PLAN COULD WORSEN TENSIONS NORTH-SOUTH SPLIT SEEN IN 2 TRANSIT PROPOSALS.Byline: Harrison Sheppard Sacramento Bureau Weeks after Southern California Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, Assembly Democrats proposed a $10 billion plan for transportation improvements, a Northern California Northern California, sometimes referred to as NorCal, is the northern portion of the U.S. state of California. The region contains the San Francisco Bay Area, the state capital, Sacramento; as well as the substantial natural beauty of the redwood forests, the northern Democrat's alternate $7.7 billion plan passed a key Senate subcommittee Tuesday - a move that could increase tensions between Southern and Northern California legislators. The $7.7 billion proposal by Senate President pro tem president pro tem n. pl. presidents pro tem Informal A president pro tempore. Don Perata Don Perata (born April 30, 1945) is a California Democratic politician, who is the current President pro tempore of the California State Senate. He was elected to the post of President Pro Tempore in 2004. , D- Oakland, seeks voter approval for bonds to fund improvements to roads, ports, housing and bridges. ``This is basically a savings plan,'' Perata said. ``We're going to save California's economy by doing this.'' Assembly Democrats have proposed their own transportation bond - a $10 billion measure that would be funded through a complex plan to lower the gasoline tax Noun 1. gasoline tax - a tax on every gallon of gasoline sold excise, excise tax - a tax that is measured by the amount of business done (not on property or income from real estate) and raise the statewide sales tax sales tax, levy on the sale of goods or services, generally calculated as a percentage of the selling price, and sometimes called a purchase tax. It is usually collected in the form of an extra charge by the retailer, who remits the tax to the government. . Perata's plan calls for no tax changes, as the bond would be repaid through the state's general fund. While Perata said he believes negotiations with the Assembly Democrats will eventually lead to a single proposal, the difference between the two proposals reflects a simmering controversy between Northern and Southern California legislators. Perata's plan includes more funding for the multibillion-dollar Bay Bridge rebuilding project while Assembly Speaker Fabian Nuez's proposal does not guarantee funding for the project. A representative of the Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. County Metropolitan Transportation Authority expressed concerns that the Perata plan could take funds away from Southern California. ``There is an allocation of funds for the bridge, and we're concerned that as this measure moves through over time, that money will be allocated for the bridge, but we will struggle to get the rest of the bond proceeds allocated,'' said the MTA's government relations manager Michael Turner. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger (German pronunciation (IPA): [ˈaɐ̯nɔlt ˈaloɪ̯s ˈʃvaɐ̯ʦənˌʔɛɡɐ] opposes the bond. ``He doesn't believe that borrowing more money that has to be repaid from state tax dollars is in the best interest of the state,'' said Schwarzenegger spokeswoman Margita Thompson. The Senate Transportation and Housing Committee approved the bill 10-3, with the opposing votes coming from Republicans, and it will next be heard in the Appropriations Committee. Sen. Tom McClintock, R-Thousand Oaks, said funds should come from the users of the services, rather than from the state's general fund. ``This is a radical and entirely unsound unsound said of an animal, usually a horse, which has been examined for soundness and found to be unsatisfactory. departure from that (traditional) system of financing public works,'' McClintock said. ``What you're proposing is a general obligation bond that won't be repaid by the users of these projects, it will be repaid by the general taxpayers of California. And you're doing so at a time when our general obligation debt is completely out of control.'' Perata hopes to put the bond on the November 2006 ballot. Staff Writer David M. Drucker contributed to this report. Harrison Sheppard, (916)446-6723 harrison.sheppard(at)dailynews.com |
|
||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion