wednesday. "People don't go the pump and curse the way they did a few years ago. So, really, the gas tax has not had the same kind of impact it might have if prices were high."

http://www.newsworks.org/index.php/l...-tax-hike-win/

Okay, I thought we were discussing California's gas tax hike, not New Jersey's. ;)

Discussing GAS TAX.

5/1/17

Trump says he’d consider increasing the gas tax

JUN 7, 2017 @ 10:24 AM 220

The Federal Gas Tax Is Old -- And Broken

https://blogs-images.forbes.com/asse...g-2782_400.jpg

Tax Analysts

The leading global publisher of tax news, analysis and commentary
Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own.

https://www.alipac.us//2.gravatar.co...?s=62&d=mm&r=gJoseph Thorndike, Contributor

The federal gas tax turned 85 yesterday – pretty respectable for an excise but nothing compared with federal levies on alcohol and tobacco, which first appeared in 1789.

Still, the gas tax is looking less spry than it once did. As the principal source of revenue for the Highway Trust Fund, the gas tax has an important task to accomplish: ensuring that the nation’s infrastructure keeps pace with a growing economy. But it’s no longer getting the job done.

https://specials-images.forbesimg.co....jpg?fit=scaleShutterstock

Congress hasn’t raised the gas tax in 24 years. In 1993 lawmakers pegged it at 18.4 cents per gallon. Since then, however, construction costs have increased dramatically, speeding the trust fund’s outflow. At the same time, automobile fuel efficiency has also risen, allowing motorists to drive more miles on less gas – and thereby slowing the trust fund’s inflow.

Squeezed from both sides, the trust fund has been chronically short of revenue during the last decade or so. Last year, faced with yet another “crisis,” Congress cobbled together a five-year patch that relied heavily on budgetary legerdemain. Notably, however, lawmakers declined to take the more obvious route to long-term solvency: raising the gas tax.

Generally speaking, taxes don’t do well when left unattended; they require maintenance and attention, at least once in a while. Left to their own devices, they tend to decay. That’s certainly what happened to the gas tax -- it hasn’t kept pace with changing economic circumstances.

But along the road to gradual inadequacy, the gas tax hit an even bigger speed bump: In 1990 Congress broke the tax when lawmakers raided it for cash. For most of its modern history, the gas tax has been a more or less straightforward user fee— drivers paid for road construction using a tax that was pretty well correlated with road usage.

In 1990, however, Congress changed the deal. As part of a deficit reduction package, lawmakers and President George H.W. Bush agreed to boost the gas tax from 9.1 cents to 14 cents per gallon. And crucially, they used half the new revenue for deficit reduction, not road construction.

The 1990 switch was a turning point in gas tax history. Yes, it’s true that Congress had previously used gas tax revenue to pay for things other than infrastructure. In fact, the first federal gas tax was itself an “emergency” levy designed to cope with sagging revenues in the early years of the Great Depression.

But since Dwight Eisenhower made the gas tax the fiscal foundation of his new interstate highway system, the gas tax has been a road tax. And as a road tax, it was well tolerated. As historian Christopher W. Wells has noted, "The tax was neither onerous nor obvious -- paid a few cents at a time, with the exact amount unadvertised -- and it funded conspicuous, large-scale road construction."

But that was before Congress started meddling with the gas tax. To be sure, the 1990 experiment was short-lived; after another revenue grab in 1993, lawmakers returned the tax to its traditional role. After 1997, it was a road tax again. But the damage was done.

Today, support for higher gas taxes is not completely absent from the political landscape. Some national polls suggest that voters are willing to contemplate an increase if the money is devoted to building better roads. But state-level polls are often less encouraging, and most politicians (at least in Washington) seem convinced that any sort of gas tax increase would be political poison. The politicians may be right – as experts in pandering, they’re pretty good at divining the electorate’s short-term preferences.

But someday, lawmakers will be faced with another trust fund “crisis.” And even sooner, they may have to grapple with President Trump’s much-advertised but still undelivered infrastructure plan.

Either way, the gas tax – or something like it, including a miles-driven tax – deserves serious consideration. After all, it worked for a few decades, and it might work for a couple more.

As long as Congress doesn’t muck it up again.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/taxanal.../#7c0229462171

Trump Plans to Shift Infrastructure Funding to Cities, States and Business

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Originally Posted by JohnDoe2

Discussing GAS TAX.

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California Legislature votes to raise gas taxes for road repairs and transit

https://taxfoundation.org/state-gaso...ax-rates-2017/

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California Legislature votes to raise gas taxes for road repairs and transit

Nearly $1 billion in side deals by Gov. Brown and Democratic leaders cemented the legislative vote to raise the gas tax

ck McGreevy, Melanie Mason and John Myers Contact Reporters


In one of the biggest legislative victories of his storied political career, Gov. Jerry Brown pushed through an ambitious plan last week that will increase gas taxes and vehicle fees to raise $52 billion over the next decade for the repair of California’s system of crumbling roads, highways and bridges.

But the win didn’t come cheaply — Brown and legislative dealers promised nearly $1 billion for the pet projects of lawmakers who had been sitting on the fence before they were persuaded to vote for the bill.

The funding “arrangements,” as Brown called them, helped the governor and legislators break a two-year Sacramento stalemate on transportation funding.

Some legislators said the horse-trading taints the legislative process, but Brown defended the deals as justified, a moderate investment compared with the payoff of a bill that will generate $5.2 billion annually in the first 10 years for road repairs, and billions more in future years.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything as big as this particular transportation bill,” Brown told reporters after the vote late Thursday night. “So I would say some of the arrangements that were entailed in this process, they may look large, but relative to $52 billion, it’s all pretty modest.”

Republican leaders said the deals were unseemly and set a bad precedent.

“Democrats just gave us the largest gas tax increase in state history — a deal so bad they needed $1 billion in pork to buy the votes to pass it,” said Assembly Republican leader Chad Mayes of Yucca Valley. “California deserves better.”

The bill, approved by two-thirds votes of the Senate and Assembly on Thursday, raises the gas tax by 12 cents per gallon, boosts diesel taxes and creates a new annual fee when cars and trucks are registered.

Similar proposals have languished for years, but Brown and legislative leaders set a quick-turn April 6 deadline for action, hoping to pressure a compromise before the Legislature’s spring break — ahead of big debates to come in 2017 on the state budget and hundreds of bills.

The side deals, which still require legislative approval, showed up in two changes to the budget bill language, with most of it made public at 4 a.m. on the day of the vote.

The biggest concession made was a $500-million budget allocation for pet projects helping the districts of state Sen. Anthony Cannella (R-Ceres) and Assemblyman Adam Gray (D-Merced), both of whom held out support for the bill until the day before the vote.

http://www.trbimg.com/img-58e839d6/t...09/400/400x225

Cannella’s vote proved critical. Although Democrats enjoy a supermajority in both houses, Sen. Steve Glazer (D-Orinda) voted against the bill, citing opposition from his constituents and a concern that the bill could have been better crafted, leaving it one vote short of the two-thirds majority needed for passage.

The night before the vote, Cannella was called to a meeting with Brown, Senate leader Kevin de León (D-Los Angeles) and Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon (D-Paramount) at the governor’s mansion.

There, the leaders agreed to provide $400 million in transportation funds through 2027 for the extension of the Altamont Corridor Express, a commuter rail line between the Bay Area and CentralValley. The project would extend the line from Lathrop to Ceres and Merced inside Cannella’s district.

“The ACE train is a big deal for me. It’s important for my district,” Cannella said before the vote.

The budget trailer bill was also amended to include $100 million from the State Highway Account through 2023 for a parkway project at the UC Merced campus.

Cannella said the conversation at the governor’s mansion was a long one, ending at 10 p.m. He prevailed.

“I got the things I asked for, so apparently I made the most compelling case,” he said. “It was very hard to get.”

Brown said the deals struck with lawmakers helped the state achieve the larger goal of fixing its roads and bridges.

“Look, everybody here has needs and they have problems,” the governor said. “Everyone I look [at] here has to face the voters. They want to face them with the best foot forward and we want to help them do that.”


The author of the gas tax bill, state Sen. Jim Beall (D-San Jose), downplayed the accommodation made for Cannella.

“He’s getting something specifically earmarked in a way where he can feel comfortable to vote for it,” Beall said. “In the real way of looking at transit funding, it’s still is a system where everybody gets their fair share.”

The money, the governor said, would be well spent.

“Sometimes these bills that take all these different arrangements and compromises help the very people that we came here to serve,” Brown said.

The $100-million parkway request for UC Merced would help connect the campus to the 99 Freeway. That side deal gave Gray cover to vote for an unpopular tax increase.

“I can go home straight-faced and say to people: ‘This is tough. We’ve got to dig deeper.’ Nobody likes diesel and gas taxes. But this is a tangible, real benefit that I can point to,” Gray said.

He acknowledged that other members might not receive the same infusion of dollars in their districts.

“It’s a fair point, although I would make the argument [that] we’ve historically been underserved. And they’ve historically been overserved,” he said, noting specifically Los Angeles’ large share of transportation dollars.

The new budget language also provides $427 million for transportation projects in Riverside County. The area’s representative, Sen. Richard Roth (D-Riverside), held off supporting the bill until the last day.

Roth and Assemblywoman Sabrina Cervantes (D-Corona) said the extra money was necessary to guarantee that the county was no longer neglected when it came time to distribute road repair dollars. Roth felt Riverside County has not received its fair share of transportation funds in the past.

The governor and top legislators spent pre-dawn hours on Thursday and most of the afternoon of the vote trying to coax Cervantes. She ended up voting yes immediately as the Assembly vote roll was opened.

“For too long, Sacramento has failed to provide Inland Southern California with the resources we deserve,” the two lawmakers said in a joint statement after the vote. “Though this was a difficult vote, the cost of our region not getting its fair share is too high.”

The allocation offered by the governor includes $180 million for construction of a connector between State Route 91 and Interstate 15 North and $84.4 million for a bridge to take McKinley Street over busy railroad tracks in Riverside.

The two legislators said they also secured a commitment from Brown to support a bill of Roth’s that would provide $18 million to the cities of Eastvale, Jurupa Valley, Menifee and Wildomar to reimburse them for vehicle license fee revenue they lost through a change in law on newly incorporated cities.

Brown had vetoed previous bills to provide bailout funds for the cities.

Sen. Connie Leyva (D-Chino), also a holdout vote until the end, said she was able to convince Democratic leaders that something was needed to mitigate pollution from trucks that serve warehouses, including those in her district.

The budget trailer bill was amended at the last minute to include $50 million from the state Air Resources Board, much of it for grants that warehouses could compete for to provide heavy-duty vehicles that have zero or near-zero emissions.

She said an emissions reduction program already exists at a Fontana warehouse in her district and added that she also represents areas with massive warehouses in Ontario and Chino.

“For me this is all about mitigation and air quality and how do we make sure in this deal that we are not further polluting the air, not only in the Inland Empire but also in the ports, Long Beach and Oakland,” Leyva said.

Shortly before 11 p.m. Thursday, just minutes after the gas-tax bill passed the Assembly with no votes to spare, Brown was clearly excited as he stood in front of his Capitol office to talk to reporters about the victory many pundits predicted would elude him.

Asked about the side deals that got him the votes, Brown voiced no regrets.
“You could get a train going to the Central Valley? Does anyone want trains more than me? No,” Brown said. “You could get projects and parks in some of the poorest neighborhoods in California? Hallelujah!”

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Trump's infrastructure deal suggests or proposes $200 billion of federal money to raise $1 trillion for infrastructure improvements over the next 10 years with the remaining 80% of funds coming from states, cities and private partnerships.

APRIL 28, 2017 1:11 PM

California gas tax increase is now law. What it costs you and what it fixes

BY JIM MILLER
jmiller@sacbee.com

Now that Gov. Jerry Brown has signed into law billions of dollars in higher fuel taxes and vehicle fees, the state will have an estimated $52 billion more money to help cover the state’s transportation needs for the next decade.

The money comes largely from a 12-cent increase in the base gasoline excise tax and a new transportation improvement fee based on vehicle value. Other money will come from paying off past transportation loans, Caltrans savings, and new charges on diesel fuel and zero-emission vehicles.

The bulk of the revenue raised will go to various state and local road programs, as well as public transit, goods movement and traffic congestion.

The measure, Senate Bill 1, sets ambitious goals. By the end of 2027, it says least 98 percent of state highway pavement should be in good or fair condition, at least 90 percent of culverts should be in good or fair condition and at least 500 bridges must be fixed.

In June 2018, meanwhile, California voters will get to weigh in on another part of the package: a constitutional amendment supporters say will keep lawmakers from diverting the money to other purposes.

Taxes and fees

Gas taxes

Existing: The base excise tax is 18 cents a gallon. A price-based excise tax is currently set at 9.8 cents a gallon, for a total rate of 27.8 cents a gallon.

Nov. 1, 2017: The base excise tax will increase to 30 cents a gallon.

July 1, 2019: The price-based excise tax will reset to 17.3 cents a gallon, about half-a-cent more than the rate the Brown administration projects will be in effect by then anyway.

The 47.3-cent combined excise tax in effect July 1, 2019 will be adjusted for inflation beginning July 1, 2020.
Average annual revenue: $2.4 billion

Diesel taxes

Existing: The base excise tax is 16 cents a gallon. The state also collects two categories of sales taxes on diesel fuel: the regular state and local sales tax, which averages 8.44 percent, and an additional 1.75 percent sales tax.

Nov. 1, 2017: Base diesel fuel excise tax will increase to 36 cents a gallon. The 36-cent excise tax will be adjusted for inflation beginning July 1, 2020.

Nov. 1, 2017: The 1.75 percent diesel fuel sales tax will increase to 5.75 percent.

Estimated annual revenue: $1.08 billion

Transportation improvement fee

Existing: The Department of Motor Vehicles’ base registration fee is $53.

Jan. 1, 2018: People will pay a new “transportation improvement fee” ranging from $25 to $175, depending on the value of their vehicle:

Value	Fee
Up to$4,999	$25
$5,000-$24,999	$50
$25,000-$34,999	$100
$35,000-$59,999	$150
$60,000 and up	$175

The fee will be adjusted for inflation beginning Jan. 1, 2020.

Estimated revenue: $1.6 billion

Zero-emission vehicles

Existing: There are no ZEV-specific charges.
July 1, 2020: New $100 “road improvement fee.” The fee will be adjusted for inflation beginning Jan. 1, 2021.
Estimated revenue: $20 million

Other revenue

▪ $706 million in one-time revenue from the general fund’s repayment of transportation loans
▪ $100 million annually from unspecified Caltrans savings

Where will the money go?

Road Maintenance and Rehabilitation Program – $3.24 billion a year on average: Off the top, the program allocates several hundred million dollars to various endeavors:
▪ $400 million to maintain and repair state bridges and culverts
▪ $200 million for Sacramento and 23 other counties with local transportation taxes
▪ $100 million to increase the number of trips by bike and on foot
▪ $25 million for the freeway service patrol program
▪ $25 million for sustainable communities planning grants to local governments
▪ $7 million total for transportation-related research and education at UC ($5 million) and CSU ($2 million)
▪ $5 million in workforce development grants to local agencies

Of the roughly $2.48 billion remaining, half would go to Caltrans for state highway maintenance and rehabilitation.

The other half would go to cities and counties for road maintenance and repair projects and railroad grade separations. It also pays for an emphasis on “complete streets” that are safer for walkers and bikers, capture stormwater, and include other features.

State highways – $1.49 billion

Local streets and roads – $1.48 billion

Public transit – $700 million: Receives an additional one-time $256 million from the transportation loan payback.

The money will pay for local bus and light-rail systems, new equipment and other capital expenses.

Trade – $365 million: Pays for projects to improve movement of goods from the state’s large ports and other trade facilities.

Traffic – $250 million: Congested Corridors Program is intended to reduce traffic on California’s most heavily traveled roads.

Parks, boats: The State Parks and Recreation Fund will collect the revenue from the 12-cent gas excise tax increase on gas purchases for boats and other off-highway vehicles. The money will be used for state parks, boating programs, off-highway vehicle parks and other services.

Other provisions

▪ Creates a $30 million program to reduce the burden of transportation projects on the environment.
▪ Creates a state transportation inspector general within a new Caltrans Independent Office of Audits and Investigations.
▪ Sets regulations giving commercial truckers more time to comply with pollution-control regulations.

Jim Miller: 916-326-5521, @jimmiller2

http://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-...147437054.html

Major $183 billion boost to California’s economy expected over 10 years

Caltrans: San Diego Infrastructure Projects Underway Thanks To Additional Gas Tax Funds

Friday, May 18, 2018
By City News Service, Matt Hoffman

https://kpbs.media.clients.ellington...1d859a8f88077d

CREDIT: MATT HOFFMAN/KPBS

Above: Caltrans Director Laurie Berman is joined by local and state politicians in Balboa Park announcing new infrastructure projects thanks to SB 1 funding, May 18, 2018.

