PROP 1A

YES ON PROPOSITION 1A: USE EXISTING GAS TAXES FOR ROADS AND TRANSPORTATION PROJECTS

In 2002, California voters made their commitment to California roads a priority by passing Proposition 42. Voters said they wanted their gas taxes spent on making roads and highways safer and less congested. But a loophole in the law has made it easy—too easy—for the politicians to use those funds for other purposes. In the last three years, nearly $2.5 billion has been siphoned away from road and highway projects—bringing critical safety and congestion relief projects to a halt.

YES ON 1A STOPS OUR EXISTING GAS TAXES FROM BEING USED FOR OTHER PROJECTS

Proposition 1A closes the loophole in the law and ensures that the gas taxes you already pay are spent only on transportation projects benefiting California’s 20 million drivers.

YES ON 1A BUILDS NEW ROADS AND HIGHWAYS

California currently has the most congested roads in the nation and our streets and highways are in major disrepair. Drivers spend $20.7 billion in extra fuel each year and 500,000 hours stuck in traffic every day because of our overcrowded roads. Prop. 1A ensures a stable source of long-term funding to get urgently needed transportation improvement projects off the drawing board, allowing engineers to:

• Make traffic safety improvements
• Repair the most dangerous sections of state highways
• Reduce congestion on major freeways
• Widen freeways to prevent bottlenecks
• Complete our network of carpool lanes
• Fix neglected streets and roads
• Improve public transit

YES ON 1A MEANS A STRONGER ECONOMY

California’s economy depends on a first-rate transportation system (something we used to have). Without a major emphasis on improving our infrastructure so we can move people and goods throughout the state, our economic future will suffer.

YES ON 1A: PART OF A LONG-TERM PLAN TO REBUILD CALIFORNIA

Proposition 1A is part of the Rebuild California Plan, the first comprehensive infrastructure plan in 40 years. The plan uses the taxes we’re already paying to build the roads, housing, schools, and water systems we need to sustain our economy and our quality of life for the long-term.

REBUILD CALIFORNIA: YES ON 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D, and 1E

California’s population will reach 50 million in the next 20 years—twice what our current infrastructure was designed for—and it can’t be rebuilt overnight. That’s why we’ve got to start now.

To learn more about how this infrastructure plan will benefit you and your community, visit www.ReadForYourself.org.

YES ON 1A: ENSURE EXISTING GAS TAX DOLLARS ARE USED TO IMPROVE CALIFORNIA’S ROADS, HIGHWAYS AND MASS TRANSIT SYSTEMS

THOMAS V. McKERNAN, President
Automobile Club of Southern California (AAA)

MICHAEL BROWN, Commissioner
California Highway Patrol

MARIAN BERGESON, Chair
California Transportation Commission

Excellent public schools and universities have made California the “Golden State.” Education is the engine that drives California’s economy.

Proposition 1A removes Education from being the top budget priority!

The People passed Proposition 42 with exceptions for drastic times. It currently takes 2/3 of the Legislature and the Governor to agree to borrow gasoline taxes.

Some say $2.5 billion has been “siphoned off” the gasoline taxes. The borrowed money is being repaid with interest. And, the “Rebuild California Plan” will not be affected if Proposition 1A is defeated.

You must Vote “NO” on Proposition 1A unless you believe there will never again be a recession in California.

You must Vote “NO” on Proposition 1A unless you know there will never again be a sizeable earthquake, flood, levee break, or fire in California that requires a quick response to save lives and property.

You must Vote “NO” on Proposition 1A unless you think that emergency rooms, hospitals, and trauma centers will never again need to have funding priority.

And, you must Vote “NO” on Proposition 1A unless you think it was OK to withhold $2 billion from the minimum guarantee to our K–12 schools and to continue to raise student fees at our state colleges and universities. These terrible cuts to education would have been much worse if Proposition 1A had been in effect.

For our children, for our economy, and to make sure that we can continue to deal with the aftermath of disasters, Vote “NO” on Proposition 1A.

JACKIE GOLDBERG, Chair
Assembly Education Committee

When the next recession hits, the Legislature and the Governor must be able to prioritize both cuts and expenditures.

Proposition 1A would put still more of California’s budget on “automatic pilot.” That means that the Governor and the Legislature won’t be able to set priorities. If education, healthcare, public safety, or childcare funds are in need of money, during any recession, the first priority for gasoline taxes will be potholes and highways. Highways and potholes are very important. But on this ballot Proposition 1B will provide almost $20 billion dollars for Transportation.

Proposition 42 of 2002 already has strong protections for highway and pothole funds. Money can only be borrowed by a 2/3 vote of both houses and the signature of the Governor. It must be repaid and with interest for the full time it was borrowed. Proposition 1A tightens the restrictions, and makes borrowing almost impossible.

Everyone seems to agree in California that our number one priority is Public Education! But, if Proposition 1A were to pass, that would no longer be true. We only have to look at recent history to understand the impact of Proposition 1A.

In 2003-04, the Legislature and the Governor borrowed $868 million from the sales tax revenue on gasoline. And in 2004-05, we again borrowed $1.258 billion from the same funds. Without the ability to borrow money internally, the choices would have been to borrow from Wall Street, make massive cuts to health and education, or raise taxes.

Even with about $2 billion in borrowing from gasoline tax funds, K–12 public schools still were cut $2 billion from what they were guaranteed. We also cut funds for textbooks and maintenance of classrooms and school buildings. Community college students saw their fees more than double, rising from $11 per unit to $26 per unit, and hundreds of thousands of community college students had to quit college as a result. University of California and California State University students saw their undergraduate fees rise a whopping 30% in three years time.

We have not repaid the $2 billion cut made to K–12 education in 2004–05. And, if Proposition 1A had been in effect, the cut to K–12 public education could have been $4 billion!

In bad years, the Legislature and the Governor need the flexibility to shift funds temporarily to ensure that education receives at least its minimum guarantee. The Legislature and the Governor need to be able to set priorities as they come up. If there is an earthquake, flood, or major fires, or if trauma centers and emergency rooms continue to close, we need to be able to address those emergencies. Don’t tie the hands of those whose job it is to reflect your priorities in the State budget. VOTE “NO” ON PROPOSITION 1A!

JACKIE GOLDBERG, Chair
Assembly Education Committee

Proposition 1A is about upholding the will of voters and setting priorities. In 2002, nearly 70% of voters approved a measure that was supposed to dedicate our gas taxes to transportation improvements. The voters said building new roads, relieving congestion, and improving highway safety are priorities.

Unfortunately, as the opponent points out, politicians have been exploiting a loophole in that law. They’ve diverted nearly $2.5 billion in gas taxes that were supposed to go to transportation and spent that money on other programs. As a result, our transportation system is badly neglected and the backlog of congestion relief, highway safety, and road repair projects has grown larger.

IT’S TIME TO UPHOLD THE WILL OF VOTERS AND CLOSE THE GAS TAX LOOPHOLE ONCE AND FOR ALL.

YES ON 1A simply makes sure the gas taxes we pay at the pump are actually used to build new roads and improve our transportation system.

Prop. 1A will not reduce funding for education or any other state program. Education funding is constitutionally protected and Proposition 1A does not change that.

• That’s why educators leading taxpayer, environmental, business, and public safety groups support Prop. 1A. Proposition 1A is part of the Rebuild California Plan, the first comprehensive infrastructure plan in 40 years.

VOTE YES ON 1A. Ensure our existing gas tax dollars are used to improve California’s roads, highways, and mass transit systems.

STEVE KRULL, President
California Police Chiefs Association

MARK WATTS, Interim Executive Director
Transportation California

ALLAN ZAREMBERG, President
California Chamber of Commerce