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- From: "eegenebradley" <http://profiles.yahoo.com/eegenebradley>
- Date: Sun, 14 Nov 2010 20:58:59 -0000
All:
It may have been beneficial that no position was taken on any of these ballot measures voters voiced themselves on November 2, as the San Francisco Examiner article below will explain.
Proposition 26 was not on the radar for many people in the transit advocacy community. Basically, Prop. 26 requires 2/3 voter approval of all fees, retroactive to January 1, 2010. Its voter approval, as told below, negates Prop. 22 (no more public transit funding raids for the State) and likely negates Measure B (Santa Clara County/VTA $10 DMV fee for county road improvements). Per smartvoter.org Measure B passed with only 51.7% approval. In other words, it seems everyone is pretty much back to the fiscal crisis and deficits they were on November 1.
After reading the article below, let this be a reminder to all that one must read the WHOLE contents of your voter guide and consider the full consequences of these ballot measures before voting. Don't just vote on issues & candidates the press tells you about. In this era of media consolidation and cutbacks, there won't be the time and/or resources for the press to cover all ballot initiatives and candidates you decide on. For these and other research matters, the Internet - and your local library - are you best friends.
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http://www.sfexaminer.com/local/State-raids-transit-funds-for-budget-107139558.html
State raids transit funds for budget
By: Will Reisman
Examiner Staff Writer
November 11, 2010
SAN FRANCISCO â?" More than $700 million in funding for Bay Area transit agencies has been swiped by the state to balance budget deficits during the past three years.
That problem was supposed to be solved last week after the passage of Proposition 22, preventing Sacramento from raiding transit funds to offset the state deficit.
But transit agencies arenâ??t exactly leaping for joy.
Thatâ??s because voters also passed Proposition 26, requiring the state to renege several fees that werenâ??t passed with a two-thirds majority. This included last springâ??s gas tax swap, which restored about $147 million to Bay Area transit agencies â?" an unexpected injection that was a lifeline to operators such as BART, Caltrain and Muni.
"We arenâ??t really sure what the implications are right now," said Randy Rentschler, spokesman for the Metropolitan Transportation Commission.
The Ca Transit Association, the group that helped put Prop. 22 on the ballot, said it could take up to a year to determine the outcome of the Nov. 2 election results.
â??The ultimate impact of these measures will not be known until the legislature, new governor, and possible even courts have acted,â?? CTA Executive Director Joshua Shaw said in a letter.
BART spokesman Linton Johnson said the agency is still waiting to see if revenue from the gas tax swap â?" which amounts to $49 million for this fiscal year and the next â?" could be affected. He also said that Prop. 22 doesnâ??t protect against any future gas tax
swaps.
At a meeting earlier this month, Nathaniel Ford, executive director of the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, which operates Muni, said his department will review the potential effects of both propositions.
Caltrain spokesman Christine Dunn said her agency would do the same.
http://www.sfexaminer.com/~wreisman
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Eugene Bradley
Founder, Silicon Valley Transit Users
http://www.svtransitusers.org/
Yahoo! IM: eegenebradley
phone (408)888-2208
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