The California Transportation Commission this week awarded an additional $312 million in Senate Bill 1 funds to local infrastructure projects, the San Diego Association of Governments announced Friday.
Part of the award, $195 million, will go toward carpool lanes and other improvements meant to reduce congestion along the North Coast corridor of Interstate 5.
The California-Mexico Border System Project, created to improve border crossings, also was awarded $82 million to increase mobility at the Otay Mesa Port of Entry, California's busiest commercial land port.
RELATED: Mayor Faulconer Pushes $633M Infrastructure Investment
Additional funds will go toward assorted rail, road and marine terminal projects.
Caltrans, SANDAG members and other elected officials — including Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins, Sen. Ben Hueso and Assemblyman Todd Gloria — held a news conference Friday highlighting local SB 1 funding.
SB 1 went into effect in November. It raised gas and diesel taxes by 12 cents and 20 cents per gallon, respectively. Vehicle registration fees also increased $25 to $175, depending on the value of the vehicle.
RELATED: California Gas Tax Rises 12 Cents To Pay For Road Repairs
The increase is expected to raise more than $5 billion for transportation costs annually.
"For so long politicians have kicked the can down the road because it’s difficult to talk about this issue," said California State Assemblyman Todd Gloria of the 78th District. "It’s difficult to ask for more money."
The future of the tax increase could be in voters hands this November. A San Diego based group said they have collected enough signatures to put a repeal measure to voters.
"What I think will be difficult to do is sell people on the notion that the status quo is acceptable," Gloria said. "Which is what they’re saying. That everything is hunky-dory and things are fine as they are. They’re not fine. We have too much potholes, too much traffic congestion — not enough forward progress.”
Caltrans said, the San Diego region has received over $800 million from SB 1 this year.

http://www.kpbs.org/news/2018/may/18...n-funding-for/

Metro receives 26 percent of statewide SB-1 gas tax funding

BY DAVE SOTERO , MAY 17, 2018

We posted a couple weeks ago about the California Transportation Commission’s staff recommendations for state grant funding to Metro. It’s now official, with the CTC having voted to approve the grants on Wednesday.

Here’s Metro’s news release:
The California Transportation Commission today approved $703.6 million in SB-1 funding for the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) as part of its transportation funding allocations for agencies statewide.

The California Transportation Agency (CalSTA) also recently announced its SB-1 award for funding Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Improvements, with more than $1 billion designated for Metro. With today’s award of $703.6 million from the CTC and the award of $1.088 billion from CalSTA, the State has made a commitment to fund more than $1.8 billion in projects for Metro over a number of years.

SB-1 is the state’s “gas tax” and vehicle fee transportation funding program approved by the Legislature in 2017 and signed into law by Gov. Jerry Brown.

The awards represent the largest allocation of SB-1 funds in California to date. Metro received approximately 26 percent of total funding available statewide, underscoring the magnitude of needed transportation improvements for the congested L.A. region. The funding will go to Metro’s program of projects which include highway, transit and goods movement elements.

The county’s annual transit ridership is four times that of any other county in the state.

Metro also has the highest annual passenger miles of any other operator in California. L.A. County has seven of the state’s 10 most congested highway corridors and its ports handle 86 percent of all containers for California.

“The path to a more sustainable, resilient tomorrow runs through our investments in infrastructure today,” said Los Angeles Mayor and Metro Board Chair Eric Garcetti. “SB-1 is putting billions of dollars to work fixing our roads and creating more sustainable transportation options — giving Californians healthier air to breathe, less congestion and good-paying jobs that will stimulate economic growth across our state.”

Metro will combine SB-1 gas tax funds with its own locally generated transportation sales tax contributions to continue transforming L.A. County’s transportation system and delivering Measure M and R projects.

“Metro is now leading a transportation revolution in Los Angeles County thanks to our locally funded Measure M and R programs,” said Metro CEO Phillip A. Washington. “Our programs depend on significant funding participation from both the state and federal governments. These SB-1 funds will help us leverage our local funding commitments to fully and quickly implement our region’s critically needed transportation improvements.”

Metro’s projects were selected as some of the best solutions to transform the county’s urban bus and rail system, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and vehicle miles traveled and improve overall mobility in the region.

Metro transportation projects announced for SB-1 funding in several program categories include:

Local Partnership Program
Solutions for Congested Corridors Program
• Airport Metro Connector 96th Street Transit Station Project: $150 million
Trade Corridor Enhancement Program
• Interstate 5 Golden State Chokepoint Relief Project: $247 million
• SR-57/60 Confluence: Chokepoint Relief Program: $22 million
• America’s Global Freight Gateway: Southern California Rail Project: $128.6 million
• Interstate 605/State Route 91 Interchange Improvement: Gateway Cities Freight Crossroads Project: $32 million
• State Route 71 Freeway Conversion Project: $44 million

The CalSTA’s Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Improvements Program seeks to modernize transportation infrastructure, improve safety and grow rail ridership. The Transit Capital projects that were awarded multi-year funding include:

Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program – $1.088 Billion
• Gold Line Foothill Light Rail Extension to Montclair
• East San Fernando Valley Transit Corridor
• West Santa Ana Branch Light Rail Transit Corridor
• Green Line Light Rail Extension to Torrance
• Orange/Red Line to Gold Line BRT Transit Corridor
• Vermont Transit Corridor

https://thesource.metro.net/2018/05/...s-tax-funding/

California drivers pay some of the highest gas taxes in the nation


https://www.pasadenastarnews.com/wp-..._gas.jpg?w=495
In this Monday, Oct. 30, 2017 photo, Cristian Rodriguez fuels his vehicle, in Sacramento, Calif. Gasoline taxes will rise by 12 cents per gallon Wednesday, Nov., 1, to raise money for fixing roads and highways. It is the first of several tax and fee hikes that will take effect after they were approved by the Legislature earlier this year. (AP Photo/Rich

Pedroncelli)By KEVIN SMITH | kvsmith@scng.com | San Gabriel Valley Tribune
April 17, 2018 at 3:00 pm


California motorists are grappling with some of highest gas taxes in the nation and they’re continuing to rise, according to report from price tracker GasBuddy.com.

The study shows California drivers are paying more than 73 cents per gallon in local, state and federal gas taxes, a 15 cent increase over 2017. That’s the second highest amount in the nation. The Golden State ranks second only to Pennsylvania where motorists pay more than 77 cents per gallon in gas taxes.

California’s burden is particularly high when contrasted with the national average, which is a little more than 52 cents per gallon.

A typical California motorist who drives 15,000 miles a year will use 600 gallons of gas, the report said, which means they’re spending $438.78 a year on gas taxes. That’s nearly $96 more than they spent last year.
“That’s a monumental amount of taxes for California drivers to be paying,” said Patrick Dehaan, who heads up petroleum analysis for GasBuddy. “And that comes on top of the fact that California is already an area that sees high gas prices due to the West Coast being a kind of petrol island. It doesn’t have an interconnection to the rest of the nation’s refiners that would help keep costs down.”

Gas prices are high

The average price for a gallon of regular gas in Los Angeles County was $3.60 on Tuesday, up 56 cents from a year ago, according to GasBuddy. Orange County’s average price was $3.57, up 54 cents from a year earlier. San Bernardino County’s average was $3.50 a gallon, up 51 cents, and Riverside County stood at $3.52 a gallon Tuesday, up 54 cents. The national average was $2.74 a gallon.

A host of other factors have conspired to keep California prices high. DeHaan noted that last month, for example, U.S. commercial oil inventories weredown 100 million barrels from a year ago. California refiners also are in the midst of switching over to their environmentally stringent summer gas blend, which typically crimps the state’s available inventory.

“Southern California refineries have already made the change, but areas of Northern California have until June 1 to make the switch,” DeHaan said Tuesday.

The “mystery surcharge”

Additional environmental and climate fees attached to each gallon of fuel and the state’s cap-and-trade program, which adds about 12 cents, also figure into the mix. And amid all of that, there’s a “mystery surcharge” that accounts for about 30 cents per gallon of California’s gas taxes, according to Severin Borenstein, a professor at the Haas School of Business at U.C. Berkeley and a researcher at the Energy Institute at Hass.

Borenstein said that surchage is costing California about $12 million a day, or $4 billion a year. As chairman of the now defunct Petroleum Market Advisory Committee, he attempted to get to the bottom of the surcharge — to no avail. “We spent two years trying to find out what that mystery surcharge was, but we couldn’t dig deep enough to get that information,” he said.

Fire’s impact

Borenstein is also troubled by the fact that California gas prices have remained stubbornly higher than they should be in the wake of a 2015 fire at a Torrance refinery. From 2000 until the Torrance fire, California’s price differential from the rest of the country went up and down. But on average, there was no premium above what might be expected from the state’s tax differences and other costs.

But three years after the Torrance fire, California prices remain abnormally high.
DeHaan figures Southern California gas prices are nearing their high point for 2018.
“I think prices will plateau in mid-May and begin to drop in June,” he said. “If you likened this to a rally at a baseball game I’d say we are at the 7th inning stretch. It’s close to the game being over and California seeing a peak price.”


https://www.pasadenastarnews.com/201...in-the-nation/

$25 BILLION A YEAR SPENT ON ILLEGAL ALIENS IN CA

HMMMM...I WOULD RATHER HAVE NEW ROADS AND BRIDGES

CALIFORNIA...GET YOUR HEAD OUT OF THE SAND!

BOOT THEM OUT.