California's gas tax increases Wednesday, and the political fallout is likely to spill over into 2018 elections

[bcking 3,157]

1 hour ago, cyberfx1024 said:

How long ago was that if you don't . Ind me asking? Also sorry I haven't got back with the facts but I will when I get 

 

How long ago was that if you don't mind me asking? I am asking that because La Jolla is blowing up right now real estate wise. It is the place to be in SD.

 

Also sorry I haven't got back with the facts but I will when I get to it when I get back to the office.

Around 8 year ago now. The medical center up there was getting huge at the time. I haven't been back since.

[Cyberfx1024 7,980]

Just now, bcking said:

Around 8 year ago now. The medical center up there was getting huge at the time. I haven't been back since.

I have a coworker that works out of his house down there and luckily he bought several years ago. He said on Monday that the prices down in LJ are crazy right now.

[bcking 3,157]

26 minutes ago, cyberfx1024 said:

I have a coworker that works out of his house down there and luckily he bought several years ago. He said on Monday that the prices down in LJ are crazy right now.

Ya I had a couple of friends that stuck around and bought right after medical school. Their places are much smaller than mine but they have had seen nice improvements in property value.

 

My sister owns a place in Manhattan and after 3 years of ownership she is putting it on the market for about 30% more than what it listed for when she bought it. A little more than that. 

[Cyberfx1024 7,980]

Sen. Morrell challenged his Senate peers saying, “Where has all the gas tax money gone in the first place?” Sen. Morrell pointed to several concerns regarding previous gas taxes and their ultimate use:

In 2002, voters passed Proposition 42 confining the sales tax on gasoline to transportation purposes only. But shortly after, legislators found a way to siphon off that money.

In 2006, voters responded with Proposition 1A, limiting the legislature’s ability to suspend Proposition 42. Then the Democrat-controlled legislature used accounting schemes to pay off bonds instead of build up our highways

.In 2010, citizens passed Proposition 22, prohibiting gasoline excise tax funds from being used to pay for debt. Now the legislature diverts $1 billion a year from weight fees to the general state budget.Sen. Morrell continued his comments saying, “Californians simply want transportation fees and taxes to fund our roads and highways. This tax increase still does not deliver on that basic expectation. $100 million goes to bike trails and walkways – not roads. $750 million goes to public transit – not roads.

Allen points out that about $1 billion a year of transportation revenue is diverted to the general fund. Almost all of that comes from "weight fees" imposed on heavier vehicles, money that is supposed to cover the damage they do to roadways.

 

What the report does not mention is why additional oversight is so sorely needed. It’s because Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and the Legislature pulled off a complicated maneuver arranging the diversion of billions of dollars in gas taxes for other uses in 2010. What makes their scheme so outrageous was that it was executed even though state voters passed ballot measures in 2002 and 2006 meant to prevent exactly such siphoning.

 

Republican State Assemblywoman Melissa Melendez claimed in a press release and on Twitter on May 11, 2017 that a large chunk will be siphoned off for anything but roads.

"Governor Brown and his fellow Democrats are already diverting funding to their own pet projects," she said in the press release. "In this budget proposal, they are diverting 30 percent of funding from the gas tax to non-road related projects like building parks and job training for felons. That’s money from the very gas tax the Democrats promised would go solely to fixing our decrepit roads and providing relief for traffic congestion."

The gas tax increase is part of a larger transportation funding legislation signed by Brown in April 2017. In common speech, some politicians simply call this "the gas tax."

It includes an initial 12 cent per gallon gas tax increase that starts in November; a diesel tax hike; and a new "transportation improvement fee" ranging from $25 to $175 per year, depending on the value of one’s vehicle. We wrote about how this new tax will affect the state's already high gas tax rate here and gas prices here. 

 

 

 

http://reason.com/blog/2017/05/23/california-gov-jerry-brown-calls-gas-tax

http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/business/energy-green/sd-fi-california-gastax-20170413-story.html

http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/opinion/sd-california-gas-tax-safeguards-20170609-story.html

http://morrell.cssrc.us/content/gas-taxes-have-been-siphoned-away-road-repairs-years

http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/opinion/sd-california-gas-tax-safeguards-20170609-story.html

http://www.politifact.com/california/statements/2017/may/19/melissa-melendez/jerry-brown-proposing-divert-30-percent-new-gas-ta/

http://www.dailybulletin.com/2017/04/25/gas-taxes-have-been-siphoned-away-from-road-repairs-for-years-mike-morrell/

Edited November 2, 2017 by cyberfx1024

[Póg mo 1,749]

4 hours ago, Steeleballz said:

   

 

    Do the roads need repaired or not? I don't see a lot of alternatives to the 0.12 cent tax if they actually need the money to fix roads. Many states have gone that route. It's not popular, but having roads collapsing underneath you is not popular either.

 

  

 

 

Roads are self funding, don't ya know?

[CaliCat 3,957]

14 minutes ago, Póg mo said:

Roads are self funding, don't ya know?

 

The roads need to be maintained. Many people thing that maintenance is resurfacing only, while the truth is that the infrastructure, especially bridges need constant repair. That the roads, bridges, overpasses, and highways must be built on a seismic active area only adds to the cost. Having said that it is also true that there has been syphoning of money to other areas of need, but to the extent that the state would not need additional revenue. The longer we wait, the more expensive the repairs become.

 

[Cyberfx1024 7,980]

21 minutes ago, CaliCat said:

 

The roads need to be maintained. Many people thing that maintenance is resurfacing only, while the truth is that the infrastructure, especially bridges need constant repair. That the roads, bridges, overpasses, and highways must be built on a seismic active area only adds to the cost. Having said that it is also true that there has been syphoning of money to other areas of need, but to the extent that the state would not need additional revenue. The longer we wait, the more expensive the repairs become.

 

I firmly agree that they need to be maintained and repaired. I would be more than happy to pay more for it IF the funds went directly to the roads and not get siphoned off to help offset the cost of the budget shortfalls. 

[Dashinka 24,794]

1 hour ago, CaliCat said:

 

The roads need to be maintained. Many people thing that maintenance is resurfacing only, while the truth is that the infrastructure, especially bridges need constant repair. That the roads, bridges, overpasses, and highways must be built on a seismic active area only adds to the cost. Having said that it is also true that there has been syphoning of money to other areas of need, but to the extent that the state would not need additional revenue. The longer we wait, the more expensive the repairs become.

 

That is the real problem isn’t it.  Many states have fuel taxes that are promised for road repair, and instead of holding it in a special fund for when it is needed, they use it for other projects, or debt payments.  Then when it comes time to actually do some repairs, there is a cry for more funding.  It is a viscous circle.  I can still remember when the lottery was introduced everyone thought there would be a steady stream of school funding, but instead we get millage after millage request for continuing or additional funding.  As @cyberfx1024showed, even when the voters make it plain the gas taxes must be earmarked for road repair, the politicians always find a loophole.  I guess it is easy using money that does not belong to you (the politicians).

[Cyberfx1024 7,980]

15 minutes ago, Bill & Katya said:

That is the real problem isn’t it.  Many states have fuel taxes that are promised for road repair, and instead of holding it in a special fund for when it is needed, they use it for other projects, or debt payments.  Then when it comes time to actually do some repairs, there is a cry for more funding.  It is a viscous circle.  I can still remember when the lottery was introduced everyone thought there would be a steady stream of school funding, but instead we get millage after millage request for continuing or additional funding.  As @cyberfx1024showed, even when the voters make it plain the gas taxes must be earmarked for road repair, the politicians always find a loophole.  I guess it is easy using money that does not belong to you (the politicians).

Amen to that.

[TBoneTX 46,123]

20 hours ago, Bill & Katya said:

It is a viscous circle.

Oh, the puns to be made with this one